Rankings, Honors & Awards

L&S Earns Highest Marks Our Rankings, Honors and Achievements

The College of Letters & Science at UC Davis unites students from around the world with cutting-edge education, research, and innovation.

U.S. News & World Report Rankings

Overall Rankings for UC Davis

icons with academic building around number 10, ladder leaning against 27, building with columns around 3810, 27 and 38

"America's Best Graduate Schools"

Several College of Letters and Science programs rank among the top in the nation:

  • 8th Earth Sciences: Environmental Sciences (2022)
  • 9th History: U.S. Colonial History (2014)
  • 9th Psychology: Developmental Psychology (2022)
  • 10th Sociology: Sex & Gender (2014)
  • 11th Psychology: Cognitive Psychology (2022)
  • 12th Psychology (2022)
  • 13th Communications (2024) (9th in US)
  • 13th Statistics (2022)
  • 13th Mathematics: Discrete Mathematics and Combinatorics (2023)
  • 14th Earth Sciences (2023)
  • 15th Fine Arts: Studio Art, Design, Dramatic Arts and Creative Writing (2020)
  • 15th Political Science: Comparative Politics (2014)
  • 15th Political Science: Political Methodology (2014)
  • 16th Earth Sciences: Geology (2023)
  • 16th Economics: International Economics (2022)
  • 24th History (2021)
  • 24th Statistics: Biostatistics (2022)
  • 25th Earth Sciences: Geochemistry (2022)
  • 25th Political Science (2021)
  • 26th Economics (2022)
  • 26th English (2021)
  • 30th Mathematics (2023)
  • 31st Sociology (2021)
  • 38th Chemistry (2023)
  • 38th Physics (2023)
  • 41st Computer Science (2023)


Other Rankings

Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2022
UC Davis overall: 30th among U.S. universities

QS World University Rankings 2024 (1,499 ranked)
​​​​​​UC Davis overall: 132

QS World University Rankings-Sustainability 2024
Among U.S. universities: 5
Among world universities: 16

QS World University Rankings: USA 2023
Among U.S. universities: 28
Among public universities: 11

Shanghai Academic Ranking of World Universities 2021
Top 25: Communication, Psychology, Statistics
Top 50: Economics
UC Davis overall: 91

QS World University Rankings 2023 by College of Letters and Science Programs 
(Top 25 among U.S. universities)

  • 20: Earth and Marine Sciences
  • 21: Economics and Econometrics
  • 21: Geophysics
  • 21: Geology
  • 22: Statistics and Operational Research

U.S. News & World Report Global Rankings 2023
(200 schools ranked in the U.S. and in more than 95 other countries)

  • Top 50: Psychology
  • Top 100: Geosciences, Mathematics, Space Science
  • Top 200: Arts and Humanities, Computer Science, Economics and Business

UC Davis overall: 73


Did You Know?

Faculty Honors and Awards Nationally Recognized Leaders in a Wide Array of Disciplines.

Our College boasts over 900 distinguished faculty who inspire cross-disciplinary collaboration across creative, historical, and philosophical fields. They drive scientific discovery and tackle the world’s biggest questions, earning top awards for exceptional scholarship, teaching, mentoring, and community engagement.