Reputation and Rankings
Reputation
As one of the leading public research universities in the United States, UC Davis gets high marks by others for our emphasis on public service and a sustainable conscience. This is a university where international scholars are welcome, excellence is emphasized in both teaching and research, and students get good value for their dollar.
Overall reputation
- 7th among public universities and 27th among public and private universities ((The Best Colleges' Top 50 Colleges and Universities in America 2011-12)
- 8th among public research universities nationwide and 38th among public and private research universities (U.S. News & World Report’s 2013 “America’s Best Colleges”)
- 15th in research funding among U.S. ranked public universities and 22nd for public and private universities (National Science Foundation 2010 R&D Expenditures)
- 32nd among the nation's research universities and 46th among the world's research universities (2012 Academic Ranking of World Universities by the Center for World-Class Universities of Shanghai Jiao Tong University).
- 46th overall among the world's universities, 25th for life sciences and 48th in engineering and technology (The World University Rankings 2012-13 by Times Higher Education)
Specific distinctions
- 1st among 96 of “America’s Coolest Schools” 2012, Sierra magazine's sixth annual ranking of the greenest universities (a publication of the Sierra Club)
- 1st among 9,370 academic institutions in number of undergraduate degrees for minority students in the biological/biomedical and agricultural sciences; among the top 5 for number of master’s degrees for minority students in the biological/biomedical programs (“Top 100 Producers of Minority Degrees 2011,” Diverse Issues in Higher Education)
- 5th among U.S. universities in the number of international scholars (“Open Doors 2010 Report on International Educational Exchange” by the Institute of International Education)
- 7th among the 20th Best Colleges for Socially Conscious Students (2012)
- 8th among U.S. universities based on our contributions to society (student social mobility, research and service) (Washington Monthly 2011)
- Among the top 10 most beautiful botanical gardens across the U.S. (Stylelist Home)
- Among the top 10 centers for biomedical research (The Hartwell Foundation)
- Among the top 10 out of 400 medical centers for service excellence in the U.S. (American Alliance of Healthcare Providers)
- 10th world's most entrepreneurial university (YouNoodle 2008)
- 10th happiest U.S. college campus (NewsWeek College Rankings 2011)
- 11th greenest U.S. college campus (NewsWeek College Rankings 2011)
- 17th public research universities for graduation rates over six years at 82.3 percent and 30th over four years at 51.2 percent (Chronicle of Higher Education College Completion 2010)
- 19th best U.S. school for computer geeks (NewsWeek College Rankings 2011)
- 23rd best U.S. school for weather (NewsWeek College Rankings 2011)
- Among the top 24 most racially and ethnically diverse large national research universities (U.S. News & World Report 2011)
- Among the top 50 hospitals for medical specialties in the U.S., ranking #39 for cancer and #46 for orthopedics in 2011-12 (U.S. News & World Report, UC Davis news release)
- Among top 65 hospitals and top 53 urban hospitals in the nation by the Leapfrog Group for performance in crucial areas of patient safety and quality, including mortality rates for certain common procedures, infection rates, safety practices and measures of efficiency
- On the 2012 President's Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll
- Among the 2012 Disability Friendly Colleges that go above and beyond ADA
- Included in "The Princeton Review's Guide to 322 Green Colleges: 2012 Edition"
Faculty research excellence
UC Davis faculty excellence is directly related to its research productivity as measured by the number of citations and publications in peer-reviewed journals. According to ScienceWatch.com, a site maintained by Thomson Reuters, this campus consistently places top among its peer universities and among international research organizations with significantly larger budgets whose missions are limited to research.
- 1st among national universities for the number of papers published in environment/ecology 2005-09 (ScienceWatch)
- 1st among national universities for the number of papers in peer-reviewed journals in agricultural sciences (ScienceWatch)
- 1st among national universities for the number of papers in peer-reviewed journals in food science and technology (ScienceWatch)
- 1st among national universities for the number of citations in peer-reviewed journals in plant and animal sciences (ScienceWatch)
- 1st among national universities for the number of papers in peer-reviewed journals in soil sciences (ScienceWatch)
- 1st among national universities for the number of papers in peer-reviewed journals in veterinary sciences (ScienceWatch)
- 3rd among global organizations for the number of citations in peer-reviewed journals in plant and animal sciences — surpassed only by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the INRA, the national research organization of France (ScienceWatch)
- 3rd among national universities for the number of citations per paper in peer-reviewed journals in social psychology (2005-09) (ScienceWatch)
- 7th among international institutions for number of citations in peer-reviewed journals in the field of oil spills (ScienceWatch)
