{"id":131002,"date":"2022-09-06T10:34:49","date_gmt":"2022-09-06T14:34:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ucf.edu\/news\/?p=131002"},"modified":"2025-06-18T09:55:33","modified_gmt":"2025-06-18T13:55:33","slug":"washington-monthly-ranks-ucf-among-best-national-universities-for-2022","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ucf.edu\/news\/washington-monthly-ranks-ucf-among-best-national-universities-for-2022\/","title":{"rendered":"Washington Monthly Ranks UCF Among Best National Universities for 2022"},"content":{"rendered":"
Washington Monthly<\/em> magazine\u2019s new rankings of the top public educational institutions places UCF as the 47th Best National University \u2014 jumping 23 spots from the previous year. UCF is also ranked seventh Best Bang for the Buck College in the southeast, moving up from the 23rd spot in 2021, and maintains its position as a Best College for Student Voting for the fifth consecutive year. The university moved up 21 spots to earn the No. 37 ranking among national universities for Social Mobility<\/a> \u2014 which is one of the three major categories the overall rankings are based on.<\/p>\n The magazine\u2019s 2022 College Guide and Rankings considers three equally weighted portions that indicate institutions\u2019 contribution to the public good: social mobility, research<\/a>, and community and national service. Placements on this year\u2019s rankings indicate UCF is not just a good place to earn an education<\/a>, but a place that unleashes the potential of its people to do good in the world.<\/p>\n \u201cAmerica needs a different definition of higher education excellence, one that empowers public institutions at the expense of elites, instead of the other way around,\u201d Washington Monthly <\/em>states in its rankings release. \u201cOne that measures what colleges do for their country, instead of for themselves. \u2026 Instead of rating colleges by wealth, fame, and exclusivity, we prize social mobility, public service, and research.\u201d<\/p>\n Among public universities, UCF ranks 22nd for Best National Universities, 19th for Social Mobility, 68th for Research and 89th for Service. Rankings are based on publicly available data largely collected by the federal government and each of the three major portions considers a variety of contributing factors.<\/p>\n \u201cAt the University of Central Florida, we take great pride in providing students with access to success in higher education. By offering opportunities to large numbers of first-generation students, we give thousands of hopeful young [people] the chance to unleash their own potential,\u201d says Paul Dosal, senior vice president for Student Success.<\/p>\n Across all institutions, UCF earned the No. 107 spot for Research and No. 151 for Service. The Best National University Rankings places 442 institutions out of the 1,466 considered, including public, private nonprofit and for-profit colleges, across four-year colleges and universities.<\/p>\n As the No. 19 public institution for social mobility, UCF knows higher education has the ability to break the break the cycle of intergenerational hardship and lead to prosperity for individuals of any background.<\/p>\n \u201cA higher education degree is the ticket to longer, healthier, happier and more prosperous lives,\u201d Dosal says. \u201cSo, by providing students with a timely pathway to a degree, with minimal level of debt and fully prepared for success in the global marketplace or graduate school, we are making a significant contribution to social mobility and the economic development of our region, state and country.\u201d<\/p>\n Some of the data Washington Monthly<\/em> considered for its ranking includes eight-year graduation rates for all students, which is 72% at UCF \u2014 higher than other well-respected and nationally recognized schools like ASU (64%) and University of Kansas (64%). The number of UCF’s Pell grant graduates in the last academic year, which is more than any other school in Florida, and the percentage of students who receive Pell grants were also considered. As of Spring 2022, 31% of UCF students are Pell-grant eligible. Measures across actual versus predicted data was also considered including graduate rates based on the student body makeup and earnings of individuals 10 years after entering college.<\/p>\n Metrics related to loan repayments covered two factors as well. As of Spring 2022, 42% of UCF students are the first in their family to attend a college or university. Of first-time-in-college students at UCF, nearly 60% graduate without any educational debt.<\/p>\n In 2021, philanthropist and author MacKenzie\u202fScott and her husband, Dan Jewett, invested $40 million in UCF<\/a>, which is being used to strengthen the university\u2019s focus on fostering social mobility while developing the skilled talent needed to advance industry across the\u202fstate and beyond.<\/p>\n Social Mobility rankings were also used to inform the Best Bang for the Buck rankings, which were divided into five regions and indicate how well schools help non-wealthy students attain marketable degrees at affordable prices.<\/p>\n Without funding, research would not be possible, which is why Washington Monthly<\/em> includes institutional research spending as a measure for its Research category. Despite a pandemic that slowed the economy; delayed or derailed some federal and private agencies\u2019 spending plans; and frustrated supply chains, UCF generated $212.9 million in research awards in 2021<\/a> \u2014 up more than $8 million from 2020.<\/p>\n The number of science and engineering Ph.D.s awarded and the number of undergraduate alumni who go on to earn Ph.D.s, were also considered. Founded in 1963 as an engineering-based institution driven to supply talent to the nearby Kennedy Space Center (KSC), UCF has a strong history of producing a large number of science and engineering graduates. Over the past 10 years, UCF has awarded over 1,500 doctorates in STEM fields, accounting for about 24% of all doctoral degrees. UCF has also recently joined a national alliance that aims to double the number of Hispanic doctoral students at member institutions<\/a>.<\/p>\n This summer UCF awarded its 400,000 degree since it began offering classes in 1968 to a Laura Segarra \u201922PhD<\/strong>, a KSC employee who earned a\u202fdoctorate in industrial engineering<\/a>. Dozens of UCF alums are supporting America\u2019s space program<\/a> through their work on the Artemis program<\/a>. More than 20 UCF faculty and researchers and several students are also working on projects related to scientific discovery facilitated by the program.<\/p>\n Faculty excellence also contributes to the research measure as prestigious awards among full-time faculty and the proportion of those who are members of the national academies are factored in as well. Some of the national academies UCF faculty have been inducted into within the past year include the National Academy of Inventors, Jefferson Science Fellowship (which is administered by the National Academies), Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, National Academy of Public Administration, and National Academy of Engineering.<\/p>\n UCF not only promotes a culture of excellence in classrooms and research facilities, but across our campus and community as service remains an essential component of the university\u2019s creed.<\/p>\n Some of Washington Monthly<\/em>\u2019s measures for community service include the number of students enrolled in campus ROTC programs and Carnegie Community Engagement Classification \u2014 which UCF received in 2015.<\/p>\n The percentages of students in AmeriCorps and alumni in the Peace Corps, using pre-pandemic data as the program paused in 2020, relative to college size was another factor. Prior to the pandemic, the Peace Corps ranked UCF as No. 24 for top volunteer-producing universities and colleges among large institutions in 2020,\u202fwith 39 Knights volunteering around the world. UCF political science<\/a> alum Bernice Cabral \u201919<\/strong> is among the first Peace Corps volunteers to return to overseas service this year.<\/p>\n Community service measures also whether colleges match Segal AmeriCorps Education Awards; the percentage of work-study grant money spent on community service projects; and student voting engagement, which UCF earned recognition for within a separate category on this year\u2019s rankings.<\/p>\nSocial Mobility: An Affordable, High-quality Education That Leads to Long-term Success<\/h3>\n
Research: Advancing Scientific Discovery<\/h3>\n
Service: Giving Back to Our National and Global Communities<\/h3>\n
Voting: A Commitment to Fostering Civic Engagement<\/h3>\n