How high is your college ranked? US News list shows changes for FIU, UM, UF and others

Jimena Tavel
·5 min read
4

Florida International University continued its rise up the new US News and World Report education rankings released Monday, while the University of Florida and the University of Miami went down in their respective categories.

US News, an online magazine that has produced rankings since 1983, releases highly watched lists each year in several categories. The two most popular ones: a list of the best public and private universities, and a list ranking just the public universities.

Here’s what to know:

▪ Florida International University: Climbed from No. 72 last year to No. 64 this year among public universities. In the rankings released in 2021, FIU ranked No. 95. Among public and private universities, FIU placed No. 124 this year, an improvement from No. 151 last year.

▪ University of Miami: Fell from No. 55 last year to No. 67 this year among private and public universities. Moved up from No. 37 last year to No. 36 this year among private universities.

▪ University of Florida: Worked hard to break into the top five public universities in the U.S. and accomplished it in 2021, but dropped from No. 5 to No. 6 this year. Among public and private universities, UF got the No. 28 spot, up from 29.

FROM 2022: FIU continues rapid rise in national rankings, UF and UM hold their spots

Why did the college rankings change?

The shake-up comes in part because US News drastically changed its methodology, facing backlash from some colleges and competition from other rankings, including one released by The Wall Street Journal, a newspaper; College Pulse, a nonprofit; and Statista, a market research firm.

US News added metrics like first-generation graduation rates and eliminated others like the proportion of graduates who borrowed federal loans. Overall, US News rankings now focus more on social mobility and outcomes, similar to WSJ/College Pulse, which also changed this year to get rid of factors like the survey of academics on schools’ reputations. Student outcomes now account for 70% of the rankings.

Here’s how some Florida universities ranked on the WSJ/College Pulse rankings, released Sept. 6:

  • University of Florida: 15th among public and private universities, first among only public universities.

  • Florida International University: 29th among among public and private universities, fourth among only public universities.

  • University of Miami: 90 among public and private universities.

Reaction from UM and FIU presidents

FIU President Kenneth Jessell told the Miami Herald on Monday that he’s excited about the US News ranking, just like he is about others, including lists from WSJ, Washington Monthly and Degree Choices. But he cautioned the community to learn about each ranking before picking a favorite.

“Each one has a different methodology, so you just need to read them over and decide what is best for you as a parent or as a student,” he said. “It’s not like one is better than the other; they’re just measuring different types of things. What I’m excited about is that all of the rankings show that FIU is an amazing institution.”

FROM 2021: UF skyrockets to top 5, FIU soars 17 spots, while UM falls behind in college rankings

Julio Frenk, president of the private University of Miami, provided that methodology analysis for the US News numbers in an email sent to UM trustees Monday.

In the correspondence, provided to the Herald by the UM communications team, Frenk said that while they’re “disappointed,” they remain committed to their mission.

“The algorithms involved in rankings frequently change. In fact, in the case of USNWR, only two of all indicators used last year were preserved with the same weight, one of them being the reputation score, in which UM actually improved. Moreover, this year the publication changed its methodology to emphasize the goal of advancing student social mobility and socioeconomic diversity — an approach that favors public institutions, particularly those serving comparatively large percentages of low-income students,” he wrote.

“In Florida, for example, every public institution improved in the rankings, while every private institution declined. These trends hold nationally, with only 1 in 4 private universities retaining or improving their 2023 ranking, favoring those that have large endowments.”

How did other Florida universities do?

▪ Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University (FAMU) in Tallahassee moved up from No. 7 last year to No. 3 this year among Historically Black Colleges or Universities (HBCU). Because the top two schools are private, the Tallahassee-based university stands out as the top public HBCU in the nation. FAMU ranked No. 170 among public and private universities and No. 91 among public universities only.

▪ Florida Memorial University (FMU), a private institution in Miami Gardens, moved up from No. 45 last year to No. 43 this year among HBCUs. It moved down from No. 45 last year to No. 47 this year on the list of “Regional Colleges South.”

▪ Florida State University (FSU) in Tallahassee moved down from No. 19 last year to No. 23 this year among public universities. It moved up from No. 55 last year to No. 53 this year among public and private universities.

▪ The University of South Florida (USF) in Tampa moved down from No. 42 last year to No. 45 this year among public universities. USF also moved up from No. 97 last year to No. 89 this year among public and private universities.

▪ The University of Central Florida (UCF) in Orlando landed as 64th among public universities, same as last year, and as 124th among public and private universities, up from 137th last year.

▪ Nova Southeastern University, a private university based in Davie, moved down among public and private universities, from No. 219 last year to No. 227 this year.

▪ Keiser University, a private university based in Fort Lauderdale, moved down among public and private universities, from No. 219 last year to No. 249 this year.

▪ Barry University, a private university based in Miami Shores, slid. Last year, Barry placed between No. 331 and No. 440 among public and private universities; this year it ranked between No. 394 and No. 435. The range reflects a group of schools within this ranking.

▪ Miami Gardens-based St. Thomas University, a private school, slid. Last year, St. Thomas placed between No. 331 and No. 440 among public and private universities; this year it ranked between No. 394 and No. 435. The range reflects a group of schools within this ranking.

▪ New College of Florida in Sarasota dropped 24 points on the National Liberal Arts Colleges list from No. 76 last year to No. 100 this year. It ranked sixth among the public universities on that list, down from No. 5 last year.