Where Florida Universities Ranked in New Best U.S. College List

While some universities in the Sunshine State soared in last year’s U.S. News & World Report Best Colleges rankings, the 2026 iteration saw little movement.

Last year, Florida International University (FIU) rose 26 spots, from 124 to 98, marking the first time in school history that the university was among the top 100 national universities and top 50 public universities. In the 2026 Best Colleges list, the university only jumped one spot to 97, tying with Fordham University, Rutgers University-Camden, Texas Christian University, and the University of Colorado Boulder.

U.S. News used the same weighted factors last year, including first-year retention rates, graduation rates, graduation-rate performance, peer assessment, and financial resources per student. This year, the publication also considered students’ credit hours.

The University of Florida remained at 30 with the University of Texas-Austin, whereas Florida State University jumped three spots from 54 to 51. It is tied with Texas A&M University, Virginia Tech, Wake Forest University, Case Western Reserve University, and the College of William & Mary. Down in Coral Gables, the University of Miami (UM) dropped one spot to 64. UM is tied with the University of Massachusetts-Amherst, Michigan State University, North Carolina State University, and Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.

Other risers included the University of South Florida (USF), which jumped three spots from 91 to 88, the University of Central Florida (UCF), which rose four spots from 121 to 117, and Florida Atlantic University, surging six spots to 183 from 189.

Florida A&M University (FAMU) is no longer ranked as the third-best Historically Black College and University (HBCU). It fell 17 spots from 152 to 169 after rising 18 spots in the national rankings in 2025. FIU was once again crowned the top school for social mobility.

Princeton University is still the top university in the country, with Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and Harvard University in second and third.

Here’s how Florida universities ranked in the 2026 U.S. News & World Report list:

30. University of Florida
51. Florida State University
64. University of Miami
88. University of South Florida
97. Florida International University
117. University of Central Florida
169. Florida A&M University
183. Florida Atlantic University  
222. University of North Florida
232. Florida Institute of Technology
257. Nova Southeastern University
318. Florida Gulf Coast University
363. Keiser University
384. Palm Beach Atlantic University
395. – 434. Barry University
395. – 434. Saint Leo University
395. – 434. Southeastern University
395. – 434. St. Thomas University