These Are The Top FL Colleges In 2027 U.S. News Rankings

Eighteen colleges and universities in Florida earned spots in the 2027 Best Colleges rankings released Tuesday by U.S. News & World Report.

The highest-ranked Florida school was the University of Florida in Gainesville, which placed No. 34 among National Universities.

Here are all Florida schools included in the rankings in the top 100 nationwide:

• No, 34 - University of Florida, Gainesville
• No. 55 - University of Miami, Coral Gables
• No. 59 - Florida State University, Tallahassee
• No. 100 - Florida International University, Miami
• No. 100 - University of Tampa, Tampa

Find how all 18 Florida schools on the list ranked here.

Schools may appear in several lists, in addition to National Universities, including National Liberal Arts Colleges, and four regional university and college categories. U.S. News also publishes rankings for public universities, historically Black colleges and universities, undergraduate programs and schools offering strong value or support for veterans.

The University of Florida was the No. 3 Best Value for In-State Students and ranked No. 8 on the Top Public Schools, No. 12 in Nursing, No. 24 in Business Programs and No. 36 on Best Undergraduate Engineering Programs, list.

The University of Miami ranked No. 34 in Top Private Schools, No. 36 in Nursing programs and No. 39 in Business Programs, coming in at No. 12 in Real Estate.

Florida State University was No. 7 for Best Value for In-State Students, No. 24 in Top Public Schools, and No. 58 for Business Programs, while taking the No. 3 spot in Insurance and No. 6 in Real Estate.

Florida International University was No. 1 in Top Performers for National Mobility, No. 2 in International Business Programs, No. 30 for Best Value for In-State Students and No. 46 in Top Public Schools nationally.

The University of South Florida landed at No. 25 for Best Value for In-State Students, No. 26 in Top Performers on Social Mobility, No. 46 for Top Public Schools and No. 50 for Most Innovative Schools.

Among the top Florida schools to land on the separate Regional Universities in the South list are:

• No. 2 - Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, Daytona Beach
• No. 11 - University of Tampa, Tampa
• No. 18 - Florida Southern Colleg, Lakeland
• No. 18 - University of West Florida, Pensacola
• No. 22 - Florida Gulf Coast University, Fort Myers
• No. 25 - Miami Regional University
• No. 66 - Lynn University, Boca Raton
• No. 75 - Everglades University, Boca Raton
• No. 79 - Keiser University, Fort Lauderdale
• No. 100 - AdventHealth University, Orlando

The full list of Florida universities on the regional ranking can be found here.

Embry-Riddle also tied for No. 1 on the Top Private Schools list and came in at No. 29 for Best Value Schools and No. 3 for Most Innovative Schools.

Some Rankings Changed Sharply

The 2027 edition brought more movement than usual because U.S. News changed both its scoring formula and the categories in which many schools compete.

The rankings feature a new metric comparing graduates’ four-year post-college earnings within their specific fields of study. This evaluates graduates against peers in the same subject nationwide, preventing schools from being rewarded solely for producing graduates in high-paying fields like engineering or finance.

Earnings data from the U.S. Department of Education’s College Scorecard covers employed federal financial aid recipients with bachelor’s degrees. This metric replaced graduate indebtedness, which U.S. News discontinued due to outdated, uncertain debt data.

About one-fifth of the institutions evaluated were also moved into different categories under an updated classification system developed by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching and the American Council on Education.

A school’s move from one list to another may reflect its new category, not a change in academic quality, U.S. News said.

The outlet also added an undergraduate economics specialty ranking and a Best Value Schools for In-State Students list examining affordability at public colleges.

Overall Rankings

The top private and public universities are:

National Universities (Private)

1. Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge

2. Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey

3. Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts

National Universities (Public)

1 (tie). University of California, Berkeley

1 (tie). University of California, Los Angeles

3. University of Michigan – Ann Arbor

National Liberal Arts Colleges

1. Williams College, Williamstown, Massachusetts

2. Amherst College, Amherst, Massachusetts

3 (tie). Bowdoin College, Brunswick, Maine

3 (tie). Claremont McKenna College, Claremont, California

3 (tie). Pomona College, Claremont, California

3 (tie). Swarthmore College, Swarthmore, Pennsylvania

How Rankings Are Calculated

U.S. News evaluates schools using measures that include graduation and retention rates, the performance of students who received federal Pell Grants, faculty resources, academic reputation, graduates’ earnings and student debt.

U.S. News said the rankings should be considered one tool among many when choosing a college. Cost, financial aid, available majors, campus culture, location and a student’s likelihood of graduating can matter more than a school’s numerical position.