Florida universities were well-represented in U.S. News and World Report's annual ratings.
The University of South Florida continues to tout itself as the fastest-rising university in America. It came in tied for 46th among public universities and 103rd overall in the 2021 rankings released Monday.
Over the past decade, no school has risen as quickly as USF, which has jumped 54 spots among public universities and 78 spots among all universities.
It's the second year USF finished in the top 50 public universities.
USF was also the only Florida school ranked in the magazine's top ten "Best Value Colleges," finishing eighth among public universities.
“USF is proud to maintain its position as the fastest rising university in national rankings among institutions both public and private over the last decade. As USF continues to be recognized for the exceptionally talented students and faculty it attracts, both the University and our surrounding region, as well of the state of Florida, benefit,” USF President Steven Currall said in a news release. “We will continue our strategic focus on initiatives that will help propel USF to even greater heights in the future.”
USF also was the top Florida school and 12th in the nation among public institutions in top “National Universities for Social Mobility.” The social mobility ranking is calculated based on the number of Pell Grant recipients that a university successfully enrolls, retains and graduates.
Florida Polytechnic University in Lakeland made its debut in the rankings, coming in 72nd among more than 230 undergraduate engineering colleges without a doctorate program, and in the top 40 of those that are public universities.
Saint Leo University, a Catholic university in Pasco County, came in fourth among "Best Value Schools in the South," up from fifth a year ago. It also was ranked 26th among "Best Regional Universities in the South."
Other state schools also posted strong overall results.
The University of Florida was the state's top school, tying for sixth among public universities - up from seventh a year ago - and tying for 30th overall. Florida State University tied for 19th among public universities - down from 18th last year - and tied for 58th among national universities.
The University of Central Florida came in tied for 77th among public universities, while Florida International University was tied for 95th. Florida A & M University was the highest historically black public university nationwide at 117th. Florida Atlantic University climbed four spots to 136th.
The top five public universities in the country, in order of ranking, were the University of California-Los Angeles, the University of California-Berkeley, the University of Michigan, the University of Virginia, and the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill.
The University of Miami, a private school, was tied for 49th among all national universities, trailing only UF among state schools.
The top five national universities, in order of ranking, were Princeton University, Harvard University, Columbia University, and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Yale University, which were tied.
The U.S. News Best Colleges rankings is in its 36th year. The latest edition assesses more than 1,450 U.S. bachelor's degree-granting institutions on 17 measures of academic quality, including graduation and retention rates; graduate indebtedness; social mobility; faculty resources; financial resources; student excellence; and alumni giving.
Additional information from News Service of Florida.
