Skip to main content
School of Biological Sciences School of Biological Sciences

UC San Diego Biology Ranked Highly by U.S. News and World Report

Microbiology, Biology-Biochemistry and Molecular Biology-Genetics ranked in the top 10

October 24, 2019

By Christine Clark

Aerial shot of UCSD campus

The University of California San Diego has been named the nation’s sixth best public university, according to U.S. News and World Report’s Best Global Universities. The new list is based on research, global and regional reputation, international collaboration, as well as the number of highly cited papers and doctorates awarded. Overall, UC San Diego was ranked the 19th best university in the world.

“The wide breadth of collaborative, multidisciplinary research undertaken at UC San Diego impacts communities across the planet, and the world is taking notice,” said Chancellor Pradeep K. Khosla. “From mitigating climate change, to addressing economic disparities and providing state-of-the-art patient care, our strengths in interdisciplinary research and international collaboration allow our scholars to create solutions to the complex problems of the 21st  century.”

The U.S. News and World Report rankings evaluated 1,500 universities across more than 60 countries.

The publication also touted the campus’ broad strengths across disciplines in its subject category rankings. The following academic areas ranked highly:

  • Pharmacology and Toxicology (5)
  • Microbiology (6)
  • Biology and Biochemistry (8)
  • Molecular Biology and Genetics (10)
  • Neuroscience and Behavior (11)
  • Geosciences (17)
  • Clinical Medicine (19)
  • Immunology (19)
  • Psychiatry/Psychology (20)
  • Plant and Animal Science (26)
  • Arts and Humanities (28)

A powerhouse in research and education transforming the region and globe

Research is a key to UC San Diego prestige throughout the world. For the 10th consecutive year, the campus has earned more than $1 billion in funding to support its extensive research enterprise. This past fiscal year, the campus received a record $1.35 billion in research funding to conduct research, create technologies and develop life-saving therapies that benefit communities around the globe.

A powerhouse in education, research, health care and community involvement, UC San Diego also plays a vital fiscal role in the region. UC San Diego’s latest economic impact report revealed the campus has an estimated $16.5 billion in annual economic impact in California—more than the entire annual revenue of the state of Arizona.

The campus’ upward trajectory is also marked by physical growth. Since 2012, undergraduate applications nearly doubled and enrollment grew by 34 percent. By 2028, the university is projected to be the nation’s largest residential campus.  To keep up with demand, a $2 billion construction plan is underway on and around the La Jolla campus.  Yet, the impact will span far beyond just new construction—the physical, intellectual and cultural transformation is reenergizing the student experience and sparking breakthroughs and innovation.

Dominating national and global rankings lists

Since the U.S. News and World Report’s Best Global Universities were established in 2014, the campus has been included in its list of top universities.

UC San Diego is consistently rated as one of the world’s best universities by prestigious ranking organizations that include Academic Ranking of World Universities (ARWU) and the Center for World University Rankings (CWUR), both recently named UC San Diego the fourth best public university in the United States.

For a complete listing of UC San Diego rankings, accolades and additional campus information, visit the Campus Profile at https://ucpa.ucsd.edu/campus-profile

For more information on U.S. News and World Report’s Best Global Universities, visit the website at https://www.usnews.com/education/best-global-universities.