11 FL Schools Among 2025 Best Colleges, Universities In US: New Survey

FLORIDA — Eleven Florida post-secondary institutions are named among the 2025 top colleges and universities in the U.S. in WalletHub's latest ranking.

The personal finance agency released its report Monday and said the University of Florida is the 20th-best college or university in the nation. The Gainesville school bested hundreds of post-secondary institutions.

WalletHub ranked at least 800 colleges and universities, analyzing 30 measures regarding student selectivity, cost and financing and career outcomes. The agency said metrics included student-faculty ratios, graduation rates and post-attendance median salaries.

Attending college may be costly for some people. According to WalletHub, a four-year college could cost a student $28,000-$60,000 for annual tuition and room and board.

“In general, universities tend to rank higher than colleges due to their inclusion of graduate-level programs, greater on-campus opportunities and higher earnings for students post-graduation," WalletHub analyst Chip Lupo said in the report. "In fact, the top 10 places for higher education in the U.S. are all universities. There are still tons of high-ranking colleges, though, which offer their own advantages like smaller class sizes, more personalized learning and often safer campuses.”

Per WalletHub, these 11 Florida colleges and universities scored the following:

University of Florida, No. 20, Gainesville

• Total Score: 74.42
• Student Selectivity Rank: 57
• Cost and Financing Rank: 85
• Faculty Resources Rank: 468
• Campus Safety Rank: 84
• Campus Experience Rank: 534
• Education Outcomes Rank: 21
• Career Outcomes Rank: 235

Florida State University, No. 51, Tallahassee

• Total Score: 70.13
• Student Selectivity Rank: 75
• Cost and Financing Rank: 161
• Faculty Resources Rank: 438
• Campus Safety Rank: 382
• Campus Experience Rank: 670
• Education Outcomes Rank: 90
• Career Outcomes Rank: 334

University of South Florida, No. 150, Tampa

• Total Score: 62.15
• Student Selectivity Rank: 138
• Cost and Financing Rank: 236
• Faculty Resources Rank: 799
• Campus Safety Rank: 305
• Campus Experience Rank: 311
• Education Outcomes Rank: 169
• Career Outcomes Rank: 483

University of Central Florida, No. 157, Orlando

• Total Score: 61.91
• Student Selectivity Rank: 118
• Cost and Financing Rank: 128
• Faculty Resources Rank: 818
• Campus Safety Rank: 75
• Campus Experience Rank: 643
• Education Outcomes Rank: 165
• Career Outcomes Rank: 508

Florida Polytechnic University, No. 188, Lakeland

• Total Score: 60.8
• Student Selectivity Rank: 174
• Cost and Financing Rank: 37
• Faculty Resources Rank: 797
• Campus Safety Rank: 131
• Campus Experience Rank: 759
• Education Outcomes Rank: 577
• Career Outcomes Rank: 9

Florida International University, No. 213, University Park

• Total Score: 60.01
• Student Selectivity Rank: 247
• Cost and Financing Rank: 30
• Faculty Resources Rank: 810
• Campus Safety Rank: 186
• Campus Experience Rank: 746
• Education Outcomes Rank: 179
• Career Outcomes Rank: 446

Florida A&M University, No. 217, Tallahassee

• Total Score: 59.92
• Student Selectivity Rank: 121
• Cost and Financing Rank: 159
• Faculty Resources Rank: 621
• Campus Safety Rank: 308
• Campus Experience Rank: 588
• Education Outcomes Rank: 492
• Career Outcomes Rank: 774

University of North Florida, No. 329, Jacksonville

• Total Score: 57.55
• Student Selectivity Rank: 378
• Cost and Financing Rank: 61
• Faculty Resources Rank: 770
• Campus Safety Rank: 530
• Campus Experience Rank: 533
• Education Outcomes Rank: 339
• Career Outcomes Rank: 500

Florida Southern College, No. 351, Lakeland

• Total Score: 57.19
• Student Selectivity Rank: 232
• Cost and Financing Rank: 586
• Faculty Resources Rank: 498
• Campus Safety Rank: 372
• Campus Experience Rank: 142
• Education Outcomes Rank: 349
• Career Outcomes Rank: 605

University of West Florida, No. 403, Ferry Pass

• Total Score: 56.22
• Student Selectivity Rank: 292
• Cost and Financing Rank: 54
• Faculty Resources Rank: 791
• Campus Safety Rank: 196
• Campus Experience Rank: 690
• Education Outcomes Rank: 381
• Career Outcomes Rank: 750

Florida Atlantic University, No. 457, Boca Raton

• Total Score: 55.31
• Student Selectivity Rank: 506
• Cost and Financing Rank: 132
• Faculty Resources Rank: 813
• Campus Safety Rank: 112
• Campus Experience Rank: 507
• Education Outcomes Rank: 382
• Career Outcomes Rank: 560

Solely among the top universities, the University of Florida is the 19th-best institution in the U.S.

Bethune-Cookman University is tied for one of the highest admission rates, WalletHub said. The Daytona Beach school had a 99 percent acceptance rate, according to U.S. News and World Report.

On the flip side, Daytona Beach's Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University-Worldwide has one of the lowest graduation rates in the country, WalletHub said.

Florida International and the University of Central Florida are among the institutions with the highest student-faculty ratio.

Regionally, Rice University in Texas is the best institution, with an overall score of 77.19. The University of Florida is the fifth best. Florida State ranked 10th in the region.

Here are the top 10 colleges and universities in the U.S.:

1. Princeton University, New Jersey
2. Yale University, Connecticut
3. Harvard University, Massachusetts
4. Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Massachusetts
5. Dartmouth College, New Hampshire
6. Rice University, Texas
7. California Institute of Technology, California
8. Carnegie Mellon University, Pennsylvania
9. Northwestern University, Illinois
10. Johns Hopkins University, Maryland

Here are the top 10 colleges and universities in the South:

1. Rice University, Texas
2. Georgia Institute of Technology, Georgia
3. Duke University, North Carolina
4. Washington and Lee University, Virginia
5. University of Florida, Florida
6. Vanderbilt University, Tennessee
7. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, North Carolina
8. University of Virginia, Virginia
9. University of Richmond, Virginia
10. Florida State University, Florida

See the full lists via WalletHub.