Florida International University has officially become the fastest-rising public university the country.
U.S. News & World Report, which is considered the gold standard when it comes to college rankings, released their annual rankings for public universities Monday and FIU came in at number 72 -- jumping 62 spots in the last decade.
"The best part about FIU is our students, said Kenneth Jessell, the university's interim president. "We are keenly focused on three things: student success, research, excellence and engagement with the community."
When it comes to economics, FIU is a bargain by ranking 23rd on a student's investment in their college education, taking just 13 months to recoup those dollars.
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"What's really important is the quality of the degree," Jessell said."They look at what FIU graduates are making ten years out compared to what the average graduate is making ten years out in the state of Florida. And we do very, very nicely there."
But paying for college takes planning.
Vale Duran, an FIU freshman, takes advantage of government scholarships and the ones offered by the university.
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The other schools being, if anything, at an equivalent, even if they might not be as high as a rank. I'm getting virtually the same education with less travel, less money, and my friends are here," Duran said.
Research is a huge component at FIU. In fact, it is in their lab that they are guiding cancer treatments not for the masses, but for individual patients who have run out of options.
Brenda Borges, an FIU alum, touted her time on campus by appreciating the diversity.
"I met people from all over the world," Borges said. "I was the only Cuban person in my class. And Cuba is one of the largest demographics here in Miami. So I was really surprised by that."
In the college rankings, University of Florida ranked number five, Florida State University ranked number 19, University of South Florida ranked number 42, and the University of Central Florida ranked number 64.
On Wednesday, FIU will celebrate its 50th anniversary since opening its doors. University officials told NBC 6 that the goal is to break into the top 50 list of public universities at some point in the near future.
