FIU leaps upward in state school rankings

The new list, derived from the Florida Board of Governors, is important, because it means more money is provided to the highest-ranked schools. Miami-Dade County-based Florida International University improved to the second-best school in the state, and Florida Atlantic University, based in Boca Raton, moved up a notch, from seventh to sixth. Still at No. 1: the University of Florida.

Florida International University can claim bragging rights as the second best university in the state this year, according to one ranking system.

The rankings from the Florida Board of Governors, which are used to determine how much extra funding schools receive, also showed Florida Atlantic University improving slightly, from seventh to sixth place.

The University of Florida retained its spot as the top-ranked university in the state this year, receiving 93 points out of a possible 100.

But FIU was the big success story, achieving 90 points this year, up from 68 last year.

“Over the past four years, we have aligned all efforts to make sure FIU students get the support they need to be academically and professionally successful,” FIU President Mark Rosenberg said. “Our students, faculty and staff have embraced the challenge and taken responsibility. We could not be more pleased with the results.”

Universities are graded on how well they perform or improve in areas such as graduation rates, freshmen retention and the ability of students to

find good jobs after graduation. The higher the rankings, the more money the schools are likely to receive under a state performance plan.

FIU will receive $40 million this year, up from $27.4 million last year. FIU officials said the money will support student success initiatives but didn’t provide specifics

FIU’s efforts also helped it achieve success in the more widely followed U.S. News & World Report rankings of top colleges. It placed at No. 216 nationally this fall, marking its first appearance on the survey.

Three schools tied for third place in the Board of Governors’ rankings, with 86 points each: Florida State University, which will receive $51.6 million; the University of South Florida ($37.7 million); and the University of West Florida ($10.8 million).

FAU, which placed sixth, improved its numerical score from a 72 last year to an 84 this year. That’s partly due to more students receiving graduate degrees and a graduation rate that improved from just over 49 percent in 2016 to almost 51 percent in 2017. FAU’s graduation rate was 40 percent in 2013, during a time when FAU was ranked toward the bottom of all universities.

This year, FAU will receive $20.6 million in performance dollars, up from $19.3 million last year. Officials say they plan to continue making investments to improve student success, such as hiring faculty and academic advisers, funding undergraduate research opportunities, supporting mentoring and internship programs and other efforts.

The University of Central Florida placed seventh (77 points; $37.5 million), followed by Florida Gulf Coast University (75 points, $9.2 million).

The three schools with the lowest ratings receive no extra money this year. They are New College of Florida, Florida A&M University and the University of North Florida.