UC Office of the President
Five UC campuses are among the Top Universities by Reputation for 2012, according to a survey conducted by the Times Higher Education World University Rankings.
UC Berkeley was rated fifth, UCLA ninth, UC San Francisco 31st, UC San Diego 36th and UC Davis 44th in rankings released Wednesday (March 14).
Times Higher Education surveyed more than 17,500 academics from around the world to create its reputation rankings. The survey, now in its second year, is an offshoot of the annual World University Rankings that are released in the fall.
Universities making the reputation rankings are "super brands" and in many cases household names, according to a Times Higher Education analysis of the survey.
In general, the rankings of UC campuses and other public universities dipped slightly from last year — though UCLA jumped up three spots — due in part to publicity surrounding state budget cuts, the analysis said.
UC Berkeley continues to be an elite university, "because beyond the high caliber of its faculty and students, the institution's research and education enterprises are characterized by an extraordinary degree of quality, breadth and depth," Claire Holmes, the campus's associate vice chancellor for public affairs, said in the analysis.
Like all UC campuses, Berkeley attracts "an incredibly diverse array of socially conscious individuals who seek to make the world a better place," Holmes said. "The campus remains an essential gateway to the American dream for individuals from underprivileged backgrounds."
See the full rankings at the Times Higher Education World University Rankings site.