UCI Student Center
The UCI Student Center is alive with students prior to the transition to remote learning. Steve Zylius / UCI

Irvine, Calif., Sept. 13, 2021 — The University of California, Irvine has been ranked ninth among the nation’s public universities – and 36th overall – on U.S. News & World Report’s 2022 list of “Best Colleges,” released today. This is the seventh consecutive year in which UCI has placed in the top 10.

For the second year in a row, the university is ranked No. 2 in the subcategory of social mobility, which takes into account the graduation rate of students awarded Pell Grants.

The latest edition of U.S. News & World Report’s “Best Colleges” rankings – now in their 37th year – assesses 1,466 of the country’s bachelor’s degree-granting institutions on 17 measures of academic quality.

“We are delighted that UCI has once again been recognized as one of the premier universities in the nation,” said Chancellor Howard Gillman. “And being No. 2 overall for social mobility validates our intentional agenda to promote the American dream by being an engine of upward mobility through higher education.”

UCI is again rated the country’s 15th-best college for veterans and moved up two slots from last year to 40th for most innovative schools. The U.S. News report also evaluated certain undergraduate programs. UCI came in 28th for computer science, jumped up two slots to 30th for business and ranked 31st for nursing.

Available online at www.usnews.com/colleges, these results come on the heels of ranking No. 2 on Sierra magazine’s “Cool Schools” list of sustainability leaders in U.S. and Canadian higher education, and 16th for public universities in Forbes annual list of America’s Top Colleges.

And twice in a row, for its commitment to upward mobility, UCI has topped The New York Times’ College Access Index of U.S. universities “doing the most for the American dream.”

About UCI’s Brilliant Future campaign: Publicly launched on Oct. 4, 2019, the Brilliant Future campaign aims to raise awareness and support for UCI. By engaging 75,000 alumni and garnering $2 billion in philanthropic investment, UCI seeks to reach new heights of excellence in student success, health and wellness, research and more. Learn more by visiting https://brilliantfuture.uci.edu.

About the University of California, Irvine: Founded in 1965, UCI is the youngest member of the prestigious Association of American Universities and is ranked among the nation’s top 10 public universities by U.S. News & World Report. The campus has produced three Nobel laureates and is known for its academic achievement, premier research, innovation and anteater mascot. Led by Chancellor Howard Gillman, UCI has more than 36,000 students and offers 224 degree programs. It’s located in one of the world’s safest and most economically vibrant communities and is Orange County’s second-largest employer, contributing $7 billion annually to the local economy and $8 billion statewide. For more on UCI, visit www.uci.edu.

Media access: Radio programs/stations may, for a fee, use an on-campus ISDN line to interview UCI faculty and experts, subject to availability and university approval. For more UCI news, visit wp.communications.uci.edu. Additional resources for journalists may be found at communications.uci.edu/for-journalists.