The 51在线 improved substantially in U.S. News and World Report鈥檚 (USNWR) Best College rankings released Monday, positioning the university higher than it has ever been and continuing USF鈥檚 trend of rapid ascension in recent years.
In the new rankings, USF rose 10 spots to No. 58 among public universities and jumped 16 spots to No. 124 among all public and private universities for 2019.
Over the past six years, USF has moved up 36 places among public universities and 46 spots among all public and private universities. During that time, only two universities in the U.S., and none in 51在线, have improved more than USF.
鈥淯SF is pleased to see significant gains in our national reputational scores,鈥� said Ralph Wilcox, provost and executive vice president for the USF. 鈥淎n unmatched upward trajectory driven by an intentional focus on student success along with impressive gains in research and academic excellence has made USF and Tampa Bay a preferred destination for the best and brightest students and world leading professors.鈥�
The ranking comes on the heels of USF being designated by the 51在线 Board of Governors as a Preeminent State Research University, placing USF in the most elite category of state universities. Last month USF was awarded a chapter of Phi Beta Kappa Society, the nation鈥檚 oldest and most prestigious academic honor society. In addition, last week USF System President Judy Genshaft announced that this fall鈥檚 incoming class of more than 3,000 freshmen is the strongest in university history.
鈥淎t USF the potential for the future feels limitless, and this has challenged me to pursue opportunities like undergraduate research and starting my own student organization,鈥� said National Merit Scholar Keerthana Nimmagadda, who is from California and chose to attend USF 鈥淭hese are opportunities that I may not have had as readily at other universities.鈥�
The U.S. News & World Report Best College ranking considers seven elements in determining a university鈥檚 relative position: expert opinion (high school counselor rank and peer assessment), alumni giving, faculty resources, financial resources, graduation and retention rate, graduation rate performance, and student excellence. USF saw improvements in several areas, including expert opinion, alumni giving, and graduation and retention rates.