University of California, Davis sits in the small college town of Davis in Northern California, 25 km west of Sacramento, and the only U.S. campus ranked #2 globally in Veterinary Science by QS in 2026. The University of California, Davis ranking pattern places it at #137 in QS World University Rankings 2027 and #50 globally on Collegedunia Study Abroad 2026, with Agriculture and Forestry rated #1 nationally.
- QS World University Rankings 2027: #137 globally, #26 in USA
- Collegedunia Study Abroad 2026: #50 globally, #27 in USA
- THE World University Rankings 2026: #64 globally, #22 in USA
- U.S. News Best Global Universities 2025-2026: #96 globally, #10 among U.S. public universities
Bottom Line for Indian Students: UC Davis sits 73 places higher on THE (#64) than on QS (#137), a gap that signals stronger teaching and research scores than reputation surveys. Compared with IIT Delhi at #118 in QS 2027, Indian applicants get a global brand with top-10 ranks in Agriculture, Ecology and Veterinary Science instead of pure engineering reputation. Pick UC Davis if your target stream is life sciences, agri-tech or environmental engineering, not core CS or finance.
Table of Contents
University of California, Davis Overall Rankings 2026
Four ranking bodies place University of California, Davis between #50 and #137 globally, with the widest gap sitting between QS reputation scoring and THE teaching-and-research scoring. The table consolidates the latest verified edition from each body.
| Ranking Body and Edition | University of California, Davis Rank |
|---|---|
| Collegedunia Study Abroad 2026 | #50 globally, #27 in USA |
| THE World University Rankings 2026 | #64 globally, #22 in USA |
| U.S. News Best Global Universities 2025-2026 | #96 globally |
| ARWU Shanghai Ranking 2025 | #101-150 band globally |
| QS World University Rankings 2027 | #137 globally, #26 in USA |
The 73-place spread between THE (#64) and QS (#137) is the largest cross-body gap among the five bodies. For an Indian applicant this signals that UC Davis carries stronger research-and-teaching credentials than its employer reputation suggests, so the degree value at hiring tables stays close to its THE position, not its QS one.
Key insight: Across all five bodies, UC Davis averages a global rank of ~88. That places it in the global top 4% of universities measured by any major body.
University of California, Davis Rankings: Bottom Line for Indian Students
For Indian applicants, the University of California, Davis ranking for Indian students reads strongest where India produces large applicant pools: agriculture, veterinary, ecology and environmental engineering. The signals to act on are the QS subject rank, the THE-vs-QS gap and the Indian peer comparison.
| Signal | Verified Rank | What it means for Indian applicants |
|---|---|---|
| QS Veterinary Science 2026 | #2 globally | One of the top 2 vet science destinations worldwide, ahead of every Indian institute |
| ARWU Ecology 2025 | #3 globally | Top-3 pick for MS Environmental Science or PhD ecology applicants from India |
| THE Life Sciences 2026 | #26 globally | Stronger than UC Davis’s overall #64 rank, useful for MS Biology or MS Biotechnology aspirants |
| IIT Delhi QS 2027 (Indian comparator) | #118 globally | Higher than UC Davis (#137) on QS, but UC Davis wins clearly on agri, vet and life sciences |
| U.S. News Global 2025-2026 | #96 globally | Inside the top 100 globally; aids U.S. work-visa employer recognition |
The QS gap of 19 places between UC Davis (#137) and IIT Delhi (#118) flips entirely once you compare subject strength. Indian students chasing agri-tech, veterinary, ecology or environmental engineering should still pick UC Davis; those targeting pure CS or core engineering brand recognition may find IIT Delhi or a higher QS-ranked U.S. campus more competitive.
Key insight for Indian applicants
- Subject-led pick: UC Davis beats IIT Delhi by 116 positions on QS Vet Science (#2 vs unranked) and by similar margins on Agriculture.
- Hiring brand: THE rank of #64 puts UC Davis in the same band as top-25 U.S. publics, so degree value for U.S. employers stays high.
- Read the gap: 73-place QS-THE spread means employer surveys lag teaching scores; rely on subject rank, not headline QS, when comparing offers.
University of California, Davis QS World University Rankings 2027
The QS 2027 release on June 18, 2026 placed University of California, Davis at #137 globally, a 23-place drop from QS 2026 and the lowest position the campus has held in the five-year window. QS, which ranks universities mainly on academic reputation, employer opinion and research citations, has shown a volatile pattern for UC Davis across the trend below.
| Year | University of California, Davis QS World Rank |
|---|---|
| 2027 | #137 |
| 2026 | #114 |
| 2025 | #130 |
| 2024 | #118 |
| 2023 | #102 |
Across five editions, UC Davis has moved 35 positions from its high of #102 in 2023 to #137 in 2027, with no two consecutive years showing the same direction. The five-year QS average works out to about #120, so the latest 2027 number sits 17 places below that long-run line. For Indian applicants weighing offers, this means QS alone is an unreliable signal here; the THE and subject ranks are more stable references.
