'Outstanding': FAMU breaks into Top 100 in U.S. News & World Report rankings
The U.S. News & World Report’s “2023-2024 Best Colleges” rankings, released Monday, are music to the Florida A&M University community’s ears as the HBCU has more to brag about.
FAMU rose to No. 91 among the nation’s public universities — a whopping 12 spots from last year’s placement at No. 103 — meeting a long-time goal of joining the Top 100, which has been highlighted as a priority in the university's “Boldly Striking” five-year strategic plan during the past few years.
The university also celebrates its continued standing of being the No. 1 public HBCU (historically Black college or university) in the nation for the fifth consecutive year, moving up to third place compared to seventh place last year.
In addition, FAMU ranked No. 170 among national universities compared to its No. 202 ranking last year.
FAMU's ranking in 2022: FAMU maintains top-ranked public HBCU standing nationally by U.S. News & World Report
“This is outstanding news,” FAMU President Larry Robinson said in a prepared statement. “This reflects our collective effort and our unstinting commitment to the success of our students and our making good use of the funds invested in us by Florida taxpayers, funding agencies, private-sector partners, philanthropic foundations and friends.”
FAMU’s leap to 91st place in the rankings follows a similar upward trajectory two years ago when the university jumped 13 slots from 117 to 104 among nationally ranked universities in the 2021-2022 list.
While FAMU now holds the No. 3 spot among the nation’s public and private HBCUs — knocking Tuskegee University down to No. 4 after it ranked No. 3 last year — the No. 1 spot continues to be held by Spelman College and Howard University comes in second place once again.
Other highlights from the U.S. News rankings include FAMU moving up two steps from No. 23 to No. 21 among all national universities on the Social Mobility Index, which measures the ability of universities to alter the economic trajectory of students and their families.
Other FAMU news: ‘Treasure trove of cherished memories’: FAMU’s Gibbs Hall coming down
“I am thrilled to see our institution's remarkable progress,” Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs Allyson Watson said in a prepared statement. “Our ascent in the U.S. News & World Report rankings underscores our unwavering commitment to excellence.”
“We will continue to boldly strike forward as an internationally renowned institution of higher learning,” she added. “Our alumni expect the best from us, our students deserve the best and our faculty and staff contribute to us being the best.”
Related news: 'Stellar hire': FAMU announces Allyson Watson as provost, VP for Academic Affairs
While FAMU reaches a significant milestone with its rankings, it continues to work on other prioritized goals such as pushing to attain Carnegie Research 1 classification. The university was awarded more than $96 million in research funding in the latest fiscal year.
The university also had a $25.7 million fundraising record for 2022-2023.
"We can’t rest on our laurels,” Robinson said. “We will renew our commitment to ‘Excellence With Caring’ and continue to hold forth the promise of opportunity to the young people and their families for whom we have been a beacon for nearly 136 years.”
Robinson says the latest rankings will inspire the FAMU community to strive to go even higher, according to a university release.
He plans to hold a press conference Monday at 10 a.m. on the steps of FAMU’s Lee Hall to further celebrate the rankings.
Here are the placements of the Top 10 public and private HBCUs across the nation in the U.S. News & World Report 2023-2024 Best Colleges rankings:
No. 1: Spelman College, private
No. 2: Howard University, private
No. 3: Florida A&M University, public
No. 4: Tuskegee University, private
No. 5: Morehouse College, private
No. 6: Xavier University of Louisiana, private
No. 7: Hampton University, private
No. 7 North Carolina A&T University, public
No. 9: Claflin University, private
No. 9: Delaware State University, public
Contact Tarah Jean at [email protected] or follow her on twitter @tarahjean_.
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This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: FAMU: Top 100 in U.S. News & World Report rankings as best public HBCU
