University of California campuses top two new rankings

The Wall Street Journal and Forbes magazine agree: the nine campuses of the University of California are among the best in the country.

In a ranking released this week by the Wall Street Journal in partnership with College Pulse and Statista, all nine of UCLA’s undergraduate campuses made the list of the 2025 best colleges in the U.S. The assessment focused on how well the schools prepare their graduates for future financial success.

Wall Street Journal Rankings 2024-25 by Campus

Wall Street Journal Rankings 2024-25
Campus	Public	All universities	Social mobility	Best Value
University of California, Berkeley	1	8	93	31
University of California, Davis	3	12	32	49
University of California, Merced	5	18	1	78
University of California, San Diego	12	30	41	27
University of California, Irvine	13	31	24	20
University of California, Los Angeles	26	68	108	38
University of California, Riverside	45	108	12	81
University of California, Santa Barbara	67	179	96	64
University of California, Santa Cruz	102	253	101	137

Among public universities, three UC campuses ranked in the top five, with UC Berkeley taking first place, followed by UC Davis in third and UC Merced in fifth. Six campuses — UC Berkeley, UC Davis, UC Merced, UC San Diego, UC Irvine and UCLA — ranked in the top 100 schools nationally, public or private.

“We look at how much a school improves students’ chances of graduating and their future earnings, balancing those results with students’ opinions about college life,” the Wall Street Journal editors said. “Public schools rank high among those that climbed in the rankings this year.”

UC Riverside was ranked 12th in the nation for social mobility by the Wall Street Journal. In terms of graduation rate, UC Riverside scored 98 out of a possible 100. Source: Elena Zhukova/University of California

UC campuses also earned Wall Street rankings for best value and social mobility, and UC Merced was named the nation’s No. 1 university for helping students advance socially.

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

The Wall Street Journal/Pulse rankings used a weighted score to evaluate, with student outcomes accounting for 70 percent of the score, including alumni salaries, years of net price repayment and graduation rates. The on-campus learning environment, based in part on student surveys, accounted for 20 percent, and diversity accounted for the final 10 percent.