The mural on the University of Miami’s new football locker rooms.
JC Ridley
The University of Miami fell slightly, while both Florida International University and Florida Atlantic University moved up the rankings, in the new U.S. News & World Report national ranking of best universities.
The two highest-ranked colleges in the state, the University of Florida and Florida State University, both ranked higher this year.
The 2026 Best Colleges evaluation covered 17 measures of academic quality at nearly 1,700 colleges and universities.
UM ranked No. 64, down slightly from No. 63 last year. It tied with four other universities for the No. 64 rank, including North Caroline State and Michigan State.
FIU ranked No. 91, up from 98 the prior year. FAU moved to No. 183, from No. 189 a year ago.
UF remained the top-ranked university in Florida and ranked at No. 30 nationally – the same as last year. FSU climbed three spots to No. 51. The only other Florida university in the Top 100 was the University of South Florida at No. 88.
As for the other ranked universities in South Florida: Nova Southeastern University fell 26 spots to 257, Keiser University dropped 75 spots to 363, and Palm Beach Atlantic University slipped seven spots to 384.
Nationally, the Top 3 remained Princeton University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Harvard University.