Trend signal: The 35-position spread between 2023 and 2027 is wider than the 5-year movement of most peer U.S. publics, so check the subject rank before reading too much into any single QS edition.
Read More: University of California, Davis Courses and Fees 2026 for Indian Students
Collegedunia Study Abroad Rankings of University of California, Davis
Collegedunia Study Abroad 2026 places University of California, Davis at #50 globally and #27 in USA overall, with category ranks tracked across 8 study streams. Computer Science is the weakest category at #100; Health Care, Medicine and Engineering all sit inside the top 75 globally.
| Category | Collegedunia Global Rank | Collegedunia USA Rank |
|---|---|---|
| Overall | #50 | #27 |
| Health Care | #66 | #25 |
| Medicine | #66 | #25 |
| Engineering | #72 | #30 |
| Law | #82 | #26 |
| Social Studies | #88 | #36 |
| Computer Science | #100 | #43 |
| Arts and Humanities | #111 | #40 |
Collegedunia places UC Davis 87 positions higher than QS does (CD #50 vs QS #137), which reflects CD’s heavier weighting on programme breadth and Indian-applicant outcomes. The widest internal gap is 61 positions between Health Care (#66) and Arts and Humanities (#111), so an Indian arts applicant gets a different brand value than a pre-med applicant on the same campus.
India-relevance: The CD-vs-QS gap of 87 places is one of the largest among U.S. public R1 universities and a sign that Indian student outcomes here outperform employer reputation surveys.
University of California, Davis THE Rankings 2026
THE 2026 ranks University of California, Davis at #64 globally and #22 in USA, its best position across five editions and a 3-place improvement from 2022. THE, which scores universities on teaching, research, citations, industry income and international outlook, has held UC Davis in a tight band between #62 and #67 across the trend.
| Year | University of California, Davis THE World Rank |
|---|---|
| 2026 | #64 |
| 2025 | #62 |
| 2024 | #62 |
| 2023 | #63 |
| 2022 | #67 |
UC Davis has stayed inside a 5-position THE band for five straight editions, the kind of stability that matters more to Indian visa officers and U.S. employers than any single-year movement. The five-year average sits at about #63, so the current #64 rank is essentially on its long-run line. This stability makes THE the most reliable cross-year reference among the five bodies tracked here.
Note: A 5-year band of only 5 positions is uncommon; for context, UC Davis’s QS rank moved 35 positions across the same window. Use the THE rank when you need a single stable benchmark.
University of California, Davis U.S. News Best Global Rankings 2025-2026
The U.S. News Best Global Universities 2025-2026 edition ranks University of California, Davis at #96 globally, keeping it inside the top 100 worldwide and at #10 among U.S. public universities. U.S. News uses a research-and-citations heavy formula, weighing publication volume, global research reputation and number of highly cited papers.
| Category | U.S. News Best Global 2025-2026 Rank |
|---|---|
| Global Universities | #96 |
| Top Public U.S. Universities | #10 |
UC Davis’s #10 placement among U.S. publics, against its #96 global slot, signals that within its peer set inside the United States it punches in the top tier, even when global private R1s pull the overall number lower. For Indian MS applicants chasing an in-state public tuition advantage, that #10 public ranking is the more practical reference than the global #96.
What it signals: UC Davis has held a top-10 public university slot in U.S. News for 5 consecutive years, a stability that supports visa officer and U.S. employer recognition.
University of California, Davis ARWU Shanghai Rankings 2025
ARWU 2025 places University of California, Davis in the #101-150 global band, the same range it has held for four consecutive years after its 2021 peak at #100. ARWU, which weighs Nobel laureates, highly cited researchers and Nature/Science papers, treats UC Davis as a research powerhouse but does not give it the very top global slots.
| Year | University of California, Davis ARWU Rank |
|---|---|
| 2025 | #101-150 band |
| 2024 | #101-150 band |
| 2023 | #101-150 band |
| 2022 | #101-150 band |
| 2021 | #100 |
The four-year band hold at #101-150 is the flattest pattern of any body tracked here and signals research output that consistently clears the top-150 bar but does not push into the top-100 club. ARWU’s subject ranks tell a sharper story than the headline band, with UC Davis taking top-10 global slots in Ecology, Veterinary Sciences and Water Resources.
