2 CA Universities In Top 10 Worldwide, US News Says

Twenty-six universities in California are among the best in the world, according to a new ranking from U.S. News & World Report.

The 2026-2027 edition of the Best Global Universities includes schools from more than 100 countries. China topped the list with 409, followed by the United States with 275, India with 123, the United Kingdom with 93 and Japan with 86.

"For students seeking universities with strong academic excellence and global recognition, the Best Global Universities rankings offer an essential comparative resource," LaMont Jones, managing editor for education at U.S. News, said in a news release. "Our methodology focuses on a school's research mission and scholarly impact, helping students identify institutions that are truly at the forefront of global knowledge creation."

More than 2,250 schools were evaluated on academic research and reputation across 51 subject areas.

How California Schools Ranked

Universities in California include:

1. Stanford University, Stanford, No. 3
2. University of California-Berkeley, Berkeley, No. 7
3. University of California-Los Angeles, Los Angeles, No. 11
4. University of California-San Francisco, San Francisco, No. 22
5. California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, No. 23 (tie)
6. University of California-San Diego, La Jolla, No. 23 (tie)
7. University of Southern California, Los Angeles, No. 74 (tie)
8. University of California-Davis, Davis, No. 95
9. University of California-Irvine, Irvine, No. 99
10. University of California-Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, No. 100
11. University of California-Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, No. 141
12. University of California-Riverside, Riverside, No. 262
13. University of California-Merced, Merced, No. 739 (tie)
14. San Diego State University, San Diego, No. 932 (tie)
15. California State University Los Angeles, Los Angeles, No. 1,013 (tie)
16. California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo, San Luis Obispo, No. 1,278 (tie)
17. Loma Linda University, Loma Linda, No. 1,338 (tie)
18. California State University-Fullerton, Fullerton, No. 1,348 (tie)
19. California State University-Sacramento, Sacramento, No. 1,370 (tie)
20. Chapman University, Orange, No. 1,607 (tie)
21. San Jose State University, San Jose, No. 1,636 (tie)
22. San Francisco State University, San Francisco, No. 1,653 (tie)
23. California State University-Northridge, Northridge, No. 1,661 (tie)
24. California State University-Long Beach, Long Beach, No. 1,823 (tie)
25. Santa Clara University, San Jose, No. 1,931 (tie)
26. Claremont Graduate University, Claremont, No. 2,007 (tie)

Top 10 In The World

The top 10 were dominated by the United States and the United Kingdom:

1. Harvard University
2. Massachusetts Institute of Technology
3. Stanford University
4. University of Oxford
5. University of Cambridge
6. Tsinghua University
7. University of California Berkeley
8. Yale University
9. University College London
10. Columbia University

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