UCR climbs 73 positions in Wall Street Journal rankings

UC Riverside has been ranked No. 12 in the nation for social mobility by the Wall Street Journal in rankings released this week.

The social mobility ranking factors graduation rate, post-graduation salaries, and return on investment. For graduation rate, UCR scored 98 out of a possible 100.

The Journal's 2025 Best Colleges Rankings released Sept. 5 named UCR No. 108 overall among the top 500 U.S. universities, an increase of 73 positions over the 2024 rankings. The 2025 rankings place UCR above fellow UCs Santa Barbara (No. 179) and Santa Cruz (No. 253). The top three universities were, in order: Princeton University, Babson College, and Stanford University.

The social mobility ranking of No. 12 among public and private universities in the U.S. is an increase from No. 22 this past year. UCR is the No. 45 public university in the nation on the Journal list; it was No. 76 this past year.

The 2025 Journal rankings represent an overhaul in methodology from last year's list. The new Journal rankings assign the greatest significance (70% of score) to student outcomes, with learning environment (20%), and diversity (10%) the other measures.

The student outcomes category factors graduation rates and post-graduation salaries, including the degree to which a university exceeds expectations. Learning environment is drawn almost entirely from a student survey. Diversity considers demographic and low-income student measures. In diversity, UCR scored 86 out of a possible 100.

Previously, the Journal partnered with UK-based higher education publication Times Higher Education for its rankings. In those years, the rankings formula gave greater weight to university resources, which includes faculty salaries, faculty-student ratios (which favors smaller private schools), research spending, and endowments. That disadvantaged universities such as UCR, which excels in student success measures including low-income student success and social mobility.

For its current methodology, the Journal partnered with College Pulse, a college survey and research firm, and list-generating firm Statista. College Pulse conducts student surveys with questions including about student life, career preparation, and quality of physical infrastructure such as classrooms, dining halls, and sports arenas.

Fall is college rankings season, and thus far UCR has been ranked No. 16 for Pell Grant student success by Washington Monthly, and No. 37 among public universities by Forbes magazine. U.S. News & World Report is set to publish its rankings on Sept. 24. In the past five years, UCR has been ranked by U.S. News either No. 1 or No. 2 nationally for social mobility, a measure of a university's success elevating its graduates' standards of living.

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