2025 Top Public Colleges & Universities | US News Rankings

Lost our #1 public school ranking. Who's running thr ship? Can't be #2 and then get relegated in football and still be considerd flagship.

yes, well we are a better football school.

UCLA Football has been really pathetic for an extended period of time.

But not a better branded one!

Cal Football is s far superior gameday experience. UCLA plays an hour away from campus. Just a plain weird atmosphere.

This is just one ranking and does not reflect graduate schools, which Berkeley is universally higher ranked.

westcoastdude said:

---

Cal Football is s far superior gameday experience. UCLA plays an hour away from campus. Just a plain weird atmosphere.

---

Tailgating at Brookside Golf Club is pretty good.

they chose some odd photos for Cal

e.g. the sproul rally had like 10 band members

Well Rich where you at guy

Also in all seriousness this does not matter on paper but if we make a playoff appearance or a run in March this **** would change REALLY quickly

Another thing, I bet cost comes into play here and housing is a pretty major issue the campus has not addressed at all for decades and that problem is creeping into these

Look the rankings are fun for bragging purposes and don't really have much merit other than broadly being able to gesture to whether a university is high-caliber or not. That being said, there is definitely real brand implications to where we land, in terms of application #s, yield %, etc. Maybe we do question how we have branded the university and why we are not universally considered head and shoulders above UCLA (which we are, IMO, save for medicine).

We all know UCLA is not Berkeley, academically or otherwise. I'm guessing UCLA is manipulating data some way that is beneficial to them. I taught in the L.A. area and the quality of student that applied to CAL is superior to that of those that applied to UCLA. Trust me, it wasn't even close. Plus, there are so many rankings, I'm sick of them.

This has been trending for awhile. Rankings are so variable as you mentioned. I am just so grateful I went to Cal and it will always be #1 in my mind. fUcla in every respect! Go Bears!

Who cares. We're a good school, they're a good school.

westcoastdude said:

---

2025 Top Public Colleges & Universities | US News Rankings

---

So, the 'Baby Bears' beat us?!

I live in LA. I'm never going to hear the end of this. An insult on top of being snubbed by the B1G. Hard to argue that we are (still) the flagship.

UCLA fans using all your reactions as fuel for their jokes:

Some Cal fans are having a tough time with the newest US News College Rankings pic.twitter.com/CK1beTXXq7

— Kosh (@KosherBruin) September 24, 2024

It's not the first time this happened on the USNWR ranking.

A baffling move by Cal's marketing dept.
https://www.reddit.com/r/berkeley/comments/1fo6jnr/why_would_berkeley_post_this/

I'm not having a tough time with rankings. I'm just speaking the truth as a result of my experience teaching AP courses in the L.A. area for many years. Plus, the same publication has Berkeley ranked #1 in the world for public universities and #5 overall in the world. Why would I have a tough time with the rankings now? UCLA lives in Berkeley's shadow. We know it and they do too.

I think most Cal folks can acknowledge that UCLA is a great school in its own right. UCLA offers 4 years guaranteed undergrad housing for those who want that (Cal only guarantees 1 year), their cafeterias / on campus dining are always top notch, and Westwood/LA offer that "California dreaming" experience.

In addition, despite the fact that their student body and ours are basically replicas of one another, there exists a perception that UCLA students are collaborative and Cal students are competitive. Not saying I believe those perceptions, just that they exist and so many high schoolers might believe UCLA is a better balance of academic + social than Berkeley. UCLA loses points for not having on-campus football, but honestly, given the state of their program right now, the games being played 25 miles away from campus is probably a good thing!

