UC Santa Barbara has been ranked No. 15 on a list of Top 100 National Universities, leaping seven spots from last year, and once again, the university’s excellent graduate education programs and research played a significant role in this recognition.
Washington Monthly magazine, which released its annual 2014 National Universities Rankings this week, ranked the institutions based on their contributions to the public good in three categories: Social Mobility (recruiting and graduating low-income students); Research (producing cutting-edge scholarship and Ph.D.s); and Service (encouraging students to give something back to their country). The magazine, which takes into consideration what the schools are doing for their students and the country, describes its list as “a different kind of college ranking.” Its rankings are unlike other national lists such as the one compiled by U.S. News & World Report, which places importance on such factors as a university’s financial endowment, admissions selectivity, and academic reputation.
UCSB joined seven other University of California campuses on the Top 100 list. UC San Diego was No. 1 on the list for the fifth time. UC President Janet Napolitano said: “For four of our campuses to be ranked in the top five and for UC San Diego to be ranked No. 1 for the fifth consecutive year is a significant achievement. All eight of the UC campuses that were ranked in the top 100 institutions deserve heartfelt congratulations from the entire UC community.”
Washington Monthly praised the UC system, saying that it “has a distinct blend of size, diversity, and research excellence. By enrolling top students from a huge state with a highly varied population, UC campuses are able to balance academic excellence with scientific prowess and a commitment to enrolling low-income students that is unmatched at similar national universities.”
For the second consecutive year, the magazine also released its “Best Bang for the Buck” rankings, which are based on the economic value students receive per dollar, and UCSB was ranked No. 13 on the list of 81 institutions, joing seven other UC campuses.
For more information, read the Office of Public Affairs and Communications’ news release, “UCSB Among the Best.” View all the universities on Washington Monthly’s Top 100 list and those on its list of “Best Bang for the Buck.” You may also read the GradPost’s 2012 article on the rankings.