According to U.S. News & World Report's Best Colleges rankings for the 2023-24 academic year released today (Sept. 18), the University of California, Berkeley and the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) are tied for the best public university in the country, while six of the University of California's undergraduate campuses rank in the top 20 and all nine rank in the top 40.
All nine of UC's undergraduate campuses are ranked in the top 100 among universities nationwide, both public and private.
US News Best College Rankings by Campus
2023-24 US News Best College Rankings by Campus Campus Public All Universities UC Berkeley 1 15 UC Los Angeles 1 15 UC Davis 6 28 UC San Diego 6 28 UC Irvine 10 33 UC Santa Barbara 12 35 UC Merced 28 60 UC Riverside 36 76 UC Santa Cruz 40 82
This is the fourth consecutive year that a UC undergraduate campus has ranked in the top 100 universities nationwide. UC Merced continues to climb the rankings, rising 11 spots this year to 28th among public universities and 60th among public and private universities combined in the nation – an impressive achievement for the system's newest campus, less than 20 years old.
“Student success is our goal, and we are gratified that national organizations are increasingly recognizing this commitment,” said UC Merced Chancellor Juan Sánchez Muñoz. “What has been built in the heart of California is a testament to our incredible faculty, past and present, who have dedicated themselves tirelessly to a shared pursuit of research excellence, service and student success.”
Like many other national rankings, U.S. News updated its ranking methodology this year to focus more on student outcomes and began placing more emphasis on measures such as social mobility, graduation rates, manageable debt, and post-graduation success. More than half of a school's rankings now consist of a variety of outcome measures related to a school's success in enrolling, retaining, and graduating students from diverse backgrounds with manageable debt and post-graduation success. Learn more about the methodology here.
UC campuses typically perform well on best colleges lists, and the magazine's updated ranking methodology highlights the UC system's distinctive strengths as a driver of social mobility. This year, several campuses improved from last year, including UC Merced, UC Berkeley, UC Los Angeles, UC Davis, UC San Diego and UC Riverside.
“We always say, we're not doing this to chase rankings,” Muñoz said, “we're pursuing a mission to increase the social and economic mobility of our students, and the country is noticing.”
Among the new criteria incorporated into the rankings was a comparison of first-generation graduation rates to graduation rates for non-first-generation students. According to U.S. News, the closer the two figures are, “the better it indicates a school's ability to meet the needs of its students.”
U.S. News cited public surveys, including those from the U.S. Department of Education's National Center for Education Statistics, as the catalyst for changing its methodology. The 39th ranking evaluated about 1,500 four-year, bachelor's degree-granting schools in the United States.
As in previous years, UC campuses also performed well in key subcategories of the rankings, including specific social mobility lists that focus on the achievement of first-generation students and Pell Grant recipients.
Five California universities ranked among the top 20 for social mobility, both public and private, with UC Riverside tied for second and UC Merced tied for fourth. UC Irvine ranked 12th, UC Santa Cruz tied for 16th, and UC Davis tied for 19th. Eight campuses ranked in the top 35.
The UC system also performed well in the Best Colleges for Veterans rankings, with eight campuses ranked in the top 50. UC Berkeley and UCLA tied for third place, UC Davis and UC San Diego tied for 12th place, UC Irvine tied for 17th place and UC Santa Barbara tied for 19th place.
Through a variety of methodologies, the UC system maintains a strong reputation for world-class excellence and opportunity and affordability for students.
Recently, UC was ranked as the nation's best university system by Forbes and Washington Monthly, and Princeton Review named UC one of the best universities in the nation in a student survey. UC Berkeley was also named the top university last week for the number of companies started by its undergraduate alumni. For more information and to apply, visit admission.universityofcalifornia.edu.
Campus Coverage
UC Berkeley: U.S. News ranks UC Berkeley the top public university in the nation
UC Davis: UC Davis rises to 6th place in the ranking of the nation's top public universities
University of California, Irvine: UC Irvine has been ranked among the top 10 public universities in the nation for the 9th consecutive year.
UCLA: UCLA is the #1 public university in the nation for the seventh consecutive year.
University of California, Merced: University of California, Merced rises nearly 40 spots in U.S. News university rankings.
UC Riverside: U.S. News 2023 College Rankings Released, UC Riverside Soars
UC San Diego: U.S. News & World Report rankings elevate UC San Diego to 6th largest public university in the nation
