California is home to some of the country’s most prestigious universities, from Stanford to Caltech. But now, Los Angeles can officially claim one of the nation’s top public universities: UCLA has returned to the No. 1 spot in U.S. News & World Report’s 2027 Best Colleges rankings.
The recognition comes after UCLA spent the previous year at No. 2 among public universities, behind Berkeley. The school had previously held the No. 1 position for eight consecutive years.
What makes UCLA the nation’s top public university?
U.S. News evaluates universities using a combination of measures focused on academic quality and student outcomes. The methodology considers graduation and retention rates, social mobility, graduate earnings, faculty resources, research impact and academic reputation, among other factors.
For the 2027 rankings, UCLA placed No. 20 among all National Universities, including both public and private institutions. It also tied with Berkeley for No. 1 among public universities, while four other UC campuses landed in the top 10.
The numbers behind UCLA’s ranking help explain its position. Founded in 1919, the university has 33,534 undergraduate students, a 419-acre campus and a 20:1 student-faculty ratio. Its four-year graduation rate is 86%, while 47% of its classes have fewer than 20 students.
UCLA also performed particularly well in measures related to access and student success. U.S. News ranked it highest in social mobility among the nation’s top 25 universities. Nearly one-third of UCLA undergraduates are first-generation college students, and a similar share receive federal Pell Grants. The university’s six-year graduation rate exceeds 90%.
Academically, UCLA’s largest undergraduate fields include:
- Social sciences (25%).
- Biological and biomedical sciences (16%).
- Psychology (11%).
- Mathematics and statistics (8%).
- Engineering (7%).
Reported alumni starting salaries range from about $55,070 for social sciences graduates to $97,069 for engineering graduates.
The university also ranked among the top public schools for military veterans and placed several undergraduate programs, including psychology, economics, computer science, engineering and teaching, among the top 10 nationally.
