UC San Diego Ranked 20th Best University in the World

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The University of California, San Diego has been ranked the 20th best university in the world in a new global ranking that measures universities’ quality of education and training of students as well as the prestige of the faculty and the quality of their research.

The second-annual rankings, developed by the Center for the World University Rankings (CWUR), also listed UC San Diego as the 15th best university in the U.S. and the nation’s third best public university.

“This is a great honor,” said UC San Diego Chancellor Pradeep K. Khosla. “The success of UC San Diego as a leader among the world’s research universities can be credited to our world-class faculty, talented students, dedicated staff and accomplished alumni. What we do at UC San Diego changes the world by spurring economic growth and innovations that have a positive impact on our region and the world.”

The methodology for the CWUR’s 2013 rankings is based on seven indicators described as “robust and objective.” According to CWUR, the rankings are distinctive because they do not rely on opinion-based surveys, but rather they take a transparent and quantitative approach through measuring the following:

1. Quality of faculty members, measured by the number of academics who have won major international awards, prizes and medals.
2. Publications, measured by the number of research papers appearing in reputable international journals.
3. Influence, measured by the number of research papers appearing in highly-influential journals.
4. Citations, measured by the number of highly-cited research papers. 
5. Patents, measured by the number of international patent filings.
6. Alumni employment, measured by the number of a university’s alumni who currently hold CEO positions at the world’s top 2,000 public companies relative to the university’s size.
7. Quality of education, measured by the number of a university’s alumni who have won major international awards, prizes and medals relative to the university’s size.

Universities were ranked in each of these categories and their combined totals equate to the individual college’s overall global ranking. UC San Diego earned high marks the categories of publications (15th), influence (14th), citations (14th), patents (22nd), quality of faculty (19th) and quality of education (33rd).

In addition to providing consultation for governments and universities, CWUR aims to provide the most comprehensive university rankings available, which are trusted by students, academics, university administrators and government officials from around the world.

The complete list of the world’s top 100 universities and its methodology can be found at www.cwur.org.