• Ten Florida colleges and universities appeared on U.S. News & World Report’s global university ranking, which was released this week 
• The University of Florida is the only state institution to crack the top 100, with Florida State University and the University of Miami appearing next within the top 275 
• Domestically, Florida’s state university system ranks as the best in the nation due to high-achieving research efforts and low tuition rates compared to other states 

Ten Florida universities appeared on U.S. News & World Report’s global university ranking released on Tuesday. The list spans 2,000 colleges and universities across 93 countries.

The University of Florida topped all schools within the state at 98th overall, followed by Florida State University (241st), the University of Miami (253rd), the University of South Florida (317th), the University of Central Florida (413th), Florida International University (468th), the Florida Institute of Technology (912th), Florida Atlantic University (1,088th), Nova Southeastern University (1,106th) and Florida A&M University (1,478th).

U.S. News examines data and metrics provided by analytics company Clarivate, including student-to-faculty ratio and volume of degrees issued, to determine where colleges place on the list. Researchers additionally utilized 13 distinct rating categories that centered on each institution’s research performance.

“The Best Global Universities rankings offer prospective students a valuable resource for exploring higher education options outside of their home country,” Robert Morse, chief data strategist at U.S. News, said in a news release. “Over the past nine years, these rankings have expanded to include more schools and more subjects, while maintaining a consistent focus on institutions that prioritize academic research.”

Many of Florida’s higher education institutions have taken steps to further research initiatives and consequentially rise in national and global rankings, highlighted by The University of Florida (UF) surpassing $1 billion in research spending for the first time.

Nearly half of the research occurred in the six colleges of UF Health, led by the College of Medicine in Gainesville and Jacksonville with $347 million, the College of Public Health & Health Professions with $34.5 million, the College of Veterinary Medicine with $32.1 million, the College of Pharmacy with $31.4 million, the College of Dentistry with $17.2 million, and the College of Nursing with $5 million.

Meanwhile, Florida State University and the University of Miami, the next two highest-spending research schools in the state, both spend between $325 million and $350 million on research, respectively, according to the economic reports of both schools.

Domestically, Florida’s university system ranks as the best in the nation, largely due in part to its relative affordability and high-ranking institutions.

“Florida schools are some of the best in the nation, and these rankings show that our investments in higher education and our focus on providing an affordable, quality education are paying off,” said Gov. Ron DeSantis. “I am especially proud that we have not allowed tuition increases since I have been Governor, making higher education in Florida as affordable as virtually anywhere in the nation.”