University of Florida: UF 2nd among public universities for students’ economic return

The University of Florida ranks No. 2 nationally among public universities and No. 4 among publics and privates for the economic return students get from attending college and leading students to greater financial security, according to a new analysis highlighted by Forbes magazine.

The analysis shows that UF came in ahead of schools such as MIT, the California Institute of Technology and the University of Michigan. Princeton University and Stanford University, both private institutions, took the No. 1 and No. 2 spots, respectively. To arrive at their rankings, Degree Choices looked at more than 2,000 schools using the U.S. Department of Education’s College Scorecard and the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System.

“This is excellent news and frankly not surprising,” said Mori Hosseini, chair of UF’s Board of Trustees. “It’s well known that UF students get an incredible return on their investment, go on to build highly successful careers and become major contributors to the state’s economy.”

UF President Kent Fuchs was equally pleased by the news.

“Students make a life-changing decision when they choose where they will attend college,” he said. “Those who graduate from the University of Florida will walk away with an exceptionally valuable degree.”

The full rankings can be found here, and the methodology can be found here.

“Consumer interest in how much economic return on investment a college degree conveys continues to run strong,” Michael T. Nietzel, president emeritus of Missouri State University, wrote in Forbes regarding the rankings, adding that “most students say that getting a good job is their main motivation to go to college.”

Degree Choices describes itself as “a team of education researchers working together to provide valuable financial advice and guide prospective students to find schools and careers that best suit their needs.”