Golden State Today

The University of California, Davis, has been ranked No. 9 among the nation’s top public universities in the latest rankings published by U.S. News & World Report on September 23, 2024. This marks the fourth consecutive year that UC Davis has been placed in the top 10 public universities and the tenth year it has been among the top 12.

UC Davis continues to perform well in college rankings due to its quality of education, research impact, and social mobility for students. Chancellor Gary S. May commented on this achievement: “This ranking from U.S. News and World Report reflects our bedrock commitment to student success.” He added that UC Davis provides world-class educational opportunities to students from diverse backgrounds, preparing them for careers and community service.

In the U.S. News 2025 Best Colleges rankings, UC Davis tied for No. 33 among over 430 national universities offering a full range of undergraduate, master’s, and doctoral degrees with a strong emphasis on research. The university also tied for the 26th spot among national universities for social mobility, indicating its effectiveness in graduating economically disadvantaged students.

Veterans are supported through the Veteran Success Center at UC Davis, which was tied for No. 16 among national universities for veterans in these rankings.

Regarding academic programs, UC Davis achieved high placements based on peer assessment surveys conducted earlier this year. The university was tied for No. 1 in biological/agricultural engineering and had seven other programs ranked within the top 30 of their respective fields:

- Civil engineering: ranked 13th

- Undergraduate psychology: tied for 14th

- Environmental/environmental health: tied for 16th

- Undergraduate economics: tied for 22nd

- Biomedical engineering: tied for 28th

- Undergraduate computer science: tied for 29th

- Undergraduate engineering: tied for 30th

Not all academic subjects are ranked annually or made publicly available without a subscription.

The overall rankings considered various factors including graduation rates (37%), peer assessment of academic quality (20%), faculty-related metrics (15%), financial resources per student (8%), standardized test scores (5%), first-year retention rates (5%), borrower debt (5%), and post-graduation earnings relative to high school graduates (5%).

Other recent major rankings include:

- Third place among public universities and twelfth overall by WSU/College Pulse.

- Eleventh place among public universities by Washington Monthly.

- Seventh place in Princeton Review’s Top 20 Best Schools for Making an Impact.

UC Davis is recognized globally for transforming students' lives through impactful research and excellent academic programs while maintaining sustainability practices. The university values third-party assessments but emphasizes those that align with its mission of serving the public good, inclusiveness, equity, and social mobility.

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