 For 2013 , Florida Atlantic University was classified as a second @-@ tier university by the U.S. News & World Report 's rankings of " Best Colleges . " U.S. News ranks universities into one of two tiers , with one being the highest , based on how they compare with other colleges in a peer assessment , retention rates , student selectivity , faculty resources , financial resources , graduation rates , and the amount of alumni giving . The university was named one of the 146 " Best Southeastern Colleges " in the United States by the Princeton Review . The Review also recognized FAU 's business program by naming the College of Business to their list of " Best 296 Business Schools " for 2009 . For 2011 , Florida Atlantic was ranked <unk> in the nation by Washington Monthly . The magazine based its rankings on the following three criteria : " how well a university performs as an engine of social mobility ( ideally helping the poor to get rich rather than the very rich to get very , very rich ) , how well a university does in <unk> scientific and humanistic research , and how well a university promotes an ethic of service to country . " The university was also ranked 28th in the United States and fourth in Florida by The Hispanic <unk> in Higher Education magazine for <unk> 738 bachelor 's degrees to Hispanic students during the 2006 – 2007 academic year . 
