Florida Atlantic University fell eight places to No. 191 in national university rankings compiled by U.S. News and World Reports, but the magazine praised the Boca Raton school for enrolling and graduating poor students.
FAU is No. 30 in U.S. News' "social mobility rankings," which evaluated schools based on the number and performance of students who attended with the assistance of federal Pell Grants. Another South Florida school, Florida International in Miami, is ranked No. 1 in the magazine's social mobility rankings, which were released on Sept. 21 with a broad set of other rankings for 2027.
Universities sometimes tout high rankings and stay mum when their ranking isn't so high. Some university officials believe the rankings are artificial
and unhelpful, but parents and students still use them in making choices for where to go after high school.
The same set of universities typically dominate the top spots in U.S. News' national university rankings, and that was true again this year.
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology is No. 1, followed by Princeton University with Harvard University coming in third. Last year's rankings had Princeton at No. 1, followed by MIT at No. 2, with Harvard third.
Where Florida universities rank in latest U.S. News report
The University of Florida remains the Sunshine State's top school, according to U.S. News, coming in tied at No. 34 overall in national rankings. That ranking is down four places from last year.
The University of Miami is tied with other schools at No. 55, up nine places. Florida State University was next, tied at No. 59 and down eight places from the year before.
FIU and the University of South Florida are tied with other schools at No. 100. FIU's ranking is down three places, and USF is down 12.
The University of Central Florida is tied at No. 121, down four places, with Florida A&M University rising 13 places to No. 156. FAU is the final Florida school in the top 200, coming in tied at No. 191, which is down eight places.
How the US News & World Report rankings are calculated
U.S. News says it categorizes schools by academic mission, divides them by geographic region and then evaluates them based on 17 measures of academic quality and success. Extra emphasis is placed on student outcomes.
This year, the magazine said it sought to address "growing public concerns regarding higher education affordability and long-term value" by adding a new earnings by major ranking factor, which evaluated the earnings of graduates four years after graduation using data from the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard.
In addition to its national university rankings, U.S. News evaluated regional universities and regional colleges. Florida schools fared better in those rankings.
Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Daytona Beach is tied with Berry College in Georgia at No. 2 in U.S. News' south regional university rankings behind The Citadel in South Carolina.
The University of Tampa is No. 11, up two places from last year. Florida Southern College in Lakeland is tied with the University of West Florida at No. 18. Florida Gulf Coast University is at No. 22. Miami Regional is No. 25, and Lynn University is at No. 66, down nine spots from last year.
In U.S. News' south regional colleges rankings, Flagler College in St. Augustine is tied at No. 1 with Catawba College in North Carolina.
Florida Polytechnic University in Lakeland is No. 3, and Beacon College in Leesburg is No. 10. Miami Dade College comes in at No. 19, and Baptist University in Florida is No. 30. Ava Maria University is ranked No. 32.
How some South Florida schools are ranked
-Florida Atlantic University: No. 191 in national university rankings; No. 30 in social mobility
-Lynn University: No. 66 among regional universities in the South
-Florida International University: No. 100 in national university rankings; No. 1 in social mobility
-Miami Dade College: No. 19 among regional colleges in the South
-University of Miami: No. 55 among national universities.
Wayne Washington is a journalist covering education and Riviera Beach development for The Palm Beach Post. You can reach him at wwashington@pbpost.com. Help support our work; subscribe today
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: UF is No. 1 among Florida universities in U.S. News rankings
