UF has been named the sixth best public university in the country in the U.S. News and World Report’s 2021 college rankings.
As of Monday, UF ties for sixth place with the University of California, Santa Barbara, with both schools improving from seventh place in 2019. The university also ranks No. 30 in the combined list of public and private universities, up from No. 34.
The top five is led by the University of California, Los Angeles; the University of California, Berkeley; the University of Michigan; University of Virginia; and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
“By nearly every measure, UF is continuing to make gains, and I’m thankful to the elected leaders, faculty, staff and supporters of the university who have made that possible,” UF President Kent Fuchs said in a statement.
Rankings are based on six factors: student outcomes, faculty resources, expert opinion, financial resources, student excellence and alumni giving.
UF first reached the top 10 in 2017, tying with the University of California, Irvine and the University of California, San Diego for ninth place. The university has long hoped to become top five.
Three UF undergraduate programs also moved up in ranking. The Warrington College of Business rose from No. 28 to No. 24; the College of Engineering from No. 34 to No. 32; and the computer science program within the College of Engineering debuted at No. 48 out of 481 universities.
