UF is inching toward top 10 status.
The university is up three spots to No. 14 on the U.S. News & World Report’s 2014 list of “The Top 30 Public National Universities,” which was released today.
UF tied for the 49th spot overall with Northeastern University and the University of California, Irvine. It was 54th last year.
“University faculty, staff, students and supporters helped pull UF through five difficult years of a down national economy and state budget cuts,” Provost Joseph Glover said in a news release. “UF’s national ranking is in large part due to their efforts and reflects our continued quest to increase our standing among the nation’s top public universities.”
Among UF’s improvements was its percentage of classes with fewer than 20 students — which was 45, and now it’s 49.
But UF administrators know the university needs to increase its faculty resources, which are ranked 102nd.
UF is using state funds to do just that. Florida Gov. Rick Scott signed a preeminence bill into law in the Spring that provides $15 million annually for five years to help UF achieve top 10 status. UF will match that through private fundraising.
“This will benefit all students in Florida who deserve an opportunity to attend a top-ranked university in their home state,” UF President Bernie Machen said in the release.
The University of Miami (No. 47) was the only Florida university to beat UF on the overall list. Florida State University came in at 91. The University of Central Florida and the University of South Florida tied for No. 170.
A version of this story ran on page 1 on 9/10/2013 under the headline "UF ranked No. 14, looks to improve"
