University of California campuses rise to the top in two new rankings

The Wall Street Journal and Forbes magazine both agree: The University of California’s nine undergraduate campuses are among the best in the nation.

In a ranking released this week by the Wall Street Journal in partnership with College Pulse and Statista, all nine UC undergraduate campuses were named among its 2025 Best Colleges in the U.S., an assessment that focused on how well colleges set up their graduates for future financial success.

2024-25 Wall Street Journal rankings by campus

Among public universities, three UC campuses placed in the top 5, with UC Berkeley at No. 1, followed closely by UC Davis at No. 3 and UC Merced at No. 5.  And six campuses —UC Berkeley, UC Davis, UC Merced, UC San Diego, UC Irvine and UCLA — were among the top 100 schools in the country, either public or private.

“We look at how much a school improves students’ chances of graduating and their future earnings, balancing these outcomes with feedback from students on college life,” Wall Street Journal editors said. “Public schools are prominent among those that climbed the ranking this year.”

UC campuses also stood out in the Wall Street rankings for Best Value and Social Mobility, with UC Merced being named the No. 1 university in the country for helping its students move up the economic ladder.

“At UC Merced, we routinely say that we don’t do what we do for rankings, but when you excel others will always take notice,” said Chancellor Juan Sánchez Muñoz. “We hope this recent acknowledgment will be yet another opportunity for people to learn about the exceptional culture of student success that has taken root at UC Merced. Year after year, we are delivering on our promise of access, excellence, and opportunity for the students who choose to attend UC Merced.”

The Wall Street Journal/Pulse ranking used a weighted score to make its assessment, with student outcomes accounting for 70 percent of the score, including graduates’ salaries, years to pay off the net price, and graduation rates. The campus learning environment, based in part on student surveys, accounted for 20 percent, and diversity accounted for the final 10 percent.

Forbes also just released its America’s Top Colleges list for 2024-25, highlighting the 500 schools that it considers the cream of the crop for producing successful, high-earning and influential graduates from all economic backgrounds, who graduate with less student debt.

All nine UC undergraduate campuses were showcased, with UC Berkeley, UCLA, UC San Diego, UC Santa Barbara, UC Irvine, and UC Davis among the top 50 schools in the nation, either public or private.

The methodology for the Forbes America’s Top Colleges list evaluated data from the federal Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System and the College Scorecard; the Seattle-based software and data company Payscale, which tracks graduates’ earnings; the public policy think tank Third Way; the National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics; and various Forbes lists.

Twenty percent of a university’s score was based on its graduates’ salaries; 15 percent on graduates’ debt; 15 percent on graduation rate; 15 percent on return on investment; 10 percent on student retention; 10 percent on academic success, and 15 percent on the number of alumni who have won major prizes in their fields, been elected or appointed to high level government positions, or been featured in Forbes various prestige lists, including Forbes 30 Under 30; Forbes 400; Richest Self-Made Women and Most Powerful Women.

UC Merced’s Sam Yniguez contributed to this report, as did J.D. Warren of UC Riverside.