University of Florida ranks No. 1 against 100 of the best, The Wall Street Journal reports
The University of Florida now ranks No. 1 among the top universities in the nation, public or private, as noted by the Wall Street Journal in an editorial published today.
The WSJ editorial, “The University Elite, Reconsidered,” highlights rankings created by the City Journal that evaluated 100 leading universities across the country on 68 factors, including whether a school has a strong curriculum and rigorous academics, prepares its students to become productive members of society and thriving employees in the 21st-century economy, and encourages civil discourse.
UF earned the top spot with a four-star rating, achieved by only one other university.
“This recognition for UF is something we should all be proud of. It demonstrates that at the University of Florida, we have anticipated the re-thinking of the true value of a university education and have invested strategically in our programs and in our culture to seize this moment of opportunity,” UF Board of Trustees Chair Mori Hosseini and UF Interim President Donald W. Landry wrote in an email sent today to UF students, faculty, staff and alumni.
The Wall Street Journal noted that the new ranking system offers a fresh lens on higher education, highlighting universities that prioritize intellectual growth and civic engagement rather than simply prestige or selectivity.
The analysis rewards institutions that encourage viewpoint diversity and maintain robust, well-rounded curricula across the liberal arts and sciences. The rankings “look closely at the strength of the general curriculum and whether the university is providing excellence or coasting on a fancy reputation,” The Wall Street Journal editorial stated.
Schools that “demonstrated ideological pluralism among the faculty received higher marks,” the editorial added. “Same for a vibrant and inclusive campus social life. Student tolerance for controversial speakers was another plus.”
UF leaders emphasized that the new ranking serves as both validation and motivation to continue advancing academic freedom, excellence and innovation across disciplines.
“At the University of Florida, we’re doing what universities are supposed to be doing, and we’re doing it better than anyone else in the country,” Hosseini and Landry wrote in their email.
A sampling of the ranking:
1. University of Florida
2. University of Texas at Austin
3. University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill
6. Georgia Institute of Technology
16. University of Virginia
31. University of Michigan
39. University of California, Davis
40. University of California, Los Angeles
72. University of California, San Diego
The full Wall Street Journal editorial can be found here.