Because I don't feel like doing my actual job today, I decided to do a Google search of "best college or university rankings." While acknowledging that all rankings are flawed in some ways, here's how the 2 schools stacked up in the most recent years I could find:

Undergraduate-focused rankings (8 different rankings these days...overkill?):
- US News & World Report 2025 Best Colleges: Berkeley... No. 17 -vs- UCLA... No. 15
- Niche 2025 Best Colleges: Berkeley... No. 42 -vs- UCLA... No. 20
- Forbes 2025 Americas Top Colleges: Berkeley...No. 5 -vs- UCLA...No. 13
- Wall Street Journal/Pulse 2025 Top Colleges: Berkeley...No. 8 -vs- UCLA... No. 68
- Money Magazine 2024 Best Colleges: Berkeley... 5-stars -vs- UCLA... 5-stars
- Washington Monthly 2024 National University Ranking: Berkeley... No. 13 -vs- UCLA...No. 20
- Wallet Hub 2024 Best Colleges & Universities: Berkeley... No. 24 -vs- UCLA... No. 32
- College Consensus 2024 Best Colleges & Universities: Berkeley... No. 21 -vs- UCLA... No. 24

Overall University Rankings (6 different "global university" rankings... even more overkill?):
- QS World University Rankings 2025: Berkeley... No. 12 -vs- UCLA... No. 42
- Times Higher Education - World University Rankings 2024: Berkeley... No. 9 -vs- UCLA... No. 18
- Times Higher Education - World Reputation Rankings: Berkeley... No. 6 -vs- UCLA... No. 15
- US News & World Report 2025 Best Global Universities: Berkeley... No. 5 -vs- UCLA... No. 11
- ARWU: 2024 Academic Ranking of World Universities: Berkeley... No. 5 -vs- UCLA... No. 15
- CWUR: 2024 Center for World University Rankings: Berkeley... No. 12 -vs- UCLA... No. 17

I'm excited to see how Berkeley's overall "branding / marketing" improves under new Chancellor Rich Lyons. We make fun of UCLA for hanging the "No.1 Public University" banners all along Bruin Walk, but that's just smart marketing. Under Lyons, I'm hoping that our school can do a much better job marketing all the amazing things that happen at UC Berkeley.

LA media already on it:

https://www.cbsnews.com/losangeles/news/ucla-comes-out-as-top-public-university-in-the-nation-in-annual-rankings/

Cal88 said:

---

It's not the first time this happened on the USNWR ranking.

---

I cannot recall a time in the last 50+ years where we were ranked below the Southern Branch.

All this fretting is quite literally the point of these rankings. "Ooh, rival Y just passed school X for the first time! Ooh, school X is back on top now! Better tune in next year to see what happens!" It's like the goofy mascot races during the 7th inning stretch - contrived and transparently designed to draw eyeballs. But here you don't even get a Personal Pan Pizza(TM) when your guy wins!

Major universities' fundamental level of educational quality and prestige don't change over a few months. Nobody "jumped" anybody since 2023. But they can't very well put out the same list every year, can they?

southseasbear said:

---

I live in LA. I'm never going to hear the end of this. An insult on top of being snubbed by the B1G. Hard to argue that we are (still) the flagship.

---

To me, a reasonable response to Bragging Bruins would be to tell them to go **** themselves.

BearSwarm said:

---

All this fretting is quite literally the point of these rankings. "Ooh, rival Y just passed school X for the first time! Ooh, school X is back on top now! Better tune in next year to see what happens!" It's like the goofy mascot races during the 7th inning stretch - contrived and transparently designed to draw eyeballs. But here you don't even get a Personal Pan Pizza(TM) when your guy wins!

Major universities' fundamental level of educational quality and prestige don't change over a few months. Nobody "jumped" anybody since 2023. But they can't very well put out the same list every year, can they?

---

But this isn't overnight. UCLA has been catching up in the rankings for quite some time. Has been neck and neck with us recently and now ahead most likely due to some methodology changes. Well, just like in football, no excuses. Berkeley or Cal o n Al st whatever you want to call it, is not keeping up with the times.

Big C said:

---

southseasbear said:

---

I live in LA. I'm never going to hear the end of this. An insult on top of being snubbed by the B1G. Hard to argue that we are (still) the flagship.

---

To me, a reasonable response to Bragging Bruins would be to tell them to go **** themselves.

---

I used to say that on a bad day, where nothing seems to go right, I look in the mirror and tell myself no matter how bad things are it could be worse; I could have been born a Bruin!

These external rankings don't particularly bother me, but what does bug me is the evidence I see that UCLA is a significantly better run institution than UC Berkeley.

