Florida International University (FIU) entered the top 50 public universities in the U.S. News & World Report’s 2025 rankings for the first time on Tuesday, securing the 46th spot.

The institution also climbed to 98th among all universities, public and private, marking a rise of 18 spots from last year’s public university rankings and an overall improvement of 26 places. The rankings also placed FIU at first in the nation for social mobility, which measures how well schools enable graduates to move up the economic ladder.

FIU President Kenneth Jessell attributed the university’s progress to a focused effort on student success and strategic investments aimed at innovation.

“Today Miami-Dade joined a select group of U.S. metropolitan areas with more than one Top 100 national university,” said Jessell. “A few years ago, we made the strategic decision to invest in finding innovative ways to help our students succeed and in doing that we have created a leading American university.”

FIU’s undergraduate international business program ranked second in the nation, a position it has held for six consecutive years. The university also saw improvements in several other programs, including engineering, nursing, and psychology.

In addition to program-specific rankings, FIU was recognized as the 15th best public university for innovation and the 23rd best public school for value. It also ranked 45th among public universities in the category of best colleges for veterans and 63rd when private institutions were included.

The university was recently designated a Preeminent State Research University by the Florida Board of Governors and ranked first in performance metrics among Florida’s public universities. FIU has also received high rankings from Washington Monthly and The Wall Street Journal.

“Each of these rankings emphasizes a different key aspect of a university’s performance, with an emphasis on research and student success,” said FIU Board of Trustees Chair Roger Tovar. “Our success is in great part due to the support of Governor Ron DeSantis and the state legislature, as well as the focus of the board and the leadership of the university on elevating FIU. We are now among the top 50 universities in several important rankings and that is a direct reflection of the excellent education and consequential research taking place at FIU.”