Niche's 2026 Best Colleges in America rankings placed the University of Michigan as the top public university and moved UCLA from No. 1 to No. 2 among public schools. UCLA remained 20th overall, while UC Berkeley ranked No. 9 among public universities and fell six spots to No. 48 overall. UCLA earned No. 1 distinctions for best college food and best campus. MIT, Yale and Stanford ranked first through third overall, with Caltech entering the top 10 at No. 9. Caltech was the most selective with a 3% acceptance rate, and three California schools ranked among the five most difficult to enter.
UCLA, which earned the No. 1 spot last year, was bumped down to the second-best public university in the nation, just behind the University of Michigan, in Niche's 2026 Best Colleges in America rankings, published Monday. ( Niche considers factors such as student reviews, academics, professors, the campus, diversity, safety and student life.) The only other California school that cracked the top 10 on the list of best public universities was UC Berkeley at No. 9.
In Niche's 2026 list, though, UCLA held its same overall position from last year as the 20th-best private or public university in the country, a few spots behind Claremont's Harvey Mudd College (No. 16), while UC Berkeley fell six spots from last year to No. 48. UCLA also secured two other surprising No.1 spots: best college food in the country and best campus.
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