UC Berkeley has been named the top public college in the United States by the Wall Street Journal and College Pulse for the second consecutive year. The ranking, released on September 29, 2025, follows a similar distinction from U.S. News & World Report’s 2026 Best Colleges list, which also placed Berkeley as the leading public school in the country.

The Wall Street Journal’s methodology focuses on financial and career outcomes for graduates. It prioritizes the impact of a college on graduate salaries compared to what students might earn from attending college generally. Other factors include graduation rates, diversity, and survey responses from 120,000 students and recent alumni regarding teaching quality and student satisfaction.

“Today’s ranking in the Wall Street Journal confirms Berkeley’s role as an extraordinary engine of economic mobility for many thousands of students every year,” said Chancellor Rich Lyons. “Over the course of the last decade, the estimated return on a Berkeley student’s investment jumped by 30%, from $255,000 to $331,000. That, combined with our world-class research enterprise, is just part of what makes Berkeley one of society’s greatest assets.”

Other University of California campuses also performed well in this year’s report. UC Davis was ranked No. 2 and UC Merced No. 3 among public schools nationwide. In overall rankings that included both public and private institutions, Berkeley was listed as No. 7 nationally; Stanford University held the top spot, followed by Babson College at No. 2 and Yale University at No. 3.

These recognitions add to a series of recent honors for UC Berkeley highlighting its academic reputation and entrepreneurial success. Earlier this month, PitchBook recognized Berkeley as No. 1 globally for producing undergraduate alumni who founded venture-backed companies for three consecutive years (https://pitchbook.com/news/articles/top-universities-venture-capital-2024). In April, U.S. News ranked nine of Berkeley's professional schools and doctoral programs best in their fields out of fifty measured programs (https://www.usnews.com/best-graduate-schools). Thirty-two other programs were placed in the top five.

Additionally, Forbes’ America’s Top Colleges list and U.S. News Best Global Universities rankings have both named UC Berkeley as the highest-ranked public university in the nation (https://www.forbes.com/top-colleges/).