Florida State University announced on Apr. 7 that its graduate programs have received high rankings in the 2026 U.S. News & World Report’s edition of Best Graduate Schools, with 16 programs and specialties placing in the Top 25 among public universities and six earning the No. 1 spot in Florida.
The recognition highlights FSU’s performance across a wide range of academic fields, which university leaders say reflects continued investment in faculty, research, and student achievement.
“These rankings show the strength of Florida State across the board,” said President Richard McCullough. “From healthcare to law to the arts and public policy, our programs are delivering real results for students and communities. That kind of depth comes from sustained investment in faculty, research and student success.”
Provost Jim Clark also commented on the breadth of opportunities available at FSU: “These results speak to both the quality and range of our graduate education,” Clark said. “Students can pursue top programs in areas as different as engineering, education, nursing and the arts, and they’re gaining the skills and experience to move directly into impactful careers. Achieving a graduate degree opens up advanced leadership and high-paying positions across Florida, the nation and the globe.”
Among this year’s highlights are FSU’s College of Law tying for No. 1 among law schools in Florida while climbing four spots nationally to No. 34 overall (No. 14 among public universities). The College of Nursing’s Doctor of Nursing Practice program is ranked No. 1 statewide after moving up seven places nationally to No. 21 overall (No.12 among publics). The College of Medicine holds Florida’s highest designation for primary care among public medical schools.
Other notable placements include strong performances by FSU’s Anne Spencer Daves College of Education (No.8 among publics), Herbert Wertheim College of Business’ MBA specialty in real estate (No.8 nationwide among publics), FAMU-FSU College of Engineering maintaining its national ranking with improvements across several specialties, as well as top state honors for speech-language pathology within communication sciences.
Graduate offerings such as clinical psychology tied for first place statewide alongside University of Florida; visual arts led by Fine Arts’ MFA Studio Art program also topped state rankings based on peer assessments.
The university credits these outcomes partly to comprehensive data collection by U.S News & World Report—using metrics like enrollment figures, job attainment rates, faculty resources—as well as reputational surveys conducted with academic experts at peer institutions.
