Florida A&M University has reached a milestone: it’s now in the Top 100 public universities in the nation. That’s according to the latest results from the annual U.S. News and World Report rankings. FAMU officials set a goal years ago of breaking into the Top 100. In addition, it returns to its status as the #1 public Historically Black College and University in the nation.
“ I just want you to know we all own this. We all own this at Florida A&M University," he said during a recent press conference following the release of the rankings.
The state uses rankings to help determine how much funding Florida’s public colleges and universities receive each year. FAMU jumped 12 spots to enter the top 100 public schools. It’s ranked at 91 this year. Across the street, Florida State University moved up to # 53 in the report’s list of public and private universities, but due to changes in U.S. News and World Report's ranking methodology, FSU slipped four spots to number 23 among public schools only. FSU earned positive marks for its strong graduation and retention rates, something President Richard McCollugh also recently noted in a video address to the campus.
“FSU’s retention rate…reached 96% for the first time in FSU’s history. At the same time, FSU has achieved a record four-year graduation rate. 75% of FSU students earn their degree in four years or less," McCullough said.
FAMU and FSU full rankings:
- Florida State at No. 23 among public schools and No. 53 among all universities;
- Florida A&M University at No. 3 among all historically Black colleges and universities, No.1 among public HBCUs, No. 91 among public schools and No. 170 among all national universities.
U.S. News has placed more emphasis on diversity when it comes to assessing how well a school graduates students from minority backgrounds. It also removed factors such as faculty with terminal degrees, class sizes, and alumni giving. Those changes coincided with new state restrictions on how schools address diversity, equity, and inclusion in and out of classrooms and changes to faculty tenure laws.
