Universities in Gainesville, USA
- Rankings & Reviews -

Latest ranking updates related to universities in Gainesville
  • 06 Mar, 2024: Scimago Institutions Rankings updated with University of Florida in position 73.
  • 25 Jan, 2024: THE Times Higher Education, UK published most recent results of THE World’s Most International Universities. University of Florida achieves position 153.
  • 19 Dec, 2023: Latest URAP World Ranking - University Ranking by Academic Performance from Urap . University of Florida in position #71.
  • 15 Dec, 2023: ShanghaiRanking Consultancy published most recent results of Global Ranking of Sport Science Schools and Departments - ShanghaiRanking (Sport Science). University of Florida achieves position 51.

Gainesville, Florida is the largest city in the county and home to one of the largest public university campuses in the U.S. Despite its city status, the locals often praise its small town vibe, and students find the people open and friendly.

Gainesville caters to a wide variety of lifestyles, regardless of what you’re looking for, whether it be urban or country. Known for its support of the visual arts, Gainesville celebrates two large art festivals every year which attract artists and visitors from around the region. It’s home to some great cultural facilities like the Florida Museum of Natural History, Harn Museum of Art, Hippodrome State Theatre, and many smaller theatres. Gainesville has such a strong and vital music scene that it was also voted the best city in the U.S. to start a band.

It's easy to participate in the many outdoor activities that the city has to offer, like swimming with dolphins in Cedar Key, or kayaking with manatees in Crystal River, thanks to the great climate.


Rankings of universities in Gainesville, USA 2024

  • #44 
  • #132 
THE World University Rankings
[Published 27 September, 2023]
  • #54 
  • #54 
Wall Street Journal/Times Higher Education US College Rankings
[Published 14 September, 2021]
  • #38 
  • #168 
QS World University Rankings
[Published 27 June, 2023]
Show 32 more rankings of University of Florida and subject specific rankings for 13 subjects

Student satisfaction: 5.0 / 5.0 (based on 60 student ratings)
  • #1224 
  • #1282 
Payscale College Salary Report - Best Universities (Bachelors only)
[Published 11 November, 2021]
  • #389 
  • #394 
US News Best National Universities
[Published 17 September, 2023]
  • #305 
  • #309 
Washington Monthly - National Universities
[Published 28 August, 2022]
Show 2 more rankings of Brenau University and subject specific rankings for 2 subjects

#3
USA

Santa Fe College

  • #1173 
  • #1231 
Payscale College Salary Report - Best Universities (All Alumni)
[Published 11 November, 2021]
  • #1007 
  • #6665 
Webometrics Ranking Web of Universities
[Published 31 July, 2023]

Highest subject rankings of universities in Gainesville

Agriculture URAP University Ranking by Academic Performance - By Field
#3 
University of Florida
Law US News: Best Grad Schools (US)
#21 
University of Florida
Education US News: Best Grad Schools (US)
#23 
University of Florida
Engineering MONEY: Best Colleges for Engineering Majors
#25 
University of Florida
Journalism URAP University Ranking by Academic Performance - By Field
#26 
University of Florida
Business MONEY Best Colleges for Business Majors
#34 
University of Florida
Computer Science NTU Rankings by Subject
#40 
University of Florida
Anthropology URAP University Ranking by Academic Performance - By Field
#44 
University of Florida
Dentistry QS World University Rankings By Subject
#51 
University of Florida
Chemistry NTU Rankings by Subject
#88 
University of Florida

Student Opinions About Studying in Gainesville

“Gainesville is a city with a hometown feel where most locals are kind and friendly. It’s full of students as it’s home to one of the best universities in the U.S and in the world, so it’s very easy to meet new people and make plans almost every day. There are many cultural events going on, and normally for modest prices.”

“Surrounded by nature and with a downtown that has a lot to offer, I’ve come to consider Gainesville as one of the best places to live in. It’s the kind of city that listens to its community, which is great for us students who strive to make it an even more entertaining city. I love the outdoor activities offered, and the parks where I normally spend most of my Sundays.”

“It’s a great college town with many places to study and eat. The nightlife scene isn’t very popular here, but there are plenty of options to choose from if you want to spend an evening out. Most practical things you might need are near the universities.”

Gainesville Key Facts for International Students

PROS

  • There’s a big emphasis on being active in the outdoors in Gainesville, which provides a wide variety of natural areas for just that.
  • There are many art-related activities, shows, and concerts. Locals recommend checking out the Actors’ Warehouse, and Acrosstown Repertory Theatre.
  • Gainesville is a student city, with more than 70,000 students and great Higher Education options.

CONS

  • There’s a lot of traffic in Gainesville so using public transport can be a good alternative.
  • Students who stay in the city throughout the summer find it dull and complain that it feels empty when the academic year ends because in summer the majority of students go home.

