The University of California, Davis has been ranked among the top 10 public universities in the United States for the fifth year in a row, according to the 2026 U.S. News Best Colleges rankings released Monday.
UC Davis tied for ninth place among public universities and earned recognition for innovation and social mobility. The campus also tied for 32nd overall out of more than 430 national universities that offer undergraduate, master’s, and doctoral degrees with an emphasis on research.
Chancellor Gary S. May commented on the ranking: “This ranking from U.S. News & World Report highlights our steadfast commitment to the success of our students,” said Chancellor Gary S. May. “UC Davis empowers students from all backgrounds with world-class educational opportunities that prepare them for rewarding careers and service to their communities.”
In addition to its overall ranking, UC Davis was noted as a top performer in social mobility, tying for 18th among public universities and 22nd nationally for enrolling and graduating students from economically disadvantaged backgrounds.
A new category this year recognized innovation; UC Davis tied for 21st among public universities in this area based on nominations by academic leaders regarding improvements in curriculum, faculty, student life, technology or facilities.
The university also placed highly in other areas: it tied at No. 16 nationally as one of the best universities for veterans.
Several individual academic programs received high marks as well. UC Davis’s biological/agricultural engineering program tied for second place nationwide. Other programs were ranked within the top 35 in their respective fields including psychology (tied for 11th), civil engineering (tied for 18th), environmental/environmental health engineering (19th), economics (tied for 21st), general undergraduate engineering (tied for 32nd), and computer science (tied for 35th).
Academic program rankings are determined by peer assessment surveys conducted during spring and summer months.
The U.S. News methodology considers various factors when evaluating national universities: over half of each institution’s score is determined by student outcomes such as retention rates, graduation rates, federal loan debt levels, and earnings five years after graduation; quality assessments by college leaders account for another portion; additional criteria include faculty resources like student-faculty ratio; per-student spending; standardized test scores or graduation rates depending on admissions policies; and measures of faculty research output such as publications and citations.
Other recent evaluations have echoed UC Davis’s strong standing among public institutions. Forbes included UC Davis in its Top 25 Public Colleges list (https://www.forbes.com/lists/top-public-colleges/). Washington Monthly ranked it twelfth among public universities and twenty-third overall on its America’s Best Colleges For Research list (https://washingtonmonthly.com/2024college-guide). The Princeton Review recognized UC Davis in its “Best Colleges” guidebook as well (https://www.princetonreview.com/college-rankings/best-colleges).
UC Davis officials say they value both internal self-evaluation processes and external assessments but note that ranking methods can be subjective or change over time. The university emphasizes alignment with values such as serving the public good, inclusiveness, equity, and social mobility when considering which rankings matter most.
Chancellor May encourages prospective students to consider rankings alongside other factors when making decisions about college attendance.
