Florida Public Universities Climb in National Rankings

Florida Public Universities Climb in National Rankings

Florida Public Universities Shine on Forbes, Washington Monthly Lists

Florida parents, if you are raising a college-bound child, rest assured that the value of a Florida 529 Prepaid Plan is only gaining ground. Eleven schools across the State University System of Floridarecently earned spots on Forbes' 2025 List of America's Top Colleges for public universities. Eight schools surpassed their performance from the previous year, and one institution is featured on the list for the first time.

Read on for a quick summary of the rankings:

• University of Florida: UF ranked No. 4 among Public Colleges, up by three spots from the previous year.
• Florida State University: FSU ranked No. 21, up by one spot.
• University of South Florida: USF ranked No. 41, up by 22 spots.
• University of Central Florida: UCF ranked No. 43, up by seven spots.
• Florida International University: FIU ranked No. 60, up by 28 spots.
• Florida Atlantic University: FAU ranked No. 84, up by 8 spots.
• Florida Gulf Coast University: FGCU ranked No. 113, up by 55 spots.
• University of West Florida: UWF ranked No. 151, up by 46 spots.
• University of North Florida: UNF ranked No. 155.
• New College of Florida: NCF ranked No. 164.
• Florida Agricultural & Mechanical University: FAMU ranked No. 187, making the Forbes list for the first time in the school's history.

Forbes uses 14 metrics - including whether institutions produce highly paid graduates, reduce the amount of debt incurred by students, graduate a high percentage of students within six years, and retain students while they complete their bachelor's degrees - to select and rank the top 500 universities across the nation.

Florida institutions were also well represented on the 2024 National University Rankings by Washington Monthly. Eight schools made it onto the list, with Florida International University ranked in the top 20 overall and in the top five for social mobility.

Read on for a quick summary of the rankings:

• Florida International University: FIU ranked No. 16 overall and No. 3 for social mobility.
• University of Florida: UF ranked No. 33.
• University of Central Florida: UCF ranked No. 36.
• Florida Atlantic University: FAU ranked No. 41.
• University of South Florida: USF ranked No. 47.
• Florida State University: FSU ranked No. 48.
• University of North Florida: UNF ranked No. 104.
• Florida Gulf Coast University: FGCU ranked No. 123.
• New College of Florida: NCF ranked No. 23 on the Liberal Arts Colleges List.

According to US News & World Report, students should not use the rankings as the sole basis for deciding on one school over another. The rankings are a source of useful comparative information about colleges that might otherwise be hard to obtain and can help you narrow your search to find a school that is a good fit.

Washington Monthly ranks four-year institutions that award primarily bachelor's degrees in the arts and sciences rather than professional programs. The rankings are based on the schools' contributions to the public good in the areas of research, social mobility and promoting public service.

These national accolades show that a quality postsecondary education at a Florida school is within reach more than ever before, and a Prepaid Plan can help you lock in your student's future college costs for these institutions at today's plan prices. That's a smart way to save!

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