Time magazine named UF the fourth best public university and 16th overall in its America’s Best Colleges of 2026-2027 list. Released Tuesday, the ranking placed UF highest among Florida universities, surpassing Florida State University at No. 53 and the University of Central Florida at No. 195.
The rating establishes UF above several other “Public Ivies,” a term commonly used for top state-funded universities. The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and the University of California-Los Angeles, which are often labeled as such, ranked 18 and 34, respectively.
Time’s rankings are based on the outcomes of undergraduate students, with numbers calculated based on factors such as graduates’ earnings, graduation rates and a return on education, which weighs student earnings after graduation with the cost of academics.
Time’s data comes from the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System, which compiles annual surveys from the U.S. Department of Education, according to its website.
UF’s first-time undergraduate students have a retention rate of 97% and a graduation rate of 78%. The mean 20-year salary for UF graduates is $127,500.
The list also details overall scores out of 100 for each school. UF scored about 95 in student outcomes, 57 in learning environment and just under 95 in attractiveness, leaving it with an overall score of around 89.
In comparison, UNC-Chapel Hill scored about 92 in student outcomes, 61 in learning environment and 98 in attractiveness, boasting an overall score of almost 88; UCLA achieved scores of about 88 in student outcomes, 60 in learning environment and 98 in attractiveness, with a final score of just over 84.
Time only includes four-year U.S. schools that are federally recognized, active and public or private not-for-profit.
Contact Ellia Mytsa at emytsa@alligator.org. Follow her on X at @elliamytsa.
