Beyond Football, FSU Touts Top 25 Ranking Among Public Universities

Florida State University’s football team is off to a disappointing start to the 2024 season, but students, faculty and alumni can celebrate national rankings that don’t involve ESPN or the AP Coaches Poll. This week, U.S. News & World Report’s “Best Colleges 2025” guidebook ranked FSU as one of the Top 25 public universities in the country.

Florida State also earned recognition by its peers as one of the nation’s “Most Innovative Schools,” which acknowledges universities making the most innovative improvements in terms of curriculum, faculty, students, campus life, technology or facilities. FSU checked in at No. 21 among public universities, based on a survey of college presidents, provosts and admissions deans.

FSU maintained its No. 23 spot among public universities, fueled by its impressive 86% six-year graduation and 96% freshman retention rates. FSU also made gains in categories that measure faculty salaries, full-time faculty, student-faculty ratio and standardized test scores of first-year students.

“Florida State University faculty and staff are dedicated to student success,” said Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs Jim Clark. “Students are achieving excellence during their careers at FSU because of our teams that support their hard work as they build pathways to four-year graduation and successful careers.”

Earlier this fall, Florida State University reached a significant milestone, earning its highest ranking ever at No. 10 in Niche’s 2025 Top Public Universities in America.