Global Rankings

| 1st | Top “Golden Age” University In 2020 for the fourth year in a row, Times Higher Education ranked UC San Diego 1st among the world’s top “Golden Age” universities—the best higher education institutions that were founded between 1945 and 1966. |
| 8th | Clarivate Universities Powering Global Innovation In 2025, the Top 50 Universities Powering Global Innovation report by Clarivate ranked UC San Diego 8th in the world and No. 3 among U.S. public institutions for powering global innovation, based on data and expert insights derived from academic research and patent citations. |
| 9th | Clarivate Highly Cited Researchers The 2024 Highly Cited Researchers list includes 56 individual distinctions from UC San Diego, ranking 9th highest among universities worldwide. |
| 20th | Academic Ranking of World Universities The 2025 Academic Ranking of World Universities has recognized UC San Diego as No. 20 in its list of the top universities in the world. UC San Diego was also ranked No. 4 among public universities in the United States in the latest edition of the annual ranking released by ShanghaiRanking Consultancy. |
| 21st | U.S. News and World Report U.S. News and World Report listed UC San Diego as 21st in its 2025-2026 Best Global Universities rankings, which are evaluated based on 13 indicators that measure academic research performance and global and regional reputations. |
| 33rd | Center for World University Rankings The Center for World University Rankings named UC San Diego the 33rd best university in the world, 21st in the U.S. and seventh best public university in the nation in 2025. |
| 34th | Times Higher Education UC San Diego was named the 34th best university across the globe by Times Higher Education in its 2025 World University Rankings, which assessed more than 2,000 public and private institutions around the world. |

































