UC Irvine Is Ranked 32nd - its Highest Ever - Among Nation's Universities by U.S. News

Campus also rates among country’s top 10 public universities for 11th year in a row

UC Irvine was additionally lauded for social mobility, several undergraduate programs and its support of veteran students. Steve Zylius / UC Irvine

Sept. 23, 2025 - The University of California, Irvine has been ranked 32nd among all U.S. universities – its highest placement ever – in U.S. News & World Report’s 2025-26 list of “Best Colleges.” The campus is also rated ninth among the nation’s public universities, making it an impressive 11 consecutive years in which UC Irvine has placed in the top 10.

In addition, UC Irvine once again ranked No. 13 overall in the subcategory of social mobility, which appraises institutions that enroll and graduate large proportions of students awarded federal Pell Grants – given to undergraduates who display exceptional financial need. Historically, the campus is among the best in the U.S. for the graduation rate of its Pell Grant recipients.

UC Irvine was also lauded for supporting its students who served in the military, placing 16th nationally for best college for veterans.

U.S. News & World Report evaluated several undergraduate programs too. Overall, UC Irvine came in:

  • 25th for computer science
  • 26th for psychology
  • 28th for nursing
  • 32nd for business
  • 35th for engineering
  • 39th for economics

The U.S. News & World Report rankings – now in their 41st year – assess the country’s bachelor’s degree-granting institutions on more than a dozen measures of academic quality. Available online at www.usnews.com/colleges, these results come on the heels of UC Irvine achieving remarkable rankings by other respected journals. For more about these, see https://uci.edu/about/rankings.php.

– Tom Vasich / UCI Communications

Share

  • X