The University of California ranking is greatly improved because of this criterion - social mobility

On September 10th, US News and World Report US.News released the 2019 US University Rankings. The list is single and has won reports from various media. Schools with changing rankings have received attention, and the most eye-catching is the University of California system. Many media said that the University of California is the biggest winner this year, and there are netizens who are arguing whether the University of California is "going back." Below, let me see how the University of California became the big winner this year?

As the largest public university system in California, the University of California has a total of ten campuses/campus. Among them, the University of California, San Francisco is a medical school, not included in the US.News ranking. The remaining 9 schools are ranked as follows:

California Series University Rankings in 2019
School Name                                                                  2019 Ranking                        2018 Ranking                              2019 Ranking Change
UCLA                                                                                   19                                           21                                                      +2
University of California, Berkeley                                             22                                           21                                                       -1
University of California, Santa Barbara                                     30                                           37                                                      +7
University of California, Irvine                                                 33                                           42                                                      +9
University of California, Davis                                                 38                                           46                                                       +8
University of California, San Diego                                          41                                           42                                                      +1
University of California, Santa Cruz                                          70                                           81                                                      +11
University of California, Riverside                                            85                                          124                                                    +39
University of California, Merced                                              136                                         165                                                    +29

University of California

We can see that among the nine campuses of the University of California, in addition to UCB, the ranking of the University of California at Berkeley has regressed a term compared to last year, and the rankings of the other eight campuses have improved significantly. UCLA was upgraded from 21 last year to 19, becoming a member of the TOP