3 out of 3 Universities in Gainesville Ranked in at least one ranking

35 Different Rankings list Universities in Gainesville (24 institution and 11 subject rankings)

28 Global Rankings rank Universities in Gainesville Among TOP 200

Population: 142000

Elevation: 54 m. above sea level

Time: GMT -5

District/province: Florida, Alachua County

Living costs for students in Gainesville:
  • Big Mac price (USA average): 5.15 US$ (16% more expensive than in United Kingdom)
  • Plug Type A
    • Residential voltage: 120 V
    • Frequency: 60 Hz
  • Plug Type B
    • Residential voltage: 120 V
    • Frequency: 60 Hz

Map with location of universities in Gainesville

google static map google map control google map control

Useful related pages

Links below are handpicked for usefulness. We might earn a commission on purchases.

FAQ

University of Florida ranks #1 in Gainesville in our meta ranking composed of 112 university rankings.

Among all universities in Gainesville University of Florida is listed in the largest number of rankings. See all 51 rankings where University of Florida is listed.

University of Florida is ranked best in Gainesville for Agriculture (Agriculture). See all rankings for the University of Florida.

University of Florida is ranked best in Gainesville for Law (Law). See all rankings for the University of Florida.

University of Florida is ranked best in Gainesville for Education (Education). See all rankings for the University of Florida.

University of Florida is ranked best in Gainesville for Engineering (Engineering). See all rankings for the University of Florida.

University of Florida is ranked best in Gainesville for Journalism & Media Studies (Journalism). See all rankings for the University of Florida.

University of Florida is ranked best in Gainesville for Business (Business). See all rankings for the University of Florida.

University of Florida is ranked best in Gainesville for Computer Science (Computer Science). See all rankings for the University of Florida.

University of Florida is ranked best in Gainesville for Social Studies & Humanities (Anthropology). See all rankings for the University of Florida.

University of Florida is ranked best in Gainesville for Medicine & Health (Dentistry). See all rankings for the University of Florida.

University of Florida is ranked best in Gainesville for Natural Sciences (Chemistry). See all rankings for the University of Florida.

University of Florida is ranked best in Gainesville for Mathematics (Mathematics). See all rankings for the University of Florida.

University of Florida is ranked best in Gainesville for Architecture, Building & Planning (Architecture). See all rankings for the University of Florida.

University of Florida is ranked best in Gainesville for Languages & Literature (Linguistics). See all rankings for the University of Florida.

Ranking publishers

4icu

view methodology

view methodology

British Quacquarelli Symonds, UK

Criteria used in ranking -QS World University Rankings:

Academic Reputation 40% Employer Reputation 10% Faculty/Student Ratio 20% Citations per faculty 20% International Faculty Ratio 5% International Student Ratio 5%

view methodology

Criteria used in ranking -QS Employability Rankings:

Employer reputation 30% Alumni outcomes 25% Partnerships with Employers per Faculty 25% Employer/Student Connections 10% Graduate employment rate 10%

view methodology

view methodology

CWUR Center for World University Rankings

Criteria used in ranking -CWUR Center for World University Rankings:

Research Performance: 40%

  • Research Output: 10%
  • High-Quality Publications: 10%
  • Influence: 10%
  • Citations: 10%

Quality of Education: 25%

Alumni Employment: 25%

Quality of Faculty: 10%

view methodology

Centre for Science and Technology Studies, Leiden University, Netherlands

Criteria used in ranking -CWTS Leiden Ranking:

Scientific Impact Number of Publications Collaboration Open Access Gender Diversity

view methodology

Forbes

view methodology

Kiplinger

Criteria used in ranking -Kiplinger's Best College Values:

Quality Criteria 55% Cost Criteria 45%

view methodology

MONEY

Criteria used in ranking -MONEY Best Public Colleges:

Quality of education 33.33% Affordability 33.33% Outcomes 33.33%

view methodology

Criteria used in ranking -MONEY Best Colleges in America, ranked by value:

Quality of education 33.33% Affordability 33.33% Outcomes 33.33%

view methodology

NTU ranking

Criteria used in ranking -NTU Performance Ranking of Scientific Papers:

Research Productivity: 25%

  • # Articles last 11 years: 10%
  • # Articles current year: 15%

Research Impact: 35%

  • # Citations last 11 years: 15%
  • # Citations last 2 years: 10%
  • Average # citations last 11 years: 10%

Research Excellence: 40%

  • H-index last 2 years: 10%
  • # Highly cited papers last 11 years: 15%
  • # Articles current year in high-impact journals: 15%

view methodology

Nature Index

Criteria used in ranking -Nature Index - Academic:

