Whether the weather or the curriculum is to blame, four Florida universities recently ranked on the Princeton Review's top 20 list of colleges where students study the least.
UF is ranked No. 14, the lowest out of the Florida schools included.
Florida State University rung in at No. 9, the University of South Florida at No. 5 and the University of Central Florida at No. 4.
It's not unusual for multiple schools in a region to rank in the same category, said Robert Franek, author of Princeton Review's "The Best 376 Colleges, 2012 Edition."
The Princeton Review determined these rankings by collecting surveys from 122,000 students enrolled at the 376 schools chosen for the book. The data used in this edition was from 2008, 2009 and 2010.
An average of 325 students per school responded to the survey, but UF's participation rate was probably higher, Franek said.
Students were asked, "How many out-of-class hours do you spend studying per day?"
They answered with one of the following: "five or more," "four hours," "three hours," "two hours" or "one hour or less."
UF ranked No. 12 on the list last year and No. 8 the year before, Franek said.
The survey used the blanket term "studying" to include homework and test prep.
"With 50,000 students, their study habits vary greatly," Assistant Vice President and Dean of Students Jen Day Shaw wrote in an email. "Ask any architecture major - they are in their studies 24/7."
Earlier this year, 31 percent of 19,325 UF students reported that they study 16 or more hours per week, according to the Student Experience Research University. This number is up from 26 percent in 2009.
It's hard to tell whether these study rates will increase when Library West is open 24 hours in the Spring, said UF spokeswoman Janine Sikes.
Regardless of ranking, Shaw wants students to take care of themselves while they study. "Eat nutritional food, get enough rest, take breaks to exercise and have a positive frame of mind," she said.
