UF students have a reason to say they go to the best school in Florida.
UF’s world rank is No. 122 out of the top 400 universities, according to Times Higher Education.
The Florida Institute of Technology and the University of South Florida, the only other ranked institutions in Florida, are more than 100 spots away.
UF is ranked higher on the list than prestigious schools such as Dartmouth College, No. 124, and Georgetown University, No. 174.
UF, which tied with University of California, Santa Cruz, has an overall score of 54.5 percent.
The 2012-2013 world rankings use 13 categories to determine a university’s score.
Megan Nelson, a UF alumna, said it was easy for her to get a job after she graduated.
“I landed my first job two days after graduation as a talent coordinator for an international fashion company. It was so surreal,” she said. “I feel like I can go anywhere with my degree. ”
The rankings by Thomson Reuters is the only global university performance system to judge world-class universities across all of their core missions, according to Times Higher Education.
UF spokesman Steve Orlando said the university strives to be a great institution and to provide the best education value possible.
“UF places well in many other rankings,” Orlando said. “The reasons include top-notch faculty, reasonable tuition rates, a strong research enterprise and good job placement for our graduates. We compete well against our peer institutions and others.”
On a scale of 100, UF received a 52 in teaching, a 31.2 in international outlook, a 62.9 in research and a 56 in citations.
Overall, the U.S. accounts for 76 of the top 200 schools, and seven of the top 10 universities are U.S. schools.
According to a CNN article that analyzed the world rankings, American universities are becoming much less “American” and more global in their makeups.
International students account for 9 percent of UF’s population, more than any university in Florida, according to the UF website.
However, there is always room to improve, Orlando said.
“It’s important for students to know that the university will continue working to give them the best return on their tuition investment,” Orlando said.
Fifth-year civil engineering student Andrew Cone, 21, said his professors teach students main methods and equations they created and had published worldwide.
He said his degree has such an impact that there are Gators around the world willing to help out fellow UF alumni.
“I feel like anywhere I go, all I have to do is show my Gator 1 Card, and they’ll let me in,” Cone said.
