The University of California San Diego has been named the top public university in the nation by Washington Monthly, which cited the institution’s contributions to social mobility, research and public service.
UC San Diego has been the no. 1 public college in the ranking nine times in the past 10 years.
The campus was named seventh in the nation on the complete list, which includes both private and public universities. Four other universities in California were among the top 10 public institutions: UC Davis, UCLA, UC Irvine and UC Berkeley.
The widely-followed ranking, released Monday, is based on recruitment and graduation of low-income students; production of cutting-edge research; the number of undergraduates who go on to earn a doctorate degree; and the success in instilling the importance of service to the community and country.
“While I’m extremely proud of UC San Diego’s success in numerous national and international rankings, being ranked first in the country for contributions to social mobility, research and public service speaks to our collective efforts as educators,” said Chancellor Pradeep K. Khosla. “Washington Monthly’s ranking exemplifies our very vision to be the nation’s leading student-centered, research-focused, service-oriented public university.”
UC San Diego consistently performs well in social mobility rankings. This fall the university will welcome an incoming class of students of which more than one-third of first-year and nearly half of all transfers will be the first in their family to attend college.