Golden State Today

UC Berkeley has been recognized as the top public university in the United States and the eighth-best globally, according to the Times Higher Education's 2025 World University Rankings released on October 8. This marks the ninth time in ten years that Berkeley has achieved this distinction.

The rankings evaluated over 2,000 universities from 115 countries and territories, based on criteria including teaching, research environment, research quality, industry engagement, and international outlook.

Globally, the University of Oxford took first place, followed by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Harvard University, Princeton University, and the University of Cambridge. Stanford University and the California Institute of Technology also ranked ahead of Berkeley. Imperial College London and Yale University completed the Top 10.

Berkeley's position has improved significantly over recent years; it was ranked 13th in 2016. Among U.S. public universities, UCLA came second in these rankings and placed 18th globally. The University of Michigan-Ann Arbor followed at 22nd globally, with the University of Washington at 25th and UC San Diego at 34th.

In addition to its standing in Times Higher Education's list, Berkeley was named America's top public university by both Wall Street Journal’s 2025 Best Colleges list and Forbes magazine’s list of America’s top colleges. Furthermore, U.S. News & World Report has ranked Berkeley as the No.1 public school in the nation for 15 out of the past 20 years.

PitchBook data indicates that Berkeley produces more startup founders, companies, and female entrepreneurs than any other institution worldwide.