UCLA Loses Top Spot on Best Public University Ranking

UCLA was graded A+ in most metrics, including academics, but a school in Michigan achieved first place this year.

A student walks toward Royce Hall on the campus of University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA) on March 11, 2020. Robyn Beck/AFP via Getty Images

One of the best-known universities in California has moved down one place since last year in a list of the nation’s best public universities published on Aug. 25 by data analysis website Niche.

University of California–Los Angeles (UCLA) was ranked the second best public university for 2026, surpassed by the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. The University of California–Berkeley ranked number nine on the top 25 list.