After years of sitting comfortably atop the rankings of America’s best public universities, University of California, Los Angeles has again been bumped from its throne — but the crown remains in the Golden State.
University of California, Berkeley swooped in for the second year in a row to claim the No. 1 spot, in another blow to UCLA’s long-running dominance, according to U.S. News & World Report.
UCLA came in second after sitting in the top spot from 2018–2025.
UCLA has officially been bumped from its throne as America’s best public university. Corbis via Getty ImagesIt wasn’t the only shake-up for California schools on the list.
UC San Diego and UC Davis also cracked the top 10, landing at No. 6 and No. 10, respectively.
Despite UCLA’s slip, the school’s stats are still impressive.
California’s college rivalry just got a lot more intense. JOHN G MABANGLO/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock
Metrics like graduation rates, faculty resources and student outcomes all factor into the final score. APThe college boasts a highly competitive acceptance rate hovering around 9%, meaning fewer than one in 10 applicants get accepted. That’s even better than UC Berkeley’s acceptance rate of 11%.
The four-year graduation rate at UCLA is 85%, and six years after graduation, the median salary for its graduates is $59,063.
In comparison, UC Berkeley has a four-year graduation rate of 80%, with a higher median salary of $74,919 six years after graduation.
UC Berkeley achieved a national ranking of No. 15, sharing the spot with Columbia University (New York). Similarly, UCLA tied for the No. 17 ranking with both Rice University (Houston) and Vanderbilt University (Nashville).
Top 10 Public Universities (Including ties): UC Berkeley, UCLA, University of Michigan—Ann Arbor, University of North Carolina—Chapel Hill (Tied for 4th), University of Virginia (Tied for 4th), UC San Diego, University of Florida (Tied for 7th), University of Texas—Austin (Tied for 7th), Georgia Institute of Technology (Tied for 9th), UC Davis (Tied for 9th), UC Irvine (Tied for 9th).
Metrics like graduation rates, faculty resources and student outcomes all factor into the final rankings.
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