CAMPUS DISTINCTIONS
Key Rankings
UCI is one of 62 universities in the U.S. and Canada elected to membership in the prestigious Association of American Universities.
UCI is ranked 14th among the nation’s best public universities and 46th among all national public and private universities, according to the annual U.S. News & World Report “America’s Best Colleges” ranking of undergraduate programs at leading universities. Among specific undergraduate programs, The Henry Samueli School of Engineering ranked 45th among engineering schools whose highest degree is a doctorate. UCI also is ranked 10th among public and private universities whose students graduate with the least amount of debt.
In the Academic Ranking of World Universities 2008 by Shanghai Jiao Tong University’s Institute of Higher Education, UCI is ranked 34th in the U.S., 36th in the Americas and 46th in the world.
In a 2007 report by the American Chemical Society’s Committee on Professional Training, UCI is ranked in the top five universities in the U.S. with the highest numbers of chemistry degrees conferred at all three levels (bachelor’s, master’s and Ph.D.). UCI finished ahead of UCLA, California Institute of Technology and Stanford University.
The Paul Merage School of Business M.B.A. programs consistently rank among the best in the world, including No. 1 in Southern California for its Executive M.B.A. program by Financial Times.
U.S. News & World Report ranks schools and programs periodically. Following are the most current rankings for UCI graduate programs and specialties that have been named among the nation’s top 50: literary criticism & theory (1), behavioral neuroscience (5), criminology (5), creative writing (6), healthcare management (9), organic chemistry (10), information systems (11), drama & theater (12), third-world literature (12), cognitive psychology (13), psychology – neurobiology & behavior (16), experimental psychology (19), gender and literature (19), cell biology/developmental biology (21), 19th- & 20th-century literature (22), chemistry (22), English (22), psychology – cognitive science (22), sociology (27), aerospace engineering (29), physics (29), psychology (29), mechanical engineering (30), civil engineering (31), computer science (31), biological sciences (34), environmental engineering (34), engineering (35), political science (36), biomedical engineering (40), economics (42), history (42), business (44), mathematics (44), materials science engineering (45), medicine – research (45), psychology & social behavior (47), and electrical engineering (49).
The 2009 Philosophical Gourmet Report ranked the graduate program in philosophy 23rd in the U.S., with 11 specialty areas ranked in the top 10. UCI received a first-place ranking for its program in decision, rational choice & game theory; second place for philosophy of physics, philosophy of science and philosophy of social science; third place for early modern philosophy - 17th century, mathematical logic and philosophy of mathematics; and fourth-place rankings for history of analytic philosophy, medieval philosophy, philosophical logic and philosophy of biology. UCI’s program is co-administered by the Department of Logic & Philosophy of Science in the School of Social Sciences and the Department of Philosophy in the School of Humanities.
The 2007 Faculty Scholarly Productivity Index ranked five UCI research fields in the top five among large research universities. Computer & information science ranked first; information science/studies fourth; and geology/Earth science, mathematics, and urban & regional planning fifth. Produced by Academic Analytics, the index rates journal articles and books published by each program’s faculty, as well as journal citations, awards, honors and grants.
The Princeton Review named UCI a 2009 Best College in the Western Region for excellence in academics.
UCI graduates rank eighth nationally in salary earnings among U.S. public universities, according to a 2008 report by PayScale.com published on Forbes.com.
Kiplinger Personal Finance ranked UCI 21st among the “Best Values in Public Colleges,” published December 2008, listing the top public universities in the country for affordability and quality of education.
Diverse Issues in Higher Education ranks UCI fourth in the nation for awarding bachelor’s degrees to minority students in the 2006-07 school year. The rankings are based on data submitted by institutions of higher education to the U.S. Department of Education.
In the Academic Ranking of World Universities 2008 by Shanghai Jiao Tong University’s Institute of Higher Education, UCI is ranked 34th in the U.S., 36th in the Americas and 46th in the world.
In a 2007 report by the American Chemical Society’s Committee on Professional Training, UCI is ranked in the top five universities in the U.S. with the highest numbers of chemistry degrees conferred at all three levels (bachelor’s, master’s and Ph.D.). UCI finished ahead of UCLA, California Institute of Technology and Stanford University.
The Paul Merage School of Business M.B.A. programs consistently rank among the best in the world, including No. 1 in Southern California for its Executive M.B.A. program by Financial Times.
U.S. News & World Report ranks schools and programs periodically. Following are the most current rankings for UCI graduate programs and specialties that have been named among the nation’s top 50: literary criticism & theory (1), behavioral neuroscience (5), criminology (5), creative writing (6), healthcare management (9), organic chemistry (10), information systems (11), drama & theater (12), third-world literature (12), cognitive psychology (13), psychology – neurobiology & behavior (16), experimental psychology (19), gender and literature (19), cell biology/developmental biology (21), 19th- & 20th-century literature (22), chemistry (22), English (22), psychology – cognitive science (22), sociology (27), aerospace engineering (29), physics (29), psychology (29), mechanical engineering (30), civil engineering (31), computer science (31), biological sciences (34), environmental engineering (34), engineering (35), political science (36), biomedical engineering (40), economics (42), history (42), business (44), mathematics (44), materials science engineering (45), medicine – research (45), psychology & social behavior (47), and electrical engineering (49).
