UC Berkeley has been named the top public college in the United States by the Wall Street Journal and College Pulse for the second consecutive year. The rankings, released on Monday, assess colleges based on factors such as graduate salaries, graduation rates, diversity, and student satisfaction. A survey of 120,000 students and recent alumni contributed to measuring teaching quality and overall student experience.
The Wall Street Journal’s methodology places particular emphasis on how much a college increases its graduates’ earning potential compared to what they might have earned without attending that institution. Other considerations include graduation rates and campus diversity.
“Today’s ranking in the Wall Street Journal confirms Berkeley’s role as an extraordinary engine of economic mobility for many thousands of students every year,” said Chancellor Rich Lyons. “Over the course of the last decade, the estimated return on a Berkeley student’s investment jumped by 30%, from $255,000 to $331,000. That, combined with our world-class research enterprise, is just part of what makes Berkeley one of society’s greatest assets.”
Other University of California campuses also performed well in this year’s report: UC Davis and UC Merced were ranked as the No. 2 and No. 3 public schools in the nation. In overall rankings that include both public and private institutions, UC Berkeley placed seventh nationally; Stanford University was ranked first overall.
This recognition comes after U.S. News & World Report also named UC Berkeley as the leading public school in its 2026 Best Colleges list released last week.
In addition to these honors, PitchBook recently ranked UC Berkeley first globally for producing undergraduate alumni who have founded venture-backed companies—marking three consecutive years at the top for entrepreneurial output among universities worldwide.
Earlier this year, U.S. News ranked nine professional schools and doctoral programs at UC Berkeley as best in their fields out of 50 measured nationwide; thirty-two programs were placed within their respective top five.
Berkeley has also been recognized as the top public university in America by Forbes’ Top Colleges list and by U.S. News Best Global Universities rankings.
