Breaking News: FIU Ranks #1 in Performance-Based Funding

Tiana Henry / Contributing Writer

FIU made its way up the rankings, earning first place among Florida public universities for performance-based funding (PBF), according to a report by the Florida Board of Governors. 

The Board of Governors established the Performance Based Funding Model in January of 2014. FIU ranks with the highest score as of year eight. FIU earned 97 points, the highest score ever attained in the history of Florida’s PBF Model. This is a nine-point increase from the university’s score of 88 in 2020.

The last recorded high score was only three points less than 97 in year seven. The ranking is determined by the key student success metrics that include four-year graduation rate, retention rate, cost to students and employment of recent graduates.

According to the report, FIU earned its score for its 6.5 percent increase in its four-year graduation rate; 3.5 percent increase in six-year graduation rate for Pell Grant recipients; and seven percent increase in the number of postdoctoral graduates.

FIU’s nine-point increase from last year’s score is the most significant increase in points among public universities. The improvement in metric scores are outlined in orange on the score sheet. 

This achievement follows a $40 million donation by philanthropist MacKenzie Scott and a one-year extension of Rosenberg’s contract as university president.

FIU has once again secured its spot as a multiple top-50 ranking institution, said FIU President Mark B. Rosenberg in an email sent to the university community yesterday. 

“FIU has also been recently recognized in national rankings for excelling in multiple disciplines such as international business, law, nursing, public health, and environmental resilience efforts,” wrote Rosenberg in the email.