Accolades Archive

• Rising 72 spots in just four years to Top 100 (USNWR).
• Top 20 | No. 18 among R2s (USNWR)
• Top 20 | No. 17 Best Public Undergraduate Teaching (USNWR)
• Top 40 | No. 38 among publics (USNWR)
• Top 100 | No. 93 Overall (USNWR)
• Top 100 | No. 57 Most Innovative Schools (USNWR)
• No. 3 Young University (Times Higher Ed)
• No. 4 for social mobility (USNWR)
• No. 7 Top Ten “Cool School,” Sierra magazine ‘2021 Cool Schools’ list
• No. 8 Economic Diversity (USNWR)
• No. 12 most transformative colleges (Money’s 2020 Best Colleges)
• No. 19 for social mobility (Washington Monthly’s 2020 College Guide and Rankings)
• Best Bang for your Buck (Washington Monthly)
• 2022 Green Honor Roll (Princeton Review)
• America’s Top Colleges (Forbes, 2022)
• University of the Year (Education Dive's Dive Awards, 2018)
• “Best 386 Colleges,” three consecutive years (Princeton Review)
• No. 131 for undergraduate engineering (among Ph.D.-granting schools) (US News & World Report)
• High marks for “Quality of Life Rating” (Princeton Review)
• Highest marks on “Green Rating” (Princeton Review)
• High marks for “Fire Safety Rating” (Princeton Review)

Graduate Programs (USNWR)

• No. 116 School of Engineering
  • No. 84 Environmental Engineering
  • No. 91 Materials Engineering
  • No. 94 Computer Engineering
  • No. 115 Computer Science
  • No. 118 Biomedical Engineering
  • No. 122 Mechanical Engineering
  • No. 128 Electrical Engineering
• No. 115 Chemistry
• No. 132 Mathematics
• No. 138 Physics
• No. 144 Biological Sciences

Social Mobility

• No. 4 in the nation for social mobility (US News Best Colleges 2022)
• No. 8 in the nation for economic diversity (US News Best Colleges 2022)
• No. 51 for least amount of debt incurred by graduates (US News Best Colleges 2021)
• No. 19 for social mobility (Washington Monthly’s 2020 College Guide and Rankings)
• No. 12 most transformative colleges (Money’s 2020 Best Colleges)
• No. 8 in the nation for performance of students who receive Pell Grants (Washington Monthly’s 2019 College Guide and Rankings)
• No. 8 in the nation for performance of first-generation students (Washington Monthly’s 2019 College Guide and Rankings)

• Top 100 | No. 40 among public universities (US News & World Report)
• Top 100 | No. 56 among national universities (Washington Monthly’s 2020 College Guide and Rankings)
• Top 100 | No. 65 globally among universities younger than 50 years (Times Higher Education Young University Rankings 2020)
• Top 100 | No. 76 among national universities (Money’s 2020 Best Colleges)
• Top 100 | No. 86 among colleges and universities for Hispanics (Hispanic Outlook on Education Magazine)
• University of the Year (Education Dive's Dive Awards, 2018)
• “Best 386 Colleges,” two consecutive years (Princeton Review)
• No. 1 among public universities in outperforming expected graduation rates (US News & World Report)
• No. 3 in U.S. among universities younger than 50 years (Times Higher Education Young University Rankings 2020)
• No. 5 among all universities in social mobility (US News & World Report)
• No. 8 among all universities in economic diversity (US News & World Report)
• No. 12 most transformative colleges (Money’s 2020 Best Colleges)
• No. 13 among public universities for highest alumni giving rate (US News & World Report)
• No. 19 for social mobility (Washington Monthly’s 2020 College Guide and Rankings)
• No. 51 for least amount of debt incurred by graduates (US News & World Report)
• No. 145 for undergraduate engineering (among Ph.D.-granting schools) (US News & World Report)
• No. 171 for Best Value (US News & World Report)
• High marks for “Quality of Life Rating” (Princeton Review)
• Highest marks on “Green Rating” (Princeton Review)
• High marks for “Fire Safety Rating” (Princeton Review)

