UC San Diego Ranked Third Best Public College Value by Money

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The University of California San Diego has been recognized as both elite and affordable in Money’s annual ranking of the best colleges in America, ranked by value. The university placed third among public universities and ninth among 739 institutions in the nation.

The ranking is based on graduation rates, the number of Pell Grant recipients, net costs to attend and alumni salary data. Each institution was ranked based on 26 factors in three categories—quality, affordability and outcomes—but this year, Money changed their rankings formula to put more emphasis on affordability, increasing the weight given to the affordability metrics to 40%.

“UC San Diego’s mission is to increase access to higher education for Californians though affordability,” said Chancellor Pradeep K. Khosla. “The recognition reinforces our dedication to creating opportunity for students of all backgrounds, and leveraging their inclusion to drive innovation and benefit society at large.”

As a top-ranked public research university, UC San Diego is dedicated to elevating the futures of California students. This year, more than 30% of UC San Diego California freshman admits and 50% of the California community college transfer admitted class are the first in their family to attend a four-year college. In addition, 69% of all undergraduates receive some sort of financial aid. The campus distributes approximately half a billion dollars to students each year.

UC San Diego students have the potential to receive a full scholarship through the Chancellor’s Associates Scholars Program, which provides talented students with financial aid as well as academic support, mentorship and career advising. In seven short years, this program has grown from 42 students to more than 1,000 students—an astounding 2,280% increase.

In addition to the Money ranking, UC San Diego has been acknowledged multiple times as one of the top best value colleges by CNBC, Forbes, U.S. News & World Report, Washington Monthly and Kiplinger’s Personal Finance among others. For more information about additional UC San Diego rankings, please visit the Campus Profile.

For more information on this year’s best colleges ranking, please visit Money.