Florida tops higher ed rankings for 10th year as DeSantis dismantles DEI

Florida has been ranked No. 1 in higher education by U.S. News & World Report for the tenth consecutive year, Governor Ron DeSantis announced in September. 

The ranking factors in affordability, graduation rates, and debt burdens. According to state data, more than 70% of Florida students graduate without student loan debt. 

The DeSantis administration credits Florida’s success to policies aimed at keeping tuition among the lowest in the nation, rewarding universities for performance outcomes, and expanding vocational pathways. 

[RELATED: DeSantis forms new accreditation agency to combat DEI]

The state also ranks at the top for four-year graduation rates among large public university systems. 

In the 2025 state budget, the governor and the Legislature allocated $675 million in performance-based funding, with $645 million distributed according to metrics such as graduation rates, retention, and research output—reinforcing the “pay for results” model.

Florida also continues to preserve one of the lowest in-state tuition rates in the country, which DeSantis emphasizes as key to reducing student debt burdens. 

As part of his push, DeSantis has also challenged the existing structure of higher ed oversight. He has proposed a new state accreditation agency aimed at reducing reliance on national accreditors he deems “activist,” Campus Reform reported. 

At the same time, Florida has reshaped its campuses by eliminating Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) programs. In 2023, DeSantis signed Senate Bill 266, which bans the use of state and federal funds for DEI initiatives and restricts courses based on identity politics. 

[RELATED: Florida judge dismisses professors’ lawsuit over state’s anti-DEI law]

Following the Trump administration’s anti-DEI Executive Orders in January, Campus Reform reported that the University of Florida, the state’s flagship university, subsequently closed its DEI office, reallocating roughly $5 million to faculty recruitment, while Florida International University removed 22 DEI-based courses from its core curriculum. 

Recently, a federal judge in Florida dismissed most of a First Amendment lawsuit challenging the restrictions on general education courses in SB 266. The professors, represented by the ACLU, argued that the law unlawfully censors instruction on race and gender. 

Judge Mark Walker ruled there is no right to a general education designation and tossed nearly all claims.

Courses such as “The Anthropology of Race and Ethnicity” and “Black Popular Cultures: Global Dimensions” lost their general education status under the law, but Walker rejected the professors’ claims of free speech. Austin’s funding claim remains active, marking the only surviving part of the lawsuit.

Campus Reform has reached out to the ACLU of Florida for comment. This article will be updated accordingly.