Social Mobility

• No. 1 in the nation for student outcomes (US News Best Colleges 2020
• No. 1 among public universities in outperforming expected graduation rates (US News Best Colleges 2021)
• No. 5 in the nation for social mobility (US News Best Colleges 2021)
• No. 8 in the nation for economic diversity (US News Best Colleges 2021)
• No. 51 for least amount of debt incurred by graduates (US News Best Colleges 2021)
• No. 19 for social mobility (Washington Monthly’s 2020 College Guide and Rankings)
• No. 12 most transformative colleges (Money’s 2020 Best Colleges)
• No. 8 in the nation for performance of students who receive Pell Grants (Washington Monthly’s 2019 College Guide and Rankings)
• No. 8 in the nation for performance of first-generation students (Washington Monthly’s 2019 College Guide and Rankings)

School of Engineering

• No. 129 in the nation among graduate schools (US News Best Graduate Schools 2021)
• No. 145 among Ph.D.-granting schools for undergraduate engineering (US News Best Colleges 2021)
• Bioengineering
  • No. 117 in the nation (US News Best Graduate Schools 2021)
• Computer Engineering
  • No. 106 in the nation (US News Best Graduate Schools 2021)
• Electrical Engineering
  • No. 129 in the nation (US News Best Graduate Schools 2021)
• Environmental Engineering
  • No. 84 in the nation (US News Best Graduate Schools 2021)
• Materials Engineering
  • No. 98 in the nation (US News Best Graduate Schools 2021)
• Mechanical Engineering
  • No. 117 in the nation (US News Best Graduate Schools 2021)

Biology

• No. 175 in the nation (US News Best Graduate Schools 2019)

Chemistry

• No. 122 in the nation (US News Best Graduate Schools 2019)

History (Interdisciplinary Humanities)

• No. 127 in the nation (US News Best Graduate Schools 2022)

Mathematics

• No. 144 in the nation (US News Best Graduate Schools 2019)

Physics

• No. 146 in the nation (US News Best Graduate Schools 2019)

Political Science

• No. 63 in the nation (US News Best Graduate Schools 2022)

Psychology

• No. 90 in the nation (US News Best Graduate Schools 2018)

Sustainability

• Only university in the nation to have all buildings LEED certified
• Highest marks on “Green Rating” (Princeton Review’s Best Colleges Guide, 2021)
• No. 1 in the nation for sustainable buildings (AASHE, 2020)
• Tied for No. 1 in the nation for sustainable research (AASHE, 2020)
• Tied for No. 5 in nation for sustainability investment and finance (AASHE, 2020)
• No. 10 in the nation in sustainable waste operations (AASHE, 2020)
• No. 6 overall among doctoral institutions (AASHE, 2020)
• No. 6 in the nation for sustainability (Sierra Club’s Cool Schools, 2020)

U.S. News & World Report's Best Colleges rankings

• No. 1 in the nation for student outcomes
• No. 1 in the nation for outperforming expected graduation rates
• No. 7 in the nation for social mobility
• No. 13 among public universities for Best Undergraduate Teaching
• No. 44 in Top Public Schools and No. 104 in National Universities
• No. 11 among public universities and No. 1 in the UC for student participation in undergraduate research and creative projects
• No. 27 among public universities for alumni giving rate

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AASHE Sustainable Campus Index

• No. 1 in the nation for sustainable buildings
• Tied for No. 1 in the nation for sustainable research
• Tied for No. 5 in nation for sustainability investment and finance
• No. 10 in the nation in sustainable waste operations
• No. 6 overall among doctoral institutions

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Sierra Club's Cool Schools

• No. 6 in the nation for sustainability

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Washington Monthly College Guide

• No. 8 in the nation for performance of sudents who receive Pell Grants
• No. 8 in the nation for performance of first-generation students

