University of California secures top spots in 2024-25 U.S. News Best Colleges rankings

UCLA and UC Berkeley are the top public universities in the nation, with 7 University of California campuses in the top 30 and all nine campuses in the top 45 according to the 2024-25 Best Colleges rankings, published today by U.S. News & World Report.

UC’s nine undergraduate campuses also ranked in the top 85 universities nationwide, public or private, among the nearly 1,500 four-year bachelor’s degree-granting institutions assessed by U.S. News.

U.S. News 2024-25 Best Colleges rankings by campus

It’s the fifth year in a row that all nine University of California undergraduate campuses have placed in the top 100 of all universities nationwide, with UCLA and UC Berkeley leading the pack.

“I’m very pleased to see University of California campuses continuously recognized among the nation’s very best,” said UC President Michael V. Drake, M.D. “All of our campuses offer students a phenomenal education — one that brings together the highest quality teaching with unparalleled research opportunities in an environment of inclusive excellence. We can all feel proud of the University’s work to ensure access to an affordable, life-changing education for our students.”

UCLA has now been the top public university in the country in the Best Colleges rankings (often tied with UC Berkeley) for 8 years in a row.

“This achievement is a testament to the hard work, dedication, resilience and ingenuity of UCLA’s students, faculty, staff and alumni,” UCLA Interim Chancellor Darnell Hunt said. “With our firm commitment to inclusive excellence, UCLA is continuing to redefine what it means to be a great public institution.”

The UC system’s youngest campus, UC Merced, continues to quickly climb the rankings, moving up two spots in the public rankings to No. 26 and landing at No. 58 among all universities in the nation. Founded in 2005, UC Merced is younger than many of its students.

In addition to its excellence in the public and overall rankings, UC earned high marks in the Top Performers on Social Mobility rankings, which reflect how well a university helps its lower-income students earn degrees that move them into financially successful futures.

On that measure, UC Riverside earned the No. 1 spot in the country. Eight UC campuses total made the top 30, with UC Merced third, UC Irvine ninth, UC Santa Barbara No. 20, UC Santa Cruz No. 22, UC Davis No. 26 and UCLA and UC San Diego tied for No. 28. UC Berkeley ranked No. 70 among the 433 public and private schools included on this list.

UC also performed exceptionally well on the Best Colleges for Veterans list, with UCLA ranked No. 4 (the top public university for veterans) and UC Berkeley ranked No. 5; UC San Diego ranked No. 12; UC Davis and UC Irvine tied for No. 16; and UC Santa Barbara ranked No. 20. UC Riverside ranked No. 45 and UC Santa Cruz No. 52.

Now in its 40th year, the U.S. News Best Colleges rankings are published on an annual basis to provide prospective students and their families with the comparative merits of the undergraduate programs at America’s colleges and universities. Last year, U.S. News updated its methodology for its overall rankings to give more weight to measurements such as social mobility, graduation rates, manageable debt and post-graduate success. More than half of a school's rank is now comprised of varying outcome measures related to schools' success at enrolling, retaining and graduating students from different backgrounds with manageable debt and post-graduate success. Other factors include peer assessment, financial resources per student, faculty salaries and citations, and more. (Read more about the Best Colleges methodology here).

Across many ranking methodologies, the UC system retains its reputation for world-class excellence and student opportunity and affordability.

Most recently, UC topped Forbes and Wall Street Journal rankings as America’s best university system and one that sets its students up for future financial success. For more information and to apply, please visit admission.universityofcalifornia.edu. The application for Fall 2025 closes Dec. 2, 2025. This year, the University of California admitted its largest and most diverse class in history.

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UC Berkeley: ‘U.S. News’ ranks UC Berkeley No. 2 public school in the country
UC Davis: UC Davis in Top 10 of nation’s public universities for 4th year
UC Irvine: UC Irvine is ranked among nation’s top 10 public universities for 10th year in a row
UCLA: Again and again: UCLA is the nation’s No. 1 public university for the 8th year in a row
UC Merced: U.S. News places UC Merced among Top 30 public schools following top social mobility ranking by Wall Street Journal
UC Riverside: Back on top: U.S. News names UC Riverside No. 1 for social mobility
UC San Diego: UC San Diego named nation’s 6th best public university by U.S. News & World Report
UC Santa Cruz: UC Santa Cruz recognized for excellence in undergraduate teaching, social mobility in latest U.S. News & World Report rankings