UC Berkeley is the #1 public and #5 overall in latest Forbes rankings of undergraduate colleges
The annual rankings focus on graduates' return on investment and career achievements, among other factors.
Brandon Sanchez/UC Berkeley
August 27, 2025
In its newest ranking of America’s Top Colleges, Forbes placed UC Berkeley at #5 nationwide and #1 among public universities based on academic, financial and career outcomes for undergraduate students.
The annual list, published Tuesday, showcases 500 colleges that produce successful, high-earning and influential graduates from all economic backgrounds, who graduate with less student debt.
According to the announcement, “American colleges are still delivering gold-standard undergraduate education” despite attacks from the White House and Congress. Three University of California campuses — including UCLA at #15 and UC San Diego at #20 — made it into the top 20. UC Berkeley bested Harvard and Yale universities, but came in behind MIT at #1, Columbia University at #2, Princeton at #3 and Stanford at #4. Forbes called Berkeley a “perennial public college stand-out.”
Among the top five universities, UC Berkeley was notable for the lowest average debt upon graduation: $6,529. The median annual salary over the first 20 years after graduation was $170,100, roughly on par with the other top-10 universities.
Berkeley routinely ranks high in both national and international rankings. In June, the campus was ranked the sixth-best university worldwide and the top public university in U.S. News & World Report’s latest global university rankings. The magazine also ranked 50 of Berkeley’s graduate programs among the top 10 nationwide earlier this year.
Forbes used 14 separate metrics to rank higher education institutions, focusing on graduation and retention rates, return on investment (ROI), average student debt levels and outcomes for graduates. Schools ranked highly on the list if their students returned after the first year, graduated on time, secured high salaries after graduation and left college with little student debt.
Forbes also incorporated outcomes for low-income students in two measures: six-year graduation rates and ROI measures for recipients of Pell grants, federal aid reserved for students with the greatest financial need. Colleges also were ranked higher if they enrolled a higher percentage of low-income students.
