UC San Diego Named No. 4 Public University in US in Academic Ranking of World Universities
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The University of California San Diego has once again secured its place as one of the world’s leading academic institutions, earning the No. 4 position among U.S. public universities in the 2025 Academic Ranking of World Universities (ARWU). Released by ShanghaiRanking Consultancy, the highly regarded annual assessment also places UC San Diego 15th among all U.S. universities and 20th globally, recognizing the campus’s academic excellence and far-reaching contributions.
“Recognition among the top universities in the nation — and the world — affirms UC San Diego’s role as a catalyst for discovery and progress,” said Chancellor Pradeep K. Khosla. “We are defined by a commitment to push the boundaries of knowledge and create meaningful change — reflected in the quality of our education and the impact of our world-class faculty, whose research is shaping the future. These strengths are amplified by our alumni, whose achievements reach across industries and around the globe.”
Each year, the ARWU evaluates more than 2,500 institutions and publishes the top 1,000, using six objective indicators of academic and research performance. These include the number of alumni and faculty who have been awarded Nobel Prizes and Fields Medals; recognitions of highly cited researchers; papers published in the journals Nature and Science; articles in leading citation indexes; and per-capita academic performance. The ranking is recognized as one of the most respected global measures of research universities.
UC San Diego is a hub for pioneering research that spans disciplines and addresses some of the most pressing challenges of our time. From advancing global health to creating sustainable technologies, researchers are working at the forefront of discovery and innovation. Their efforts not only expand our understanding of the world, but also drive solutions that make a tangible difference in people’s lives.
One such example is a promising gene therapy for Alzheimer’s disease developed at the School of Medicine. The approach could help protect the brain from damage and preserve cognitive function, potentially addressing the root cause of the disease by influencing the behavior of brain cells. It offers hope for a therapy that could benefit millions worldwide. School of Medicine researchers also recently found that individuals with cannabis use disorder are more than three times as likely to develop oral cancer within five years compared to those without the disorder, underscoring potential long-term health risks associated with problematic use.
At the Jacobs School of Engineering, researchers are advancing both health care and sustainability. A new artificial intelligence tool for medical imaging can learn to interpret scans with far less data than typical systems and without sacrificing accuracy — potentially speeding the development of AI diagnostics for use in clinics with limited resources. Engineers have also designed a low-cost, energy-saving cooling system for data centers that could cut electricity use for cooling by up to 25%, significantly reducing both power and water demand while meeting growing needs for AI and cloud computing.
In the School of Biological Sciences, scientists have engineered a stealth genetic switch in mosquitoes that stops them from transmitting malaria — a potential breakthrough against a disease that kills hundreds of thousands worldwide each year, most of them children.
Research in the School of Social Sciences is helping to improve the justice system. Psychologists have shown that eyewitness memory — when tested only once and early in an investigation — can be highly reliable, findings that could reduce wrongful convictions and strengthen public trust.
Scientists have created an AI tool that could help doctors identify diseases quickly and accurately using only a small number of medical images. (Victoria Kotlyarchuk/iStock)
From the ocean to the laboratory, scientists at Scripps Institution of Oceanography and Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences have uncovered the genetic instructions for producing anti-cancer and anti-inflammatory compounds found in soft corals. The discovery could enable lab-based production of these rare molecules, opening the door to new biomedical treatments inspired by the sea.
These recent findings and innovations are just a few of many that exemplify UC San Diego’s commitment to advancing research with real-world impact — efforts that stretch across disciplines and inspire collaboration.
Earlier in 2025, UC San Diego was named among the world’s top 10 universities in the Clarivate Top 50 Universities Powering Global Innovation report, which evaluates universities’ influence on innovation through research and patent activity. The Princeton Review also ranked UC San Diego No. 6 among the nation’s best value public colleges, recognizing the university’s strong academic programs, affordability and robust career preparation for students.
Full methodology and more information on the 2025 Academic Ranking of World Universities can be accessed on the organization’s website. For more information about UC San Diego rankings, visit the Campus Profile.
Soft corals like the sea pansy pictured here contain chemicals that have shown anti-cancer and anti-inflammatory properties. A new study is helping unlock these corals' chemical potential. (Erik Jepsen/University Communications)
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