Florida Universities Drop in 2025 Wall Street Journal College Rankings – cgnews24 News
Wall Street Journal College Rankings: Florida’s universities saw a significant drop in the Wall Street Journal’s (WSJ) 2025 College Rankings. The WSJ works with College Pulse and Statista to rank 500 of the best universities in the U.S. each year. Unfortunately, this year every Florida school ranked lower than before, with some universities falling by a large number of spots.
Florida International University Is Highest Ranked
Florida International University (FIU) was the highest-ranked Florida university in the 2025 WSJ College Rankings, coming in at No. 77. However, even FIU fell from its previous rank. Last year, FIU was ranked No. 29, which means it dropped by 48 spots.
University of Florida Falls in Ranking
The University of Florida (UF) had one of the biggest drops. UF was ranked No. 15 in last year’s WSJ ranking but fell all the way to No. 83 this year. This drop came after the resignation of ex-President Ben Sasse, which may have played a role in the school’s lower position. UF was also ranked the best public university last year, but in 2025, it fell to No. 24 among public universities.
Other Florida Universities Experience a Drop
Florida State University (FSU) also saw a big drop in ranking. In 2024, FSU was ranked No. 102, but in 2025, it fell to No. 199.
The University of South Florida (USF) dropped from No. 151 to No. 250, and the University of Central Florida (UCF) dropped from No. 172 to No. 274.
Other Florida universities that fell in the WSJ rankings include:
- Florida Atlantic University (FAU): From No. 183 to No. 263
- Florida Institute of Technology: From No. 309 to No. 498
- Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University (FAMU): From No. 361 to No. 421
Why Florida Universities Dropped in the Rankings
The WSJ College Rankings are based on three main factors: student outcomes, learning environment, and diversity. Student outcomes are the most important part, making up 70% of a university’s score. The outcomes include how well a school improves a student’s chance of getting a good-paying job and how long it takes students to pay off their college costs like tuition, room, and board.
Learning environment makes up 20% of the score and looks at things like the quality of teaching, interactions with faculty, and how well a university prepares students for their careers. It also includes resources like libraries, classrooms, and internet access. The final 10% is based on diversity. This measures how diverse a school is in terms of ethnic background, ability, and income level. It also considers how much students get to interact with peers from different backgrounds.
How the Rankings Were Calculated
To create the rankings, the WSJ worked with College Pulse and Statista. They surveyed about 110,000 students and alumni, asking them about their college experiences. This survey asked about things like career preparation, learning opportunities, and the quality of campus life. The WSJ also used data from the U.S. Department of Education and the Census Bureau to assess how well universities help students succeed after graduation.
This year’s rankings have raised concerns about the state of higher education in Florida, especially with many universities dropping by a large number of spots.
