In the 2026 edition of U.S. News & World Report’s annual college rankings, Florida State University (FSU) placed No. 51 among all universities in the United States, marking its highest-ever ranking. Other notable placements from the report include No. 21 of the Best Public Universities and No. 38 for Top Performers in Social Mobility.
U.S. News & World Report, which has been assessing colleges since 1983, relies on the evaluation of multiple factors with varying weights, including peer assessment at 20%, graduation rates at 16%, graduation rate performance at 10% and more.
Niche.com, formerly known as College Prowler, is another popular source of college rankings that evaluates schools across different disciplines, including academics, sports and social life, using metrics from the U.S. Department of Education as well as their own surveys. Niche came out with its official 2026 college rankings list on Sept. 23, placing Florida State University at No. 11 among public universities and No. 51 overall…