Washington Monthly ranked Florida Atlantic University at No. 39 on the “America’s Best Colleges for Your Tuition (and Tax) Dollars” list among the nation’s best public and private universities, in the publication’s annual College Guide. FAU also was ranked No. 5 in the “Best Bang for the Buck” for Southeast colleges and on the “Top 25 Best-in-Class Colleges” list.

Washington Monthly ranked Florida Atlantic University at No. 39 on the “America’s Best Colleges for Your Tuition (and Tax) Dollars” list among the nation’s best public and private universities, in the publication’s annual College Guide. FAU also was ranked No. 5 in the “Best Bang for the Buck” for Southeast colleges and on the “Top 25 Best-in-Class Colleges” list.

“Florida Atlantic’s rise to No. 39 in Washington Monthly’s national rankings and No. 5 for Best Bang for the Buck in the Southeast reaffirms that we are a university on the ascent,” said FAU President Adam Hasner. “We are proud to be recognized as a national model for access, affordability and excellence — delivering strong outcomes that make a difference for our students, our state and the future of higher education.” 

This year for the first time Washington Monthly combined all four-year colleges and universities—public and private, big and small, research and teaching—into a single master list of more than 1,400 institutions. The rankings were based on a methodology that focused on what Americans most want from colleges and universities: that these institutions help students of modest means earn degrees that pay off in the marketplace, don’t saddle them with heavy debt, and prepare and encourage them to become active members of the country’s democracy. 

“FAU places higher than elite private schools elsewhere in the South like Rice, Vanderbilt and Emory. That’s because Washington Monthly rewards colleges for enrolling students from modest backgrounds, keeping costs low, and producing strong outcomes,” according to Washington Monthly. “FAU does all three, making it one of the greatest success stories in American higher education.”

A national leader in student success, the university has earned recognition for its efforts to increase attainment outcomes for low-income, first-generation and historically underserved student populations. At FAU, these groups regularly outpace the overall student body in academic progression and timely graduation rates.

FAU is just one of 21 esteemed institutions nationwide to earn both Research 1 (R1) and Opportunity College & University (OCU) designations in the new 2025 Carnegie Classifications on behalf of the American Council on Education and the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. 

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