UC Berkeley has been recognized as the top public university in the United States by U.S. News & World Report, according to rankings released on September 22, 2025. This marks the 16th time in two decades that UC Berkeley has received this distinction from the publication.

Chancellor Rich Lyons commented on the ranking, stating, “We are honored to once again be recognized as the nation’s top public university. The data affirm all that Berkeley does as a powerful engine of economic mobility, and provider of affordable world-class education, accessible to all. We are proud of our pioneering research on society’s top challenges, shaping solutions that directly support our economy and the health, well-being and security of the American people.”

The U.S. News Best Colleges rankings evaluated more than 1,700 colleges and universities across the country using up to 17 factors such as graduation rates, peer assessment, financial resources per student, and social mobility. While undergraduate programs are primarily assessed, graduate education and research also contribute to each institution's overall evaluation.

Berkeley achieved first place among all ranked colleges for its data analytics/science programs and for its civil engineering and electrical/electronic/communications engineering programs—both moving up from second place last year. In total, UC Berkeley placed in the top five in 23 out of 43 ranked categories including undergraduate economics programs, artificial intelligence, theory, and best colleges for veterans.

Graduate programs at UC Berkeley also continue to perform strongly in annual assessments by U.S. News. Of 50 graduate programs ranked last April, nine were rated number one—including English, psychology, and computer engineering—and thirty-two placed within the top five nationally.

Following UC Berkeley in this year’s list of public universities are UCLA (second), University of Michigan-Ann Arbor (third), with University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill and University of Virginia tied for fourth place. Among all national universities—public and private—Berkeley tied with Columbia University for fifteenth place.

In addition to its performance in U.S. News rankings, UC Berkeley has recently been acknowledged as a leading institution by other organizations. Forbes’ America’s Top Colleges ranking and U.S. News’ Best Global Universities have both named it the nation’s top public university. According to QS World University Rankings 2026 it is also recognized as North America’s leading public university; earlier this month PitchBook reported that UC Berkeley leads globally in producing startups founded by undergraduate alumni.