Example 1: When I took my kids for tours, UCLA was pretty darn clean. The sidewalks aren't cracked. Pauley Pavilion looks crisp and newly renovated. The halls on UCLA's campus are cleaner and don't feel as run down. I think Cal's campus has more areas of natural beauty than UCLA's, but we've got lawns that the maintenance crews just drive their trucks right over leaving messy tire treads that then become muddy eyesores once it rains. Meanwhile, the asphalt paving that exists in many parts of campus is cracked and/or broken from tree roots, or the maintenance crew just lays down a new asphalt patch that looks like crap next to the existing walkway. There's trash strewn along the banks of parts of Strawberry Creek and in the vegetation. We just don't do a great job of making the campus's physical plant look like it should. We look aged. UCLA looks new. I like "character" as much as anyone, but I'm not quite as jazzed about "decrepit."

Example 2: Try calling Cal admissions and it's <50% odds that a real live human will answer during business hours. If you do get an answer, it's <50% odds that the staffer will know how to direct the call. Try calling UCLA Admissions. Much cleaner operation. Goes back to those "Berkeley Bureaucracy" moments that many of us had as we walked the hallowed halls of this place. I'm citing Admissions in this example, but I would be surprised if other departments on Cal's campus are uber efficient.

Example 3: Dining. UCLA is consistently rated as having some of the finest on-campus dining in the nation. Cal Dining was not good when I was there 30-some-odd years ago, and while it might be better now, I don't see Cal students on Reddit raving about the incredible options. Why can't Cal just contract with the same vendor that runs Bruin Dining? I don't see it as a badge of merit that our students eat lousier food than UCLA's students.

I'd just like to see more "pride of ownership" in Cal's plant and in its operations. If UCLA can run a more efficient overall operation, why can't Cal? Maybe I'm giving UCLA too much credit, but that's my outsider's perspective looking at their campus and operations.

100% on #1. This is the one I realized walking through campus after the UC Davis game. Campus just looks run down. The wheeler steps look like they have t been washed since I went there in the late 90s.

New @usnews National University rankings are out! Here's what it would look like if you took just the FBS schools and used the rankings to seed the CFP. pic.twitter.com/tMLYV5QEku

— RedditCFB (@RedditCFB) September 25, 2024

I'm thinking Cal can get to the Final Four at least.

BearBoarBlarney said:

---

These external rankings don't particularly bother me, but what does bug me is the evidence I see that UCLA is a significantly better run institution than UC Berkeley.

Example 1: When I took my kids for tours, UCLA was pretty darn clean. The sidewalks aren't cracked. Pauley Pavilion looks crisp and newly renovated. The halls on UCLA's campus are cleaner and don't feel as run down. I think Cal's campus has more areas of natural beauty than UCLA's, but we've got lawns that the maintenance crews just drive their trucks right over leaving messy tire treads that then become muddy eyesores once it rains. Meanwhile, the asphalt paving that exists in many parts of campus is cracked and/or broken from tree roots, or the maintenance crew just lays down a new asphalt patch that looks like crap next to the existing walkway. There's trash strewn along the banks of parts of Strawberry Creek and in the vegetation. We just don't do a great job of making the campus's physical plant look like it should. We look aged. UCLA looks new. I like "character" as much as anyone, but I'm not quite as jazzed about "decrepit."

Example 2: Try calling Cal admissions and it's <50% odds that a real live human will answer during business hours. If you do get an answer, it's <50% odds that the staffer will know how to direct the call. Try calling UCLA Admissions. Much cleaner operation. Goes back to those "Berkeley Bureaucracy" moments that many of us had as we walked the hallowed halls of this place. I'm citing Admissions in this example, but I would be surprised if other departments on Cal's campus are uber efficient.

Example 3: Dining. UCLA is consistently rated as having some of the finest on-campus dining in the nation. Cal Dining was not good when I was there 30-some-odd years ago, and while it might be better now, I don't see Cal students on Reddit raving about the incredible options. Why can't Cal just contract with the same vendor that runs Bruin Dining? I don't see it as a badge of merit that our students eat lousier food than UCLA's students.