Key insight: ARWU treats UC Davis as a top-150 research university overall but a top-10 research powerhouse in environmental and life sciences, the gap that defines its brand for Indian applicants.
University of California, Davis Subject Rankings 2025-2026
Across QS, THE and ARWU subject rankings, University of California, Davis lands inside the global top 10 in 5 disciplines and inside the top 50 in 8 more. The strongest signals are in Veterinary Science, Agriculture, Ecology and Life Sciences; the weakest are Arts and Humanities.
University of California, Davis subject ranking highlights
- QS Veterinary Science 2026: #2 globally, the campus’s single highest international rank.
- ARWU Ecology 2025: #3 globally; ARWU Veterinary Sciences #5; ARWU Water Resources #7.
- THE Life Sciences 2026: #26 globally, 38 places above UC Davis’s overall THE rank of #64.
- Engineering reality check: THE Engineering 2026 is #86, weaker than the campus’s life sciences slate; THE Computer Science sits at #101-125.
University of California, Davis QS Subject Rankings 2026
QS 2026 gives UC Davis its single most cited rank: #2 globally in Veterinary Science, second only to the Royal Veterinary College in London. Agriculture and Forestry sits inside the global top 5 and is rated #1 in the United States.
| QS Subject 2026 | University of California, Davis Rank |
|---|---|
| Veterinary Science | #2 globally |
| Agriculture and Forestry | Top 5 globally, #1 in USA |
UC Davis is one of only two universities globally to hold a top-2 QS Veterinary Science rank for five consecutive years, and it is the only U.S. campus in that pair. Indian applicants targeting an MS in Veterinary, Animal Science or Agronomy will find no higher QS-ranked option in the United States.
India-relevance: No Indian institute appears inside the QS Veterinary Science top 50, so UC Davis is effectively a 50-rank upgrade for any Indian student in this subject.
University of California, Davis THE Subject Rankings 2026
THE 2026 ranks University of California, Davis across 11 subject tables, with Life Sciences (#26) and Psychology (#46) topping the slate. Engineering and Computer Science sit in the #86 to #125 band, weaker than the overall #64 rank.
| THE Subject 2026 | University of California, Davis Rank |
|---|---|
| Life Sciences | #26 |
| Psychology | #46 |
| Business and Economics | #55 |
| Medical and Health | #72 |
| Engineering | #86 |
| Law | #89 |
| Physical Sciences | #93 |
| Education Studies | #95 |
| Social Sciences | #97 |
| Computer Science | #101-125 |
| Arts and Humanities | #151-175 |
The 125-position spread between THE Life Sciences (#26) and Arts and Humanities (#151-175) is the widest in UC Davis’s subject portfolio. The practical read for Indian applicants: subject choice on this campus matters more than at peer publics where most subjects cluster in one band.
Trend signal: Life Sciences sits 38 places above the overall THE rank; Engineering sits 22 places below it. Use the subject rank, not the headline #64, when comparing offers across streams.
University of California, Davis ARWU Subject Rankings 2025
ARWU Global Ranking of Academic Subjects 2025 gives University of California, Davis top-10 placements in 3 disciplines, with Ecology (#3) and Veterinary Sciences (#5) topping the slate. These ranks score research-output strength, citation impact and international collaboration.
| ARWU GRAS Subject 2025 | University of California, Davis Rank |
|---|---|
| Ecology | #3 |
| Veterinary Sciences | #5 |
| Water Resources | #7 |
| Agricultural Sciences | #16 |
| Communication | #20 |
| Psychology | #23 |
| Statistics | #32 |
| Biological Sciences | #33 |
Three top-10 ARWU subjects against an overall #101-150 band placement means UC Davis concentrates its research firepower in environmental and life-science disciplines, not across the board. An Indian PhD applicant in Ecology, Vet Science or Water Resources is effectively choosing a top-10 global research department, regardless of the headline overall rank.
Key insight: The 97-place gap between ARWU Ecology (#3) and overall ARWU (~#125 midpoint of band) is the single sharpest subject-vs-overall divergence in UC Davis’s profile.
University of California, Davis Regional and National Rankings
Within the United States, University of California, Davis holds a steady top-10 slot among public universities across two major bodies. The U.S. News national public rank is #10; THE rates it #22 among all U.S. universities in 2026.
| National or Regional Ranking | University of California, Davis Position |
|---|---|
| U.S. News Top Public Universities (national, 2025-2026) | #10 |
| THE U.S. ranking 2026 | #22 among all U.S. universities |
| QS USA 2027 | #26 among U.S. universities |
| Collegedunia USA 2026 | #27 among U.S. universities |
The four U.S.-only ranks cluster between #10 and #27, a tight 17-position band that signals consistent peer-tier recognition inside the United States. The U.S. News #10 public rank is the strongest practical signal for Indian applicants targeting in-state-friendly public R1 universities.
