University of Florida falls in latest U.S. News college rankings

Portrait of Chelsea Long

Florida's flagship university fell in the latest U.S. News & World Report rankings, released Sept. 22, with the University of Florida dropping three spots to No. 10 among public universities.

UF first cracked the top 10 in 2017, jumping from No. 14 to No. 9. The university reached a high of No. 5 among public institutions in the 2022 rankings before holding steady at No. 7 the past two years. [...] Florida State University dropped one spot to No. 22 among public universities and fell eight spots to No. 59 overall.Among all institutions, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology ranked first, followed by Princeton University, Harvard University, Yale University and the California Institute of Technology.

The rankings come less than three months after Dr. Stuart Bell was appointed UF's 14th president in July. [...] The University of California - Berkeley ranked as the nation's No. 1 public university.

Among all universities, UF fell four spots to No. 34 and tied with seven other institutions. Northeastern University and Villanova University were tied for No. 42.

Vanderbilt University, in Nashville, was the highest-ranked school in the Southeastern Conference, moving up one spot to No. 16 overall.