California schools flexed their academic muscles in a new global college ranking — with two Golden State universities cracking the top 10 and six landing in the top 25.
Stanford University was named the No. 3 best global university in the world in US News & World Report’s 2026–2027 Best Global Universities rankings, trailing only Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
The “Peninsula powerhouse” earned a global score of 94.4 in the rankings.
The University of California-Berkeley ranked No. 7 in the world with a global score of 86.4. Getty Images
It wasn’t the only California school near the top.
The University of California-Berkeley ranked No. 7 in the world with a global score of 86.4, making it the second California school to land inside the top 10.
But down in Los Angeles, UCLA narrowly missed the top 10, coming in at No. 11 globally with a score of 84.8.
The California showing continued deeper into the list, with UC San Francisco ranking No. 22 and both the California Institute of Technology and UC San Diego tying at No. 23.
California Institute of Technology in Pasadena ranked No. 23 on the list. wolterke – stock.adobe.com
The rankings delivered six California universities in the top 25 — more than many countries managed on the worldwide list.
The grading evaluated 2,250 universities across 105 countries and focused heavily on academic performance, including publications, citations and international collaboration.
Harvard took the top overall spot with a perfect global score of 100, followed by MIT at No. with a score of 97.0.
Over in the UK, the University of Oxford and University of Cambridge rounded out the top five, followed by China’s Tsinghua University at No. 6.
Berkeley was followed by Yale at No. 8, University College London and Columbia University.
UCLA narrowly missed the top 10, coming in at No. 11 globally with a score of 84.8. Los Angeles Times via Getty Images
California’s strong performance was driven largely by the University of California system, which placed four campuses in the top 25.
The results mark another bragging-rights moment for California’s higher education system, which has frequently been battered by political fights, budget battles and debates over affordability — but still placed several of its biggest research institutions among the best in the world.
California schools in the top 25
No. 3 — Stanford University
No. 7 — University of California-Berkeley
No. 11 — University of California-Los Angeles
No. 22 — University of California-San Francisco
No. 23 — California Institute of Technology
No. 23 — University of California-San Diego
Top 10 global university
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
University of California-Berkeley
University College London
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