University of California campuses stand among the best in the nation, according to the inaugural list of the top American universities by QS World University Rankings.
QS’s Top Universities in the US 2020, placed two UC campuses among the nation’s top ten and five UC campuses in the top 50. UC Berkeley ranked nationally as the No. 1 public and fourth-best university overall, while UCLA tied Yale for 6th place overall. UC San Diego placed 26th, UC Davis 28th and UC Irvine 41st.
The 2020 rankings were published in late May by Quacquarelli Symonds (QS), a global higher education research company based in the United Kingdom that specializes in the analysis of higher education institutions around the world. The new ranking evaluated 302 research universities in 49 states, marking the company’s first listing of America’s top four-year colleges.
“UC San Diego consistently receives high marks in national rankings for the exceptional talents of our faculty and researchers, the wide breadth of their impactful research, and for our commitment to expand educational opportunity and academic success for students from underserved communities,” said Chancellor Pradeep K. Khosla. “Our billion-dollar research enterprise imparts a service-oriented, global outlook into all of our research and teaching. This approach promises greater social mobility for our students, graduates and their communities."
The QS analysis looked at 17 metrics in four broad groupings: diversity and internationalization, learning experience, employability of graduates and impact of research. The methodology considers factors such as alumni outcomes, academic reputation and retention rate, as well as efforts toward supporting the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.