University of California, Davis Rankings: Indian Student Outlook
For Indian applicants, the University of California, Davis ranking pattern is most useful when read by stream, not headline. The five strongest rank signals all sit inside agriculture, veterinary, ecology and life-science families, the streams where Indian applicant numbers have grown fastest on this campus since 2022.
Popular programs Indian students choose at UC Davis include MS Computer Science, MS Business Analytics, MS Electrical and Computer Engineering, MS Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, and the full-time MBA. The CS and engineering programs sit alongside top-ranked Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, which remains the campus’s #1-nationally-rated draw.
| Signal | Verified Rank | Practical signal for Indian applicants |
|---|---|---|
| QS Veterinary Science 2026 | #2 globally | Strongest single brand pull for vet, animal science or agri-bio Indian applicants |
| ARWU Ecology 2025 | #3 globally | Top-3 research department for PhD ecology and environmental science aspirants |
| U.S. News U.S. Public Universities | #10 nationally | Inside the U.S. public top 10 for 5 straight years, supports U.S. employer recognition |
| THE Life Sciences 2026 | #26 globally | Use this rank, not the overall #64, when comparing biology or biotech MS offers |
| IIT Delhi QS 2027 | #118 globally | Higher than UC Davis on QS, but trails UC Davis sharply on agri, vet and ecology subject ranks |
Key signals for Indian applicants at University of California, Davis
- Subject-vs-overall gap: 5 disciplines rank inside the global top 35, against a QS overall of #137, a gap that recommends subject-led decisions.
- Stability signal: THE has held UC Davis in a 5-position band (#62-#67) for 5 years, the steadiest reading among all 5 bodies tracked.
- CD-vs-QS read: 87-place gap between Collegedunia (#50) and QS (#137) shows Indian student outcomes outperform employer surveys here.
- Engineering caveat: If your target is pure CS or core engineering brand, IIT Delhi (#118 QS) or higher-ranked U.S. publics may be a closer match.
The five-body verification leaves a clear summary read for Indian applicants: a 5-year THE band of just 5 positions, top-10 ARWU and QS slots in agriculture, veterinary and ecology, and a 87-place CD-vs-QS gap that points to strong Indian student outcomes despite a swinging QS line.
University of California, Davis Ranking FAQs
Ques. What is the QS ranking of University of California, Davis in 2027?
Ans. University of California, Davis is ranked #137 globally in QS World University Rankings 2027, released on June 18, 2026. It also stands at #26 among U.S. universities in the same edition.
Ques. Where does University of California, Davis rank on Times Higher Education in 2026?
Ans. UC Davis ranks #64 globally and #22 in USA on THE World University Rankings 2026. It has held a five-year THE band of #62 to #67, the most stable line among all five major ranking bodies.
Ques. What is UC Davis’s Collegedunia Study Abroad ranking for Indian students?
Ans. Collegedunia Study Abroad 2026 ranks UC Davis at #50 globally and #27 in USA. The CD rank sits 87 places higher than QS (#137), reflecting stronger Indian student outcomes than employer survey scores.
Ques. Which subject is University of California, Davis ranked highest in?
Ans. UC Davis ranks #2 globally in QS Veterinary Science 2026, its single highest international rank. Agriculture and Forestry sits inside the QS global top 5 and is rated #1 in the United States.
Ques. How does University of California, Davis compare with IIT Delhi for Indian applicants?
Ans. IIT Delhi sits at #118 in QS 2027, 19 places above UC Davis (#137). UC Davis wins clearly on subject ranks for agriculture, veterinary, ecology and life sciences, while IIT Delhi holds the edge for pure engineering and computer science reputation.
Ques. What is UC Davis’s ARWU Shanghai ranking?
Ans. ARWU 2025 places UC Davis in the #101-150 global band, the same range it has held for four consecutive years after its 2021 peak at #100. UC Davis takes top-10 global slots in Ecology (#3), Veterinary Sciences (#5) and Water Resources (#7).
Ques. What is University of California, Davis ranked among U.S. public universities?
Ans. UC Davis ranks #10 among U.S. public universities in the U.S. News Best Global Universities 2025-2026 edition. It also stands at #22 among all U.S. universities on THE 2026.
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