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The Princeton Review's Best 385 Colleges 2020 edition

• Selected to "Best Western" and "Green Colleges" lists
• Maximum score of 99 for Green Rating

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Times Higher Education Young University rankings

• Debuted at No. 60 in the world
• Tied for No. 4 among U.S. universities

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U.S. News & World Report’s Best Grad Schools

• School of Engineering ranks No. 134
• Computer Engineering debuts at No. 105 in the nation
• Mechanical Engineering is No. 121 in the nation

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Education Dive's Dive Awards

• Named University of the Year (honors the industry’s top disruptors and innovators)

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U.S. News & World Report’s Best Colleges rankings

• No. 2 in the nation for outperforming graduation rate expectations
• No. 15 in the nation for social mobility
• No. 17 among public universities for best undergraduate teaching
• No. 67 in top public schools
• No. 136 in national univeristies
• No. 44 among public universities for alumni giving rate

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U.S. News & World Report’s Best Grad Schools

• Chemistry debuts at No. 122 in the nation
• Mathematics debuts at No. 144 in the nation
• Physics debuts at No. 146 in the nation
• Biology debuts at No. 175 in the nation
• School of Engineering ranks No. 132 in its third appearance on the list
• No. 76 in the nation in Environmental Engineering
• Mechanical Engineering debuts at No. 126 in the nation

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Washington Monthly College Guide

• No. 7 in the nation for performance of sudents who receive Pell Grants
• No. 13 in the nation for performance of first-generation students
• No. 14 in the nation for social mobility

U.S. News & World Report’s Best Colleges rankings

• No. 1 public university for financial aid given to first-year students
• No. 11 in the nation for outperforming graduation rate expectations
• No. 15 public university for least debt upon graduation
• No. 87 in the nation among public schools and No. 165 overall

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U.S. News & World Report’s Best Grad Schools

• No. 70 in the nation in Environmental Engineering
• School of Engineering rises to No. 127 overall
• No. 90 in the nation in Psychology

Washington Monthly College Guide

• No. 3 for graduation rate of Pell Grant recipients
• No. 5 for social mobility
• No. 10 for graduation rate of first-generation students
• No. 22 for earnings performance among graduates

Sierra Club’s Cool Schools

• No. 50 in the nation for sustainability

Thomson Reuters Project Finance International Awards

• Americas P3 Deal of the Year (for the Merced 2020 Project)

College Raptor

• No. 12 among Hispanic-Serving Institutions

U.S. News & World Report’s Best Colleges rankings

• No. 8 in the nation for outperforming graduation rate expectations
• Debuted at No. 78 in the nation among public schools and No. 152 overall

Washington Monthly College Guide

• No. 5 in the nation for social mobility
• No. 8 in Best Bang for the Buck: Western Colleges
• No. 41 among all universities in the nation

Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education

• Received R2 designation, the second-highest for American research institutions

Princeton Review’s Guide to Green Colleges

• Appeared for the second consecutive year, scoring 93 out of 99 possible points

Sierra Club’s Cool Schools

• Fourth appearance in five years on the sustainability rankings

Niche College Rankings

• No. 15 in the state for best professors
• No. 17 in the state for safest campus
• No. 84 in the nation for best dorms

GoodCall Best Schools for Scholarships Report

• No. 8 out of 4,000 colleges for scholarships received

Educate to Career

• No. 12 in the nation for workforce preparedness, employability and income

Carnegie Classification for Community Engagement

• Campus recognized for institutional commitment to community engagement

U.S. News & World Report

• Engineering and Psychological Sciences ranked among best graduate programs

Princeton Review’s Guide to Green Colleges

• First appearance in sustainability rankings

Sierra Club’s Cool Schools

• Ranked No. 51 for sustainability

Educate to Career

• No. 16 in the nation for workforce preparedness, employability and income

BestColleges.com

• Ranked among top 50 most diverse campuses in the U.S.

Best Value Schools

• No. 38 for best value among California colleges and universities