2025 College Rankings

The University of Florida is a massive state school with nearly 60,000 students, about 100 majors, and a main campus that spans over 2,000 acres. Unlike many large universities—and plenty of small ones—UF is making significant strides toward returning the pursuit of truth and freedom of inquiry to a central place in its work.

These are relatively new developments at UF, driven by both state support and internal reform. Florida has long excelled in undergraduate programs in agriculture, business, engineering, accounting, and communications. But in recent years, it has placed greater emphasis on the Great Books and civic education. The most visible outcome of this shift is the Hamilton School for Classical and Civic Education, established in 2022 by the Florida legislature and the UF Board of Trustees. Its mission is to “educate university students in core texts and great debates of Western civilization” and in “the principles, ideals, and institutions of the American political order.” The Hamilton School’s curriculum includes classical texts, history, political theory, and economics, and it hosts guest lectures on topics ranging from foreign policy and national security to law and politics. While UF’s older college of liberal arts and sciences has been damaged by the same ideological trends that have hollowed out so many institutions, Hamilton is rising above these trends to deliver a first-rate education.

UF has no Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) bureaucracy to speak of, and its administration operates largely free from activist pressure. The school requires applicants to submit SAT or ACT scores—an important signal that it prioritizes academic merit over diversity metrics.

The administration strongly supports free speech. The Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE) gives UF a “green” rating, indicating that its policies do not restrict expression. The university has adopted the Chicago Principles, affirming its commitment to protecting open debate on campus. UF’s new interim president, Donald Landry, is a founding member of the Academic Freedom Alliance and founding president of the American Academy of Sciences and Letters, a learned society dedicated to revivifying values like freedom of inquiry in the academy. Landry’s selection signals a strong commitment to maintaining UF’s momentum in the higher education reform movement.

Student trust in free expression is relatively high, and we rank UF first nationally for student support of free speech. Since 2019, the university has averaged fewer than one de-platforming attempt per year. While ideological diversity is only moderate—FIRE finds almost four liberal students for every conservative—political tolerance on campus remains strong.

UF’s curriculum has benefited from recent state mandates. The American Council of Trustees and Alumni (ACTA) gives the school a B in its What Will They Learn? ratings, which assign letter grades based on how many of seven core subjects are required in the core curriculum or general education program. Despite its size, UF has adopted some of the classroom methods typical of smaller liberal arts colleges. Students report that class sizes tend to shrink after freshman year, with improved access to faculty and instructors. The university offers shared housing for high-achieving students to foster a serious academic environment throughout the college experience.

The university modeled an effective response to 2024’s encampment crisis under former president Ben Sasse’s superlative leadership. When anti-Israel protesters arrived on campus, administrators reminded them of the school’s rules governing the time, place, and manner of demonstrations, including restrictions on encampments. When those rules were violated, the university acted swiftly, dispatching campus police to end the protests. Overall, the AMCHA Initiative reports fewer than seven anti-Semitic incidents per 1,000 Jewish students at UF in recent years—suggesting a welcoming and tolerant climate for Jewish students.

UF offers strong value for its graduates. The Princeton Review ranks its alumni network among the top 20 nationwide for public universities. We rank it second overall for return on investment, with graduates taking, on average, less than six months to pay back the cost of their education. The school boasts a 97 percent retention rate and a 91 percent six-year graduation rate, exceeding predictions in both cases. Though UF has traditionally prioritized in-state applicants, out-of-state applications have surged in recent years, likely a reflection of the university’s rising reputation.