August 18, 2005

UCSD Ranked Seventh Best Public University
In U.S. News & World Report Nationwide Survey

By Pat JaCoby

The University of California, San Diego ranked as the seventh best public university in the nation in the 2006 America’s Best Colleges guidebook to be issued tomorrow by U.S. News & World Report.

This year’s U.S. News ranking represents an increase from last year’s eighth place, and follows Newsweek’s designation of UCSD as the “hottest” school for science in the nation in the 2006 Kaplan/Newsweek College Guide.

The U.S. News and World Report guide rated 248 four-year schools, designating the nation’s top 50 national universities and the 50 best public national universities.

Of the top 50 public universities, UCSD outranked older institutions such as University of Wisconsin-Madison, University of Washington and Penn State. UC Berkeley was ranked first of the top 50 public national universities.

Among the nation’s top 50 national universities, both public and private, UCSD ranked 32nd. As noted by U.S. News, “those in the National Universities group are the 248 American universities (162 public and 86 private) that offer a wide range of undergraduate majors as well as master’s and doctoral degrees; many strongly emphasize research.”

The new 2006 guidebook included a separate category for engineering schools. In it, the UCSD Jacobs School of Engineering was ranked 9th among engineering schools at public universities, and the school’s undergraduate bioengineering program was ranked third in the nation.

U.S. News bases its national rankings on peer assessment, retention rates, faculty resources, student selectivity, financial resources, graduation rate performance and alumni giving rate.

The 2006 rankings are available in the Aug. 29 college guide issue of U.S. News & World Report which appears on newsstands Aug. 22.

Earlier this week, UCSD was named the “hottest” institution in the nation for students to study science by Newsweek and the 2006 Kaplan/Newsweek College Guide.

Media Contact: Pat JaCoby, (858) 534-7404