Sept. 30 Correction: The Wall Street Journal rankings of UC Davis among public and all universities have been corrected to reflect errors in the original news release.

The University of California, Davis, stands second in the nation among public universities and 13th among all universities for how well it sets its graduates up for financial success in The Wall Street Journal/College Pulse 2026 rankings released today (Sept. 29).

The news outlet and its research partners College Pulse and Statista considered how much a school improves students’ chances of graduating and their future earnings as well as data on diversity, and results from student and alumni surveys on college life.

The ratings are the latest among the most prestigious university rankings recognizing UC Davis for its quality of education, the impact of its research, the social mobility it offers students and more.

 Today’s rankings give 70% of their weight to student outcomes including:

• how a college boosts its graduates’ salaries beyond what they would be expected to be regardless of which college they attended (33%)
• the time it takes to pay off the net price of attending the college (17%)
• how well a college ensures that its students graduate (20%)

Using two surveys of about 120,000 students and recent alumni, the rankings give 20% to the learning environment: 5% each to learning opportunities, preparation for career, satisfaction with learning-related facilities and the extent to which students would recommend their college.

Diversity counts for 10%, including 3.3% each for ethnic diversity, the proportion of students receiving Pell Grants and inclusion of students with disabilities.

A total of 584 eligible universities were rated.

Other recent rankings

In other major rankings recently released:

• The campus tied for No. 9 among the nation’s top public universities and earned accolades for innovation, social mobility and more in the 2026 U.S. News Best Colleges rankings, published Sept. 23.
• The campus placed 12th among public universities and 23rd among America’s Best Colleges for Research in the Washington Monthly 2025 College Guide and Rankings, published in August.
• Princeton Review’s The Best 391 Colleges: 2026 Edition, also published last month, ranked UC Davis for making an impact, career placement and value for the money.

UC Davis and rankings

A world-class university, UC Davis is highly ranked for how it transforms students’ lives, the impact of its research, the excellence of its academic programs, sustainability and more. The university performs self-evaluations and appreciates the value of third-party assessments. However, ranking methods vary, change over time and can be subjective. UC Davis focuses on those rankings that most closely align with its mission and values — including serving the public good, inclusiveness and equity, and social mobility — and in national rankings looks most closely at its standing among public universities. UC Davis encourages prospective students and their families to weigh rankings among other factors in their college decision, talk with counselors and UC Davis admissions advisors, and, if possible, visit the campus.

About UC Davis

Located near the California state capital, UC Davis is a public land-grant university and Tier 1 research university. It is one of the 10 campuses in the UC system. The university has an annual research budget of more than $1 billion, a comprehensive health system and about two dozen specialized research centers. With more than 40,000 students, it offers more than 100 undergraduate majors and interdisciplinary graduate study in four colleges and six professional schools.