Florida universities and colleges saw both gains and losses in this year’s Best Colleges rankings from U.S. News & World Report, released Tuesday.

After twice reaching the top five public universities in recent years, the University of Florida slipped one spot to No. 8 this year. Despite the decrease, the school did not move among all public and private universities in the nation, staying at No. 30.

UF was leapfrogged for the seventh spot by the University of Texas. The rest of the top eight public universities, in order: The University of California, Berkeley at the top, followed by UCLA, Michigan, North Carolina, Virginia and the University of California, San Diego.

Florida State University rose both among public universities and overall universities in the 2026 rankings. The university rose two spots among public universities to No. 21, and three spots to No. 51 overall.

The University of South Florida, Florida International University and University of Central Florida kept their spots among public universities, at 45th, 46th and 61st, respectively. Each university rose in the ranks overall. USF rose three spots to No. 88, UCF rose four spots to No. 117 and Florida International University rose one spot to No. 97.

For the second year in a row, FIU tied for first place with the University of California, Riverside as the top performer in the nation for social mobility, measured by graduation rates of low-income students receiving federal Pell Grants.

Florida Atlantic University is ranked No. 101 among public universities, rising two more spots from last year, when it went up nine spots. FAU ranks No. 183 overall.

Florida A&M is one of two Florida public universities that saw a decrease in overall rankings from the previous year, falling 17 spots to No. 169. Florida Gulf Coast University dropped 22 spots to No. 318.

Although Florida A&M remains the top-ranked public historically Black college or university — a position it has held for seven consecutive years — it has dropped two spots to No. 5 in the overall HBCU rankings, falling behind Morehouse College and Tuskegee University.

Of the four Florida liberal arts colleges in the report, two fell in the rankings. New College of Florida fell 13 spots to No. 135, after falling 22 spots last year and 24 the year before. This year, it’s tied with Eckerd College, which fell nine spots.

Nakylah Carter is a data reporter covering education as a member of the Tampa Bay Times Education Hub in partnership with Open Campus. You can contribute to the hub through our journalism fund by clicking here.

©2025 Tampa Bay Times. Visit tampabay.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

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