UC Office of the President
UC San Diego was ranked No. 1 for the third straight year and five other UC campuses placed in the top 20 of Washington Monthly's university rankings, which are based on "what colleges are doing for the country."
The magazine ranked UC Berkeley fifth, UCLA sixth, UC Riverside ninth, UC Santa Barbara 14th, UC Davis 17th, UC Santa Cruz 67th and UC Irvine 117th out of 281 ratings using a methodology that measures social mobility, commitment to public service and research.
“Public service is integral to our mission,” said UC San Diego Chancellor Pradeep K. Khosla. “It is an honor to be recognized three years in a row as the No. 1 university in the nation for our dedication to service, innovative research, and efforts to ensure accessibility and affordability for a diverse student body.”
Washington Monthly's editors noted that U.S. News & World Report's rankings tend to favor private universities, while their ratings "are far more hospitable to what sometimes seems like an endangered species: accessible, affordable, high-quality public universities.
"Six of our top 20 universities hail from the UC system, a testament to their commitment to enroll an economically diverse student body while supporting world-class research," Washington Monthly's editors said. "Tragically, the system has been rocked by budget cuts and price increases in recent years. We hope this trend is reversed before the UC campuses fade from prominence."
The rankings measure social mobility in terms of enrolling and graduating high numbers of low-income students. Cost was also factored in by the magazine this year, with colleges that are effective and inexpensive earning higher scores.
About 40 percent of UC undergraduates are from low-income families and receive Pell Grants, a greater proportion than at other top research universities.
UC campuses also ranked highly in the magazine's ratings for research production and the numbers of undergraduates who go on to earn doctoral degrees; UC also was recognized for its public service commitment, as reflected in efforts to encourage students to look beyond themselves and give something back to their communities.