U.S. News and World Report’s best city ranking is here!
U.S. News and World Report released its annual ranking of “Best Places to Live in the U.S.”
On Tuesday, U.S. News & World Report released its 2025 Best Online Programs rankings for colleges and universities, rating nearly 1,800 online bachelor’s and master’s degree programs at regionally accredited institutions.
The University of Florida was rated first in the country for Special Education Programs, second in online Bachelor’s Programs behind the University of Buffalo-SUNY, second in online Graduate Education Programs behind Clemson University, and fourth in online MBA Programs.
“For those who wish to further their education but whose life circumstances call for increased flexibility to study outside the confines of a physical classroom, there are many distance learning programs to choose from,” says LaMont Jones, managing editor for education at U.S. News. “The 2025 Best Online Programs rankings examine factors that benefit the typical distance learner and serve as a helpful starting point for those seeking to find the right online program for their educational goals.”
Other Florida schools made the rankings, if not quite as high. Here’s how they did, for students looking for
Top 2025 Online Bachelor’s Programs from U.S News & World Report
UF was near the top but the University of Central Florida was rated No. 9 in Bachelor’s Programs, with Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University — Worldwide ranking 12th, Daytona State College coming in a four-way tie for No. 21 with the University of North Florida, Northwestern College and Sacred Heart University. Florida International University was No. 32, Pensacola State College was No. 39, the University of West Florida was No. 39, and then no more Sunshine State mentions until Miami Dade College at No. 84.
The top 5 are:
- 1. University at Buffalo-SUNY, Buffalo, NY
- 2. University of Florida, Gainesville
- 3. University of Illinois-Chicago, Chicago, IL (tie)
- 3. University of North Carolina-Charlotte, Charlotte, NCa (tie)
- 5. The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH
Top 2025 Online MBA Programs from U.S News & World Report
Uf was No. 4 in MBA programs and the University of South Florida was ranked 15th, with Florida State coming in at 20th, the University of Miami at No, 29, Florida International University (Chapman) at No. 33, Florida Southern College at No. 72, ERAU at No. 75, and Florida Atlantic University tied for No. 100 with 11 other institutions.
The top 5 are:
- 1. Indiana University–Bloomington (Kelley), Bloomington, IN
- 2. University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill (Kenan-Flagler), Chapel Hill, NC
- 3. Carnegie Mellon University (Tepper), Pittsburgh, PA
- 4. University of Florida (Warrington), Gainesville (tie)
- 4. University of Washington (Foster), Seattle, WA
Top 2025 Online Master’s in Business Programs from U.S News & World Report
Florida International University and FSU tied for No. 12 in Business Programs along with the University of Connecticut and the University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill. UF was tied for No. 16, and then no more Florida schools until Florida Atlantic University tied for No. 46. ERAU was 51st (tie), the University of South Florida was 56th, the University of Tampa was tied for No. 74, the University of West Florida was tied for No. 79, UCF was tied for No. 88, and Stetson University was tied for No. 95.
The top 5 are:
- 1. Carnegie Mellon University (Tepper), Pittsburgh, PA (tie)
- 2. Texas A&M University–College Station (Mays), College Station, TX (tie)
- 3. Arizona State University (Carey), Tempe, AZ
- 4. University of Southern California (Marshall), Los Angeles, CA
- 5. Duke University (Fuqua), Durham, NC
Top 2025 Online Masters in Criminal Justice Programs from U.S News & World Report
FSU ranked 10th in Criminal Justice Programs in the nation and UCF was 12th, with FIU tied for No. 17. The University of West Florida was tied for no. 41, and the Nova Southeastern University Fischler College of Education and School of Criminal Justice was tied for No. 59. Keiser University was listed in the 73-96 ranking.
The top 5 are:
- 1. University of New Haven, West Haven, CT
- 2. University of California-Irvine, Irvine, CA
- 3. University of Massachusetts-Lowell, Lowell, MA
- 4. University of the Cumberlands, Williamsburg, KY
- 5. Boston University, Boston, MA
Top 2025 Online Master’s in Education Programs from U.S News & World Report
UF scored high in Masters’ In Education Programs, grabbing the second spot. After that there weren’t any Florida names until Florida International University at No. 31. Florida Atlantic University tied with eight others for No. 46 along with UCF and the University of South Florida, the University of West Florida was no. 63,
The top 5 are:
- 1. Clemson University (Moore), Clemson, SC
- 2. University of Florida, Gainesville
- 3. San Diego State University, San Diego, CA (tie)
- 3. University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Champaign, IL (tie)
- 3. University of North Texas, Denton, TX (tie)
- 3. University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI (tie)
Top 2025 Online Master’s in Engineering Programs from U.S News & World Report
ERA was No. 12 in Engineering Programs with UF at No. 14. Florida A&M University/Florida State University tied for No. 39 with UCF and two others. Florida International University was tied for No. 43, University of South Florida was tied for No. 53,
The top 5 are:
- 1. University of California-Los Angeles (Samueli), Los Angeles, CA
- 2. Purdue University-Main Campus, West Lafayette, IN (tie)
- 2. University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (Grainger), Urbana, IL (tie)
- 4. Pennsylvania State University-World Campus, Malvern, PA
- 5. University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, NE
Top 2025 Online Master’s in Information Technology Programs from U.S News & World Report
FSU ranked No. 8 in Master’s in Information Technology Programs, tied with the University of Southern California. UCF was tied for No. 17, Florida International University was tied for No. 19, the University of West Florida Hal Marcus College of Science and Engineering was tied for No. 29, and Florida Institute of Technology was tied for No. 36.
The top 5 are:
- 1. Johns Hopkins University (Whiting), Baltimore, MD
- 2. Columbia University, New York, NY
- 3. University of Alabama at Birmingham (Collat), Birmingham, AL
- 4. Virginia Tech, Falls Church, VA
- 5. University of Arizona (Eller), Tucson, AZ
Top 2025 Online Master’s in Nursing Programs from U.S News & World Report
In the Master’s in Nursing Programs rankings, a Florida school doesn’t appear until No. 17, UCF, tied with three others. Then it’s the University of North Florida at No. 46, the University of West Florida tied for No. 65, Jacksonville University (Brooks) tied for No. 85, and FAMU and Florida Atlantic University (Lynn) barely making it into the top 100 as part of a 12-way tie.
The top 5 are:
- 1. University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC
- 2. Saint Xavier University, Chicago, IL
- 3. Duke University, Durham, NC (tie)
- 3. The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH (tie)
- 5. University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT