The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) has a strong and steady position in global rankings in 2026. It is ranked #46 in QS World University Rankings, #18 in Times Higher Education (THE) World University Rankings, and #13 in US News Best Global Universities Rankings. This shows that UCLA is consistently placed within the top 50 universities in the world. Over the years, the QS ranking has changed a bit, but THE rankings have stayed almost the same. The US News ranking has also remained stable. In the United States, UCLA is ranked #17 overall and #2 among public universities, showing a strong national position as well.

In subject rankings, UCLA performs well across different areas according to major ranking bodies:

  • QS Subject Rankings 2026: Top 10 in subjects like Anatomy and Philosophy (#6), Anthropology (#7), and English Language and Literature (#9).
  • US News Subject Rankings: Oncology (#5), Biology and Biochemistry (#10), and Molecular Biology and Genetics (#12).
  • Shanghai Subject Rankings: High ranks in Atmospheric Science (#5), Artificial Intelligence (#7), and Clinical Medicine (#7).

Overall, UCLA shows strong performance in science, health, and technology subjects, with many subjects ranked within the top 10 to 15 globally.

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University of California, Los Angeles World Rankings 2026

The University of California, Los Angeles is consistently ranked among the top universities in the world across multiple ranking bodies. In 2026, it ranks at #46 in the QS World University Rankings and #18 in the THE World University Rankings. The US News Best Global University Rankings places it at #13 this year, marking an improvement from #11 in 2025.

Looking at trends, Edinburgh's QS ranking has seen some movement over the years, dropping from #29 in 2024 to #46 in 2026 after a period of fluctuation. Its THE ranking, however, has remained notably stable, holding around #18–#21 since 2022. The US News ranking shows a broadly strong position, consistently sitting between #11 and #18 across the last five years.

Below are the rankings of UCLA by various ranking agencies over the years:​

Ranking Agency 2026 2025 2024 2023 2022
QS World University Ranking #46 #42 #29 #44 #40
THE World University Ranking #18 #=18 #18 #21 #20
US News Best Global University Rankings #13 #11 #18 #14 #14
Shanghai Rankings - #16 #15 #13 #13
CWUR - #17 #17 #18 #18

UCLA QS Subject Rankings

In the QS Subject Rankings 2026, UCLA ranks well across many subjects. It is in the top 10 for Anatomy and Philosophy (#6), Anthropology (#7), English Language and Literature (#9), Modern Languages (#9), Geography (#10), and Linguistics (#10). Many other subjects like Mathematics (#12), Life Sciences and Medicine (#13), and Psychology (#11) also rank within the top 15.

Subject Rank Subject Rank
Anatomy and Philosophy #6 Anthropology #7
English Language and Literature #9 Modern Languages #9
Geography #10 Linguistics #10
Arts and Humanities #11 Psychology #11
Archaeology #13 Life Science and Medicine #13
Medicine #13 Data Science and AI #14
History #14 Mathematics #12
Sociology #14 Economics and Econometrics #14
Biological Sciences #15 Electronic and Electrical Engineering #15
Accounting and Finance #15 Chemistry #16
Physics and Astronomy #16 Education and Training #17
Computer Science and Information System #19 Material Sciences #19
Statistics and Operative Research #19 Environmental Sciences #21
Natural Sciences #22 Social Sciences and Management #23
Earth and Marine Sciences #24 Communication and Media Studies #25
Engineering and Technology #27 Chemical Engineering #27
Mechanical Engineering #28 Geology #27
Geophysics #27 Politics #28
Law and Legal Studies #31 Architecture and Built Environment #32
Civil and Structural Engineering #33 Performing Arts #35
Art and Design #43 Development Studies #43
Business and Management Studies #44 Nursing #45
Marketing #46

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UCLA US News Subject Rankings

In the US News Subject Rankings 2025-26, UCLA shows strong performance across medicine, science, and humanities. Oncology leads at #5, with Biology and Biochemistry (#10), Molecular Biology and Genetics (#12), and Arts and Humanities (#12) all placing in the top 15. Neuroscience and Behavior (#13), Clinical Medicine (#15), and Materials Science (#14) further highlight UCLA's strength in health and science-related fields.

