University of Florida becomes first top ten ranked public institution in Florida
The University of Florida has become the first Florida school to be ranked in the top 10 best public universities, coming in at No. 9, according to U.S. News & World Report’s 2018 Best Colleges rankings released in September.
Overall, the University was ranked No. 42, and is the highest-ranking university in the state of Florida.
“This is a significant milestone that we can be proud of, and it happened as the result of many years of focused work and a keen sense of purpose,” UF President Kent Fuchs said. “Our faculty – the core of our academic reputation – and staff deserve tremendous credit for lifting us up to get us here, as do previous leaders, particularly Bernie Machen, and UF’s Board of Trustees. We also owe a huge debt of gratitude to the Legislature, Gov. Rick Scott and the Board of Governors for their continued support to ensure that the nation’s third most-populous state has the world-class university it deserves.”
The Heavener School of Business and Fisher School of Accounting in the Warrington College of Business also received top rankings from U.S. News & World Report.
The Heavener School was ranked in the top 15, coming in at No. 14, and the Fisher School in the top 10, at No. 6, among U.S. public institutions.
While the Heavener School continues to be the top-ranked public undergraduate business program in the state, this is its highest ever ranking among U.S. publics in the past 17 years.
“We are honored to be recognized by U.S. News and our peers as one to the nation’s top business schools,” said Dr. Alex Sevilla, Associate Dean and Director of the Heavener School of Business. “Our performance this year is particularly gratifying as this is our highest ranking in the U.S. News & World Report since 2000. These results are a clear signal of the overall excellence that defines the Heavener School of Business at the University of Florida, excellence delivered by our world class faculty, our exceptional Heavener team and, of course, our amazing Heavener students.”
Five of the Heavener School’s specialty programs were recognized, four of which were ranked in the top 10 among publics, including accounting. Real Estate ranked fifth, and Marketing and Finance ranked eighth. Entrepreneurship also finished in the 13th spot among U.S. publics.
The Fisher School of Accounting’s top 10 finish is also a point of pride for the Warrington College of Business.
“I am very pleased to see recognition of the hard work of our students, faculty and staff,” said Dr. Gary McGill, J. Roy Duggan Professor, Associate Dean and Director of the Fisher School of Accounting. “We strive for excellence in everything we do.”
The University of Florida and the Warrington College of Business will continue its path of excellence, vowing to climb higher on the list of best academic institutions.
“Now is the time to double down,” Fuchs said. “We have the talent, the collective will and the means to keep moving up. We owe it to our students and the people of Florida to be the very best public research institution we can be.”
