The University of Central Florida was ranked today as the nation’s No. 3 “up-and-comer” university in the 2015 U.S. News & World Report’s Best Colleges rankings of more than 1,300 higher-education institutions.
The ranking is part of the magazine’s annual compilation that gauges universities in a dozen categories.
The up-and-coming category is based on a nationwide survey of college administrators who selected institutions that have made the most promising and innovative changes in the areas of academics, faculty, student life, campus, or facilities.
UCF is the only Florida school ranked among the 14 universities listed this year. The top five universities recognized for promising and innovative changes were the University of Maryland-Baltimore County, Arizona State University, UCF, Northeastern University and the University of Southern California.
UCF also was listed among the “>Best Colleges for Veterans.” The university tied for 58th overall, and 43rd among public institutions.
Overall, UCF was ranked 173rd among national universities and 99th among public universities.
The published Best Colleges 2015 guidebook will be available on newsstands Sept. 23.