The
University of Florida's graduate programs in law, business, education and engineering were the best available in the Sunshine State, according to
nationwide graduate school rankings released Tuesday, April 8, by U.S. News and World Report. No college or university in Florida cracked the top five nationwide among graduate programs in law, business, engineering or education, where UF's graduate program came in tied for sixth and Florida State University's program came in tied for 18th. Those education rankings represented a 10-place jump for UF but a four-place drop for FSU. The University of South Florida had the state's only Tier 1 medical school, the same ranking U.S. News gave to the medical schools at Emory University and Johns Hopkins University. UF and the University of Miami have Tier 2 programs, the rankings showed.
'Expert opinion' included in U.S. News school rankings
U.S. News said its annual rankings were compiled through the use of "expert opinion about program excellence and statistical indicators that measure the quality of a school's faculty, research, students and post-graduate outcomes for them." Some colleges and universities are eager to tout their annual U.S. News ranking in various programs and view them as both a recruiting tool and a guage of their standing. Parents and students use the rankings as well, though
some critics view them as artificial measures that have little practical value other than generating attention for U.S. News. For its part, the online magazine stands by its rankings. "We are equipping future graduate students with the information and tools theyneed to make informed decisions in today’s competitive academic landscape,” said LaMont Jones, senior editor of education at U.S. News. "Our comprehensive graduate school rankings provide students with essential data to make one of the most consequential decisions of their lives. U.S. News remains committed to delivering transparent and data-driven assessments that empower students to find their perfect academic match." Ivy League schools and others with a long-established reputation for excellence dominated the 2025 rankings, as they do in most years. Yale University, for example, had the second-ranked law school, the 10th-ranked graduate business program and a Tier 1 medical school ranking. Meanwhile, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology had the top-ranked graduate engineering program, and its graduate business program was ranked fifth. Among Palm Beach County schools, Florida Atlantic University's graduate education program was ranked 90th. Its graduate engineering program was ranked 145th. FAU's medical school was Tier 3, and its graduate nursing program was ranked 57th.
How Florida, other graduate programs fared
Law
Business
Education
Engineering
Nursing
128 (tie). Florida Southern College and the University of Tampa.
Wayne Washington is a journalist covering education for The Palm Beach Post. You can reach him at [email protected]. Help support our work; subscribe today .
