The University of California, Davis, continues to earn high marks as the nation’s No. 5 public university in the Wall Street Journal/Times Higher Education College Ranking released today (Sept. 4).

The campus, ranked fifth among public institutions last year, climbed five spots to No. 36 overall among 801 institutions. The campus stands third among UC campuses and seventh among private and public universities in California.

The rankings highlight campus strengths — including the diversity of its students and the successful outcomes of a UC Davis education — and underscore recognition in a wide variety of other recent rankings.

“UC Davis offers a world-class education, and helps students flourish after they graduate,” said Chancellor Gary S. May. “This ranking shows that we are succeeding in doing what we are most proud of: preparing our students well to enter the workforce and contribute to solving global problems and addressing societal needs.”

UC Davis shone in the category for student outcomes including graduation rates, graduate salaries, debt after graduation and academic reputation. For the first time, the tallies for graduation rates included transfer students. UC Davis is a leader in educating transfer students, and about one in four of its undergraduates starts as a transfer student, with most coming from a California community college.

The campus also scored highly for the diversity of its student body, which included measures for first-generation college goers and Pell Grant recipients. Among UC Davis undergraduates, 42 percent would be in the first generation of their family to earn a degree from a four-year university and more than 36 percent receive Pell Grants.  

Other recent rankings have put a spotlight on UC Davis for its academic reputation, affordability, student success and the quality of care provided by the UC Davis Medical Center:  

• UC Davis ranked second among the top universities in the nation on a list of Affordable Elite Colleges put out by Washington Monthly magazine in its September/October issue. The campus also ranked No. 11 among public and private universities in the national university rankings, came in at No. 3 among public universities and was the third-ranked university in California. 
• Last month, Money Magazine placed UC Davis fourth among public universities and fifth overall among 744 schools ranked using 26 factors in quality of education, affordability and outcomes. 
• In July, U.S. News & World Report ranked the UC Davis Medical Center No. 1 in Sacramento and No. 6 in California. It is also ranked among the nation’s top 50 hospitals in 10 adult medical specialties.