Subject Rank Subject Rank
Artificial Intelligence #86 Arts and Humanities #12
Biology and Biochemistry #10 Biotechnology and Applied Microbiology #32
Cardiac and Cardiovascular Systems #60 Cell Biology #17
Chemistry #38 Civil Engineering #92
Clinical Medicine #15 Computer Science #52
Condensed Matter Physics #43 Ecology #50
Economics and Business #46 Education and Educational Research #83
Electrical and Electronic Engineering #148 Endocrinology and Metabolism #68
Engineering #82 Environment/Ecology #36
Gastroenterology and Hepatology #57 Geosciences #21
Immunology #35 Infectious Diseases #31
Materials Science #14 Mathematics #23
Meteorology and Atmospheric Sciences #24 Microbiology #52
Molecular Biology and Genetics #12 Nanoscience and Nanotechnology #38
Neuroscience and Behavior #13 Oncology #5
Optics #23 Pharmacology and Toxicology #69
Physical Chemistry `1 Physics #34
Plant and Animal Science #116 Psychiatry/Psychology #16
Public, Environmental and Occupational Health #47 Radiology, Nuclear Medicine and Medical Imaging #26
Social Sciences and Public Health #27 Space Science #36
Surgery #40

UCLA Shanghai Rankings

UCLA appears in the Shanghai Subject Rankings across a wide range of Subjects. Psychology leads at #6, followed by Atmospheric Science (#5), Artificial Intelligence (#7), Electrical and Electronic Engineering (#7), and Clinical Medicine (#7) all placing in the top 10. Materials Science and Engineering (#8), Biotechnology (#12), and Human Biological Sciences (#13) further reflect solid performance across science, health, and technology fields.

Subject Rank Subject Rank
Mathematics #16 Physics #22
Chemistry #51–75 Earth Sciences #28
Geography #25 Ecology #51–75
Oceanography #32 Atmospheric Science #5
Mechanical Engineering #42 Electrical & Electronic Engineering #7
Automation & Control #151–200 Telecommunication Engineering #76–100
Instruments Science & Technology #201–300 Biomedical Engineering #32
Computer Science & Engineering #76–100 Civil Engineering #76–100
Chemical Engineering #401–500 Materials Science & Engineering #8
Nanoscience & Nanotechnology #51–75 Energy Science & Engineering #151–200
Environmental Science & Engineering #201–300 Water Resources #51–75
Biotechnology #12 Aerospace Engineering #51–75
Transportation Science & Technology #151–200 Remote Sensing #101–150
Metallurgical Engineering #151–200 Artificial Intelligence #7
Robotic Science & Engineering #51–75 Biological Sciences #29
Human Biological Sciences #13 Clinical Medicine #7
Public Health #19 Dentistry & Oral Sciences #14
Nursing #37 Medical Technology #26
Pharmacy & Pharmaceutical Sciences #151–200 Economics #12
Statistics #18 Law #48
Political Sciences #26 Sociology #20
Education #49 Communication #101–150
Psychology #6 Finance #38
Management #101–150

UCLA Miscellaneous Rankings

Additionally, UCLA is ranked across several other categories. In the US News Rankings, it ranks #17 among national universities and #2 among top public schools in the country. The CWUR 2025 places it at #17 out of 21,462 universities worldwide and #14 nationally, pointing to its consistent performance across both national and global measures.

Ranking Bodies Ranking
QS Sustainability Ranking #290
US News National University Ranking #17
US News Top Public School Ranking #2
US News Best Value School Ranking #149
CWUR 2025 #17 out of 21,462
CWUR National Rank 2025 #14

Overall, UCLA has a strong and stable position globally, with rankings staying within the top 50 worldwide. It performs especially well in science, health, and technology subjects, where many areas rank in the top 10–15 globally. This makes UCLA a reliable and well-ranked choice for students across different fields.