The 2009 Philosophical Gourmet Report ranked the graduate program in philosophy 23rd in the U.S., with 11 specialty areas ranked in the top 10. UCI received a first-place ranking for its program in decision, rational choice & game theory; second place for philosophy of physics, philosophy of science and philosophy of social science; third place for early modern philosophy - 17th century, mathematical logic and philosophy of mathematics; and fourth-place rankings for history of analytic philosophy, medieval philosophy, philosophical logic and philosophy of biology. UCI’s program is co-administered by the Department of Logic & Philosophy of Science in the School of Social Sciences and the Department of Philosophy in the School of Humanities.
The 2007 Faculty Scholarly Productivity Index ranked five UCI research fields in the top five among large research universities. Computer & information science ranked first; information science/studies fourth; and geology/Earth science, mathematics, and urban & regional planning fifth. Produced by Academic Analytics, the index rates journal articles and books published by each program’s faculty, as well as journal citations, awards, honors and grants.
The Princeton Review named UCI a 2009 Best College in the Western Region for excellence in academics.
UCI graduates rank eighth nationally in salary earnings among U.S. public universities, according to a 2008 report by PayScale.com published on Forbes.com.
Kiplinger Personal Finance ranked UCI 21st among the “Best Values in Public Colleges,” published December 2008, listing the top public universities in the country for affordability and quality of education.
Diverse Issues in Higher Education ranks UCI fourth in the nation for awarding bachelor’s degrees to minority students in the 2006-07 school year. The rankings are based on data submitted by institutions of higher education to the U.S. Department of Education.
Top Accolades
Three UCI researchers have won Nobel Prizes, F. Sherwood Rowland and Irwin Rose in chemistry, and Frederick Reines in physics.
Orange County’s only university hospital and Level I trauma center, UC Irvine Medical Center is ranked among the nation’s best 50 hospitals by U.S. News & World Report in three specialty-care areas and one of the top 33 nationally on the “Leapfrog Top Hospitals” list for quality and safety.
The Chao Family Comprehensive Cancer Center at UC Irvine Medical Center is the only Orange County facility to earn the National Cancer Institute’s prestigious “comprehensive” designation.
U.S. News & World Report ranks UCI’s creative writing program – producer of such noted authors as Michael Chabon, Alice Sebold and Richard Ford – sixth nationally.
UCI athletics teams have earned 26 national titles in nine sports, and 63 individual Anteaters have won national titles; 42 have competed in the Olympics.
Orange County’s only university hospital and Level I trauma center, UC Irvine Medical Center is ranked among the nation’s best 50 hospitals by U.S. News & World Report in three specialty-care areas and one of the top 33 nationally on the “Leapfrog Top Hospitals” list for quality and safety.
The Chao Family Comprehensive Cancer Center at UC Irvine Medical Center is the only Orange County facility to earn the National Cancer Institute’s prestigious “comprehensive” designation.
U.S. News & World Report ranks UCI’s creative writing program – producer of such noted authors as Michael Chabon, Alice Sebold and Richard Ford – sixth nationally.
UCI athletics teams have earned 26 national titles in nine sports, and 63 individual Anteaters have won national titles; 42 have competed in the Olympics.
Did You Know?
UCI ranks among the top U.S. universities – public and private – in the number of undergraduate applications and, for fall 2008, the campus admitted among the most academically competitive freshman classes in its history.Enrolling its first students in 2009, UCI’s School of Law will be the first public law school in California to open in more than 40 years.
The Donald Bren School of Information & Computer Sciences is the first in the UC system and among the fastest-growing programs of its kind in the nation.
UCI’s 111,000 graduates include leaders in the arts, sciences, business, education – all walks of life. Among them are three Pulitzer Prize winners and the architect of the “HTTP/1.1” Internet protocol used worldwide.
UCI offers 81 undergraduate degree programs, as well as 51 master’s, an M.D., an Ed.D. and 44 Ph.D. programs.
UCI academic preparation programs touch the lives of tens of thousands of K-12 students in California each year, and many serve as national models.
Internationally acclaimed artist Maya Lin, known for designing the Vietnam Veterans Memorial and other major environmental art installations, has created a new outdoor plaza for UCI’s Claire Trevor School of the Arts.
UC Irvine Extension offers more than 4,400 enrichment courses, including continuing education and certificate programs that support business, civic and personal growth.
The UCI Libraries, the region’s largest information resource, also draw more than half of their 2 million-plus annual visitors from outside the campus community.
Fueling Growth & Prosperity
UCI has an annual economic impact on Orange County of $4.2 billion and is a significant contributor to the region’s talent-rich workforce. In 2007-08, the university invested more than $281 million in capital projects, with additional upgrades under way or in the planning stages.Extramural funding – money coming from outside sources, including federal and state agencies, industry contracts and private foundations in support of UCI research – totaled $328 million in 2007-08.
Underscoring strong community support, private giving to UCI topped $130 million in 2007-08. With an endowment valued at $251 million as of June 30, 2008, the University of California, Irvine Foundation spearheads private fundraising efforts for the campus and, with the assistance of alumni and community leaders, helps ensure UCI’s future as a world-class research university.
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