Northern California university is one of best public colleges in US, new ranking says
You don’t have to travel far to attend one of the top colleges in the U.S.
UC Davis is the sixth-best public school in the nation, according to a new university ranking from U.S. News & World Report. Public institutions often offer reduced tuition rates to state residents because they’re typically funded through taxpayer dollars and grants.
“We are proud that UC Davis continues to be recognized as one of the top public research universities in the country,” said UC Davis Chancellor Gary May.
“This ranking validates the emphasis we place on academic excellence, opportunities for our students and a diverse student body that excels once they graduate,” he said in an emailed statement.
Only seven California State University campuses ranked in U.S. News & World Report’s list of best public schools including San Bernardino State (No. 91), San Francisco State (No. 96) and Fresno State (No. 101).
The annual ranking comes less than a week after CSU leaders voted to increase tuition. The cost of attending college will increase by 6% annually over the next five years, starting next year.
Top public schools in the U.S.
According to a news release, the U.S. News & World Report looked at diverse enrollment and graduate rates, social mobility, student debt and post-college success of more than 1,000 colleges.
This year’s ranking did not compare classroom size, facility education, alumni donations, high school rankings or the number of graduates using federal loans.
UC Berkeley and UC Los Angeles are tied for the No. 1 spot on the top 10 list of best public schools in the U.S., followed by University of Michigan Ann Arbor and University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
UC Davis is tied for sixth place with UC San Diego and the University of Florida, rising four places from last year’s list. The Sacramento-area college also ranked No. 28 among all U.S. universities, beating out UC Irvine, New York University and Virginia Tech.
Here’s a look at the 2023-24 tuition costs of the top nationally-ranked public schools, according to U.S. News & World Report. Costs vary slightly on university websites.
No. 1 | UC Berkeley
- In-state: $15,891 per year
- Out of state: $48,465 per year
No. 1 | UC Los Angeles
- In-state: $13,752 per year
- Out of state: $46,326 per year
No. 3 | University of Michigan Ann Arbor
- In-state: $17,786 per year
- Out of state: $57,273 per year
No. 4 | University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
- In-state: $8,998 per year
- Out of state: $39,338 per year
No. 5 | University of Virginia
- In-state: $22,323 per year
- Out of state: $58,950 per year
No. 6 | UC Davis
- In-state: $15,266 per year
- Out of state: $46,043 per year
No. 6 | UC San Diego
- In-state: $16,056 per year
- Out of state: $48,630 per year
No. 6 | University of Florida
- In-state: $6,381 per year
- Out of state: $28,658 per year
No. 9 | University of Texas at Austin
- In-state: $11,698 per year
- Out of state: $41,070 per year
No. 10 | Georgia Institute of Technology
- In-state: $11,764 per year
- Out of state: $32,876 per year
This story was originally published September 18, 2023 at 12:48 PM.
CORRECTION: A previous version of this story had UCLA’s in-state and out-of-state tuition swapped. The error has been corrected.