The University of California has been named the top public university system in the United States, according to Forbes’ 2026 “America’s Top Colleges” rankings released on August 28. The ranking placed UC Berkeley, UCLA, and UC San Diego in the first, second, and third spots among public universities nationwide.
Forbes’ methodology focuses on return on investment by evaluating factors such as alumni salary, student debt, graduation rates, and academic performance. Eight UC campuses were listed among Forbes’ top 30 public universities. Six UC campuses were also ranked within the top 50 schools nationally across both public and private institutions.
The rankings are consistent with recent findings from a poll by the nonpartisan Institute of Governmental Studies (IGS), which showed that most Californians believe the UC system helps students advance. According to the IGS poll released August 28, 70 percent of respondents would recommend a UC school to a friend or relative. Among UC graduates surveyed, 76 percent agreed that attending was worth its cost.
“As public universities brace for the impact of slashed research funding and future enrollment declines, they’re still doing the bulk of the work of educating America’s students, and doing it at a lower price than their private counterparts,” Forbes editors wrote. They referenced a 2024 estimate from the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center indicating that public schools educate more than twice as many students as private four-year colleges (https://nscresearchcenter.org/). The editors added that the top 25 public schools “give private elites a run for their money,” noting that UC Berkeley outranked Harvard, Yale and Penn.
Among specific achievements highlighted by Forbes: UC Berkeley offers graduates the highest median salary among the top 25 public universities; UCLA receives more applications than any other school in the country; UC Irvine and UC San Diego have some of the largest enrollments of Pell Grant recipients among leading publics; UC Santa Barbara also enrolls many Pell Grant recipients; and UC Davis graduates have some of the lowest median student debt among Forbes’ top-ranked publics.
Forbes uses seven criteria in its evaluation: alumni salary (20 percent); student debt (15 percent); graduation rate (15 percent), including success rates for Pell Grant recipients; presence of alumni on prominent leadership lists such as Nobel laureates or Guggenheim fellows (15 percent); return on investment metrics (15 percent); retention rate (10 percent); and academic success indicators such as prestigious scholarships or Ph.D. pursuit (10 percent).
These results align with previous assessments from Money magazine, Princeton Review, and U.S. News & World Report regarding academic strength and value for University of California alumni.
The University of California continues to be recognized for excellence in undergraduate education, graduate research, social mobility initiatives, and producing influential scientists. More information about its impact is available at https://universityofcalifornia.edu/.
“UC Berkeley provides the highest median salary of the top 25 publics;
UCLA received the most applications in the nation;
UC Irvine and UC San Diego enroll the most Pell Grant recipients among the top 25, with 37 percent and 33 percent of undergraduates receiving these grants for lower-income students, respectively;
UC Santa Barbara also enrolls a significant number of Pell Grant recipients, at 28 percent; and
UC Davis graduates students with a median of $11,000 in debt, the lowest of Forbes’ top 25 public colleges.”
