News

BY THE NUMBERS

Rankings on the Rise

U

C Riverside saw a significant rise in several notable rankings for the year, including reclaiming the top spot for social mobility in U.S. News & World Report’s annual rankings, the nation’s most-watched college rankings list. The university also saw impressive placements in a range of categories on lists from the Wall Street Journal, Forbes, Washington Monthly, and others. Here are some of UCR’s 2024-25 rankings highlights:

for social mobility is where UCR ranks among four-year universities in the U.S., according to the 2025 Best Colleges list published by U.S. News & World Report. This is the sixth year U.S. News has featured a category for social mobility, which considers the degree to which a university elevates its low-income graduates to a higher standard of living. The first three years, UCR was ranked No. 1 in the nation; for the past two years, it was No. 2. UCR remains No. 76 in overall rank and No. 36 among public universities for the second consecutive year.

places is the number of spots UCR climbed in the Wall Street Journal’s 2025 Best Colleges in the U.S. list, landing at No. 108 overall among the top 500 U.S. universities. UCR was ranked the No. 45 public university in the nation on the list, an increase from No. 76 this past year. UCR was also named No. 12 for social mobility among public and private universities in the Wall Street Journal list, an increase from No. 22 this past year.

public university is what UCR was named in the 2024-25 America’s Top Colleges list from Forbes magazine. Scoring is based on graduates’ salaries, graduates’ debt, graduation rate, return on investment, student retention, and academic success, among other factors. UCR placed No. 97 overall among 500 private and public universities considered for the Forbes list.

university in the country is where UCR ranks for Pell Grant student performance, according to Washington Monthly’s 2024 National University Rankings. The Pell Grant is the largest federal grant program offered to undergraduates and is typically awarded to students from households earning less than $65,000 per year. UCR placed No. 79 overall among 438 four-year universities, and No. 46 for public universities in the U.S.

stars is what UCR earned in Money magazine’s 2024 Best Colleges list, one of only 54 universities to receive a 5-star ranking. UCR was also named a “best value” college in the Princeton Review’s 2024 list and ranked in the top 1.3% of universities worldwide in the 2024 Center for World University Rankings.

Return to UCR Magazine: Fall 2024