Admissions at the University of California, San Diego are fairly competitive as the acceptance rate is 30%. The University’s School of Medicine and Jacobs School of Engineering are highly ranked. The University’s ranking in the 2022 edition of Best Colleges is National Universities is #35 by the US News and 33rd in World University Rankings for 2022 by The World Rankings of Times Higher Education.

The University is also known for its International House, where 350+ students from more than 30 countries lodge together.

The University of California- San Diego is also highly ranked in California, standing at the 9th spot for the best University in the state, ranked by the Times Higher Education, competing with other premier-level names in the states that include Stanford University, California Institute of Technology, University of California-Berkeley.

Ranking Highlights

  • Ranked 34th in World University Rankings 2022 by The World Rankings of Times Higher Education.
  • Ranked 48th in QS Global World Ranking 2022
  • Ranked 34th in CWUR’s World Ranking for 2022
  • Ranked 21st in Best Global Universities Rankings 2022 by US News
  • Ranked 34th in National Universities (in the US) Rankings 2022 by US News

University of California, San Diego World Ranking

University of California, San Diego or commonly referred to as UC San Diego is a highly regarded research institution, ranked 33rd in The World Rankings by Times Higher Education, 54th in the world by the QS Global World Ranking, CWUR’s World Rankings gave it the 34th place in the world, stood 21st in the world for the Academic Ranking of World Universities, and is the 16th best university in the world by US News’ Best Global Universities Rankings 2022.

The World University Rankings by Times Higher Education reveal that the University has constantly been in the 30s and 40s of the world rankings. Ranking criteria include various factors like teaching, research, citations, income, and international reputation. 2019 was by far the best year ranking data-wise, being placed at the 30th spot. Rankings of past five years can be seen in the table below.

Years 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022
THE Ranking #41 #31 #30 #31 #33 #34

Now the ranking trends from 2017 by QS World University Ranking are described in the picture below. Factors taken into consideration while ranking the university are Academic Reputation, Employer Reputation, Citations, International Faculty, and Students. The university went up initially and had the top ranking for the year 2018 but has again gone down for the past three years.

Years 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022
QS World University Ranking #40 #38 #41 #45 #54 #48

University of California, San Diego National Ranking

US rankings for UC San Diego have been in the thirties for the past few years as shown by various ranking agencies. The University is also among the top ten universities in California. Following are the rankings described by various top agencies -

  • Ranked 34th in National Universities (in the US) Rankings 2022 by US News
  • Ranked 27th in US Universities Rankings 2022 by QS
  • Ranked 43rd in US College Rankings 2022 by Times Higher Education
  • Ranked 22nd in the National Rankings by CWUR

University of California, San Diego Subject-wise Ranking

The undergraduate program offers about 120+ courses within 6 departments, namely Engineering, Biological Sciences, Physical Sciences, Social Science, Mathematics and Arts, and Humanities. The postgraduate degree program includes 35 courses and the doctoral program (Ph.D.) has 47 courses.

The university is known for its top-notch medical science and pharmacy courses. In recent years, Engineering and Computer Science have also become the most significant degree programs offered at UC San Diego. The QS world rankings by subject for the university have varying trends. The rankings for some popular subjects offered at the university are-

Subject QS World Ranking
Geology #=15
Earth and Marine Sciences #17
Pharmacy & Pharmacology #20
Engineering - Electrical and Electronic #=41
Chemistry #51
Biological Sciences #10
Medicine #26
Life Sciences and Medicine #=16
Psychology #50

Other disciplines in Engineering and Sciences, Management, Art and Design, and Literature among many are also ranked among the top 100 in the world by the QS Rankings. The US News Rankings also places the University of California, San Diego at top spots for various Engineering and Computer Science related programs, namely 22nd Best Undergraduate Engineering Programs and 12th in Computer Systems. Rankings given by the US News for various subjects globally are-

Subject US News Ranking
Biology and Biochemistry #7
Biotechnology and Applied Microbiology #4 
Cell Biology #5
Clinical Medicine #18
Computer Science #32
Gastroenterology and Hepatology #1
Microbiology #3
Molecular Biology and Genetics #8
Neuroscience and Behavior #10
Physics #77
Plant and Animal Science #24
Psychiatry/Psychology #24
Public, Environmental, and Occupational Health #36
Social Sciences and Public Health #30
Surgery #80

University of California, San Diego Miscellaneous Rankings

Other miscellaneous rankings by valid agencies and organizations are given as-

  • Ranked 12th in Quality of Faculty Rank in the world by CWUR
  • Ranked 120th in Quality of Education Rank in the world by CWUR
  • Ranked 16th in Best Colleges for Public Health in America by Niche
  • Ranked 132nd in Best Colleges for Student Athletes in America by Niche

So, the rankings clearly conclude that the University of California, San Diego is a peak-level institute. The university offers one of the best medical programs and undergraduate computer science programs. Thus, if one passes through the acceptance rate of 30%, they must grab this top opportunity for a bright future.