While USF ranked the highest it ever has among all U.S. colleges, its place slipped among public universities.
By Aubrey Carr
For the fifth year in a row, the University of South Florida ranks among the top 50 public universities in the United States, according to U.S. News & World Report’s annual evaluation.
In both public and private, USF ranked No. 89, the highest the university has ever reached on the list.
Although it remained in the top 50, at No. 45 for public universities, USF slipped from last year’s ranking of 42.
Despite the fall, USF President Rhea Law took a positive outlook towards the evaluation in a press release.
“The University of South Florida is proud to celebrate our fifth consecutive year as a top 50 public university and our highest overall position in U.S. News & World Report’s annual rankings,” Law said. “Our ranking as a top-tier university and our recent invitation to join the Association of American Universities show that the value of a USF degree is on the rise. We are focused on sustaining this positive momentum as we continue our pursuit of excellence.”
Among Florida universities, USF ranked fourth, beating out the University of Central Florida and Florida International University. The University of Florida topped the list, with Florida State and the University of Miami behind it.
U.S. News also listed USF as the “best value” public university and No. 1 in social mobility for Florida. The company uses graduating Pell Grant recipients as a measure for social mobility.
U.S. News and World Report varies its ranking factors ever year. For 2024 the metrics included retention rates, published work, peer surveys, student debt and more.
The publication’s rankings have met controversy in previous years due to its data collection methods.
In 2022, Columbia university was left unranked after it was revealed the university had submitted forged student numbers, The Guardian reported. When the school returned to last year’s rankings, it was seated at no. 18 –– a large drop from its previous second place.
This inconsistency led many to feel unsure of the reliability of U.S. News’ evaluations.
I think reliability of US News is always skewed. It’s a defunct magazine that uses rankings of schools and organizations to stay in business, and it’s formula is skewed heavily toward things that don’t really matter, like amenities. USF is better than US News rankings, and the continuing pursuit of knowledge in Tampa Bay shows this.