In rankings released earlier this month, the University of California, Davis, was recognized as a global leader across many fields and disciplines.  

Quacquarelli Symonds, or QS, considered one of the most influential international authorities on university rankings, placed UC Davis 41^st in the world in the broad category of the life sciences and medicine, and 38^th in the category of biological sciences. 

“These rankings demonstrate that our comprehensive campus provides a world-class education across academic disciplines and conducts impactful research that advances understanding of and solutions to the planet’s most pressing challenges," said Chancellor Gary S. May. 

The rankings consider reputation among academics; reputation among employers; the citations and impact of academic papers from a university; and the diversity of a university’s international research network. In all, the 2025 rankings analyzed programs in 55 subjects at 5,200 institutions and ranked programs at 1,748 universities across the world.

UC Davis and rankings

A world-class university, UC Davis is highly ranked for how it transforms students’ lives, the impact of its research, the excellence of its academic programs, its sustainability and more. The university performs self-evaluations and also appreciates the value of third-party assessments. However, ranking methods vary, change over time and can be subjective. UC Davis focuses on those rankings that most closely align with its mission and values — including serving the public good, inclusiveness and equity, and social mobility — and in national rankings looks most closely at its standing among public universities. UC Davis encourages prospective students and their families to weigh rankings among other factors in their college decision, talk with counselors and UC Davis admissions advisors, and, if possible, visit the campus.