The University of California, Davis, was named the nation’s No. 8 public university in rankings released today by U.S. News & World Report.

UC Davis rose a spot in the magazine’s 2013 “Best Colleges” rankings, up from No. 9 a year ago.

“UC Davis’ reputation continues to grow as one of the nation’s elite public universities, where innovative research is addressing the world’s most critical issues and students are equipped for productive, meaningful lives,” said Chancellor Linda P.B. Katehi. “This honor attests to our outstanding faculty, students and staff, and our many loyal friends and supporters.”

UC Davis and UC San Diego share eighth place among large public universities, trailing only UC Berkeley and UCLA among University of California campuses.

The “Best Colleges” issue also includes ratings for business and engineering undergraduate programs. UC Davis’ undergraduate engineering program jumped to 30th nationwide, up four positions from last year. (UC Davis has a Graduate School of Management, but no undergraduate business program.)

“This improvement is a tribute to the outstanding work and dedication of our excellent faculty and staff, and the significant recruitment, retention and engagement efforts of our Undergraduate Studies office,” said Enrique J. Lavernia, dean of the College of Engineering and Distinguished Professor of engineering. We are well positioned to move forward in many critical areas including sustainability, health care, manufacturing and information technology."

The magazine’s overall ranking of public and private universities placed UC Davis at No. 38 for the second straight year, up from No. 39 in 2011.

UC Davis has garnered other plaudits in recent weeks. In its September/October issue, Sierra Magazine ranked the campus as the nation’s “Coolest School,” honoring its groundbreaking efforts in sustainability and energy conservation.