MIAMI – For the first time, Florida International University has broken into the top 50 on U.S. News & World Report Best Colleges 2025 rankings. It ranked No. 46 among public universities. 

When it came to all universities, public and private, the Home of the Panthers ranked 98th.

“As you know, these types of things don’t happen overnight. It is a team effort. Day in and day out, we look for opportunities to improve the opportunities for our students. And it has paid off. It has paid off in our retention rates, it has paid off in our graduation rates, it has paid off in how our students perform once they graduate,” FIU president Kenneth A. Jessell told CBS News Miami’s Jim Berry for an upcoming profile on Miami Life.

According to the university, “FIU climbed 18 spots from last year among public universities and 26 spots overall to become one of the Top 100 universities in the nation.”

The FIU undergraduate international business program ranked No. 2 in the nation, a position that it has held for the last six years. This year it tied for first place in the nation when it came to social mobility. The category measures the ability of graduates to move up the economic ladder after launching their careers.

Other undergraduate programs that rose in the rankings include engineering, nursing and psychology.