I'd just like to see more "pride of ownership" in Cal's plant and in its operations. If UCLA can run a more efficient overall operation, why can't Cal? Maybe I'm giving UCLA too much credit, but that's my outsider's perspective looking at their campus and operations.

---

Re: 1. I think we have not done a good job fundraising as a campus until very recently and are just catching up to modernizing the campus.

UCLA has a much better school spirit, thanks to its history of athletic success and better understanding of the marketing landscape.

Engineering for example is building a long overdue center over where the old library used to sit.

There is a huge data science/computing center currently being built in Northside that is going to be HUGE for bringing in a new class of young tech grads/future multimillionaire alum.

The new Letters and Science building is being built right now to prepare for the eventual demolition of Evans and modernization of the Glade area.

You can see a lot more here, but I believe in the next decade or so, UC Berkeley wll have a much more clean, modern look to it that will rival UCLA's.

I wonder if they consider smog/air quality in the rankings? Yes, Berkeley's sidewalks probably have a stronger urine smell, but still...

Great analysis by BearBoarBlarney.

Cal used to be considered one of the most beautiful campuses in the country. Now, in one recent poll, we are not even ranked in the top 10 in the State (or top 2 among UC campuses!):

https://www.ibtimes.com/most-beautiful-college-campuses-california-scenic-sanctuaries-learning-3725798

I think the ratings do matter. For years, we dominated the USNWR rankings but then have been slipping while Southern Branch has risen.

I think much of the country (including in particular the B1G) view that school in Westwood as the flagship now, with us as a branch. The Westwood school is ranked higher academically, is considered far more beautiful, receives more applications, has a lower acceptance rate, and is far better in athletics. I fear the B1G acted reasonably in letting Westwood be the California public school that was admitted to the conference. Other than Michigan State, which B1G schools are the second best public school in their state?

Seriously, what advantage does Cal offer over Westwood? Well, we're older and I guess we can euphemize our urine stained cracked walkways and stairways by saying our campus has "character."

This is Carol Christ's legacy: she was in charge as we slipped into mediocrity. Her satisfaction with Knowlton and Wilcox are symptomatic of the problem. This is why I no longer donate to alma mater.

southseasbear said:

---

Great analysis by BearBoarBlarney.

Cal used to be considered one of the most beautiful campuses in the country. Now, in one recent poll, we are not even ranked in the top 10 in the State (or top 2 among UC campuses!):

https://www.ibtimes.com/most-beautiful-college-campuses-california-scenic-sanctuaries-learning-3725798

I think the ratings do matter. For years, we dominated the USNWR rankings but then have been slipping while Southern Branch has risen.

I think much of the country (including in particular the B1G) view that school in Westwood as the flagship now, with us as a branch. The Westwood school is ranked higher academically, is considered far more beautiful, receives more applications, has a lower acceptance rate, and is far better in athletics. I fear the B1G acted reasonably in letting Westwood be the California public school that was admitted to the conference. Other than Michigan State, which B1G schools are the second best public school in their state?

---

UCLA.

Econ141 said:

---

BearSwarm said:

---

All this fretting is quite literally the point of these rankings. "Ooh, rival Y just passed school X for the first time! Ooh, school X is back on top now! Better tune in next year to see what happens!" It's like the goofy mascot races during the 7th inning stretch - contrived and transparently designed to draw eyeballs. But here you don't even get a Personal Pan Pizza(TM) when your guy wins!

Major universities' fundamental level of educational quality and prestige don't change over a few months. Nobody "jumped" anybody since 2023. But they can't very well put out the same list every year, can they?

---

But this isn't overnight. UCLA has been catching up in the rankings for quite some time. Has been neck and neck with us recently and now ahead most likely due to some methodology changes. Well, just like in football, no excuses. Berkeley or Cal o n Al st whatever you want to call it, is not keeping up with the times.

---

Out of curiosity, what is it about the methodology of "U.S. News," a weird airport paper that nobody reads outside these rankings, that made you accept its rankings as the accurate barometer of university quality rather than the dozen or so other rankings?