Article count (AC) Fractional count (FC) Weighted fractional count (WFC)

view methodology

Payscale

Criteria used in ranking -Payscale College Salary Report - Best Universities (Bachelors only):

Ranking is based on ROI

view methodology

view methodology

RUR Ranking Agency (Moscow, Russia)

Criteria used in ranking -RUR World University Rankings:

Teaching: 40%

  • Ratio Faculty/Student: 8%
  • Ratio Faculty/Bachelor Degrees Awarded: 8%
  • Ratio Faculty/Doctoral Degrees Awarded: 8%
  • Ratio Doctoral Degrees Awarded/Bachelor Degrees Awarded: 8%
  • World Teaching Reputation: 8%

Research: 40%

  • Citations per Academic/Research Staff: 8%
  • Doctoral Degrees per Accepted PhD: 8%
  • Normalized Citation Impact: 8%
  • Papers per Academic/Research Staff: 8%
  • World Research Reputation: 8%

International Diversity: 10%

  • International Faculty: 2%
  • International Students: 2%
  • International Co-Authored Papers: 2%
  • Reputation Outside Geographical Region: 2%
  • International Level: 2%

Financial Sustainability: 10%

  • Institutional Income per Faculty: 2%
  • Institutional Income per Student: 2%
  • Papers per Research Income: 2%
  • Research Income per Academic/Research Staff: 2%
  • Research Income per Institutional Income: 2%

view methodology

Criteria used in ranking -RUR Academic Rankings:

Normalized citation impact (Citations of research publications from all university authors compared with world averages) 20% Citation per papers 20% Papers per academic and research staff 20% International research reputation 20% Share of research publications written in international co-authorship 20%

view methodology

Criteria used in ranking -RUR Reputation Ranking:

Teaching Reputation 50% Research Reputation 50%

view methodology

Scimago Institutions

Criteria used in ranking -Scimago Institutions Rankings:

Research 50% Innovation 30%
Societal 20%

view methodology

ShanghaiRanking Consultancy

Criteria used in ranking -ARWU Academic Ranking of World Universities - ShanghaiRanking:

Quality of Education 10%

  • Alumni winning Nobel Prizes/Field Medals 10%

Quality of Faculty 40%

  • Staff winning Nobel Prizes/Field Medals 20%
  • Highly Cited Researchers 20%

Research Output 40%

  • Papers published in Nature and Science 20%
  • Papers indexed in Science Citation Index-Expanded & Social Science Citation Index 20%

Per Capita Performance 10%

view methodology

StuDocu

view methodology

THE Times Higher Education, UK

Criteria used in ranking -THE World University Rankings:

30% Teaching (the Learning Environment)

  • Reputation survey: 15%
  • Staff-to-student ratio: 4.5%
  • Doctorate-to-bachelor’s ratio: 2.25%
  • Doctorates-awarded-to-academic-staff ratio: 6%
  • Institutional income: 2.25%

30% Research (Volume, Income and Reputation)

  • Reputation survey: 18%
  • Research income: 6%
  • Research productivity: 6%

30% Citations (Research Influence)

7.5% International Outlook (Staff, Students and Research)

  • Proportion of international students: 2.5%
  • Proportion of international staff: 2.5%
  • International collaboration: 2.5%

2.5% Industry Income (Knowledge Transfer)"

view methodology

Criteria used in ranking -THE Global Employability University Ranking:

Employability (survey) 100%

view methodology

Criteria used in ranking -THE World Reputation Rankings:

Research Reputation 66,6% Teaching Reputation 33,3%

view methodology

Criteria used in ranking -THE World’s Most International Universities:

Proportion of international students 25% Proportion of international staff 25% Proportion of journal publications with one or more international co-authors 25% University’s international reputation 25%

view methodology

view methodology

view methodology

The Princeton Review

view methodology

Thomson Reuters

Criteria used in ranking -Reuters Most Innovative Universities:

Patent Volume 33% Patent Citations 34% Industry Article Citation Impact 11% Percent of Industry Collaborative Articles 11% Total Web of Science Core Collection Papers 11%

view methodology

Urap

view methodology

Us News

view methodology

view methodology

Wallstreet Journal USA & THE Times Higher Education, UK

Criteria used in ranking -Wall Street Journal/Times Higher Education US College Rankings:

Outcomes 40% (employability) Resources 30% Engagement 20% (teaching) Environment 10% (diversity)

view methodology

Washington Monthly

Criteria used in ranking -Washington Monthly - National Universities:

Social Mobility 33.33%
Research 33.33%
Community and National Service 33.33%

view methodology

Webometrics

Criteria used in ranking -Webometrics Ranking Web of Universities:

Visibility 50% Excellence 35% Transparency 10% Presence 5%

view methodology