14 Florida Colleges Among Top 500 In U.S.: Forbes

FLORIDA — Fourteen colleges in Florida are among this year’s top 500 schools in the nation, according to a new ranking by Forbes.

The publication’s 14th annual list of America’s Top Colleges highlights colleges and universities that offer “top academics and career success while minimizing debt for students across America,” according to a statement accompanying the release.

In Florida, 10 out of the 14 schools that made the top 500 are public universities or colleges.

“We know that a college degree is a significant investment for any student, and one that’s been compounded by recent years of financial turmoil for many,” Emma Whitford, senior education reporter at Forbes, said in a release. “This list reflects the public and private universities that are going above and beyond to deliver on that investment.”

READ ALSO: Biden's Student Loan Relief Plan: What Florida's Borrowers Should Know

The University of Florida came in at No. 26 on this year’s list, the top-ranked Florida school on this year's list. On average, students who attend UVA receive about $11,962 in grant aid and graduate with about $6,120 in debt. Graduates also have a median 10-year salary of $117,300.

Other Florida schools on this year’s list include:

• Florida State University, ranked No. 67
• University of Miami (FL), ranked No. 78
• University of South Florida, ranked No. 118
• University of Central Florida, ranked No. 119
• Florida International University, ranked No. 120
• Florida Atlantic University, ranked No. 220
• Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, Daytona Beach, ranked No. 279
• University of North Florida, ranked No. 295
• University of Florida, Online, ranked No. 325
• Rollins College, ranked No. 384
• Florida Gulf Coast University, ranked No. 397
• New College of Florida, ranked No. 405
• Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, worldwide, ranked No. 457

To choose this year’s top schools, Forbes focused on factors including whether students graduated on time, secured high salaries after graduation, and if students went on to have successful careers. Forbes also looked at how much debt students had post-graduation.

Data used to determine the ranking came from two federal government databases. Forbes also used data from its own publications as well as the Seattle-based software and data company PayScale, Washington, D.C.-based public policy think tank Third Way, and the National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics.

Schools with less than 300 undergraduate students were excluded. The five federal military academies in the United States were ranked in a separate list.

Read more about the 2022 Top Colleges methodology.

Massachusetts Institute of Technology took the top spot on this year’s list, followed by the University of California - Berkeley and Stanford University, which tied for No. 2. Meanwhile, Harvard University dropped several spots to No. 15 this year after holding the No. 1 spot from 2017 to 2019.

See the full list of Forbes 2022 Top Colleges.