The university also stands out in the social sciences, with its economics program ranked in the top 20 in the nation. Located within the School of Social Sciences, the program is ranked 19th overall and 4th among public universities. The undergraduate psychology program is also ranked 22nd overall and 8th among public universities.
As natural disasters become more frequent and intense due to climate change, UC San Diego economists are providing timely insights into how wildfires are affecting home insurance markets. A new National Bureau of Economic Research working paper examines how insurers are responding to rising climate risks, particularly in California, the nation’s largest and fourth-largest insurance market in the world. Co-author Judson Boomhower, assistant professor of economics at UC San Diego and faculty researcher at the National Bureau of Economic Research, explains that the study highlights the important role that information gaps play in shaping the pricing and availability of insurance for wildfires and other climate-related risks.
A leader in both innovation and social mobility, UC San Diego continues to implement transformative programs that shape the future of education. Ranked 22nd among the most innovative schools in the country in the latest U.S. News & World Report rankings, the university will soon be home to the largest lithium-ion battery system on a U.S. college campus. Powered by a world-class microgrid that provides clean, reliable energy for electricity, heating, and cooling, the university recently received a $7.15 million grant from the California Energy Commission to replace its 10-year-old batteries with a new 10 MW/40 MWh system that can power 7,500 homes for four hours.
UC San Diego, along with partners Thermo Fisher Scientific and Nikon Instruments, also officially opened the Gödel Family Technology Sandbox, a state-of-the-art instrumentation hub for science and education. The facility will foster unprecedented collaboration by giving scientists across campus access to advanced technologies for their research. It will also serve as a hub for industry collaborations, training courses and technology-based classes.
To see the full U.S. News & World Report Best Colleges 2025 rankings, visit the magazine’s website. For a complete ranking of University of California, San Diego, visit our campus profile.