Recent national and global rankings continue to highlight UC Davis as a leader in the biological sciences. In the 2026 U.S. News & World Report Best Graduate Schools rankings, UC Davis biological sciences tied for 21st, placing it among the top biological sciences graduate programs in the United States.

Internationally, the 2026 QS World University Rankings by Subject placed UC Davis tied for 43rd globally in biological sciences. These rankings assess institutions based on factors including academic reputation, employer reputation, research citations and international research collaboration.

Together, these rankings reflect the strength, visibility and global impact of biological sciences research and training at UC Davis.

About U.S. News rankings

U.S. News ranks some disciplines annually and others periodically. Rankings in the six disciplines are based on statistical surveys and often on surveys of academics and employers in the fields. Graduate rankings in other disciplines — including several in the fields of science, social sciences and humanities, and health — are calculated solely from peer assessment surveys. The rankings are available on the U.S. News and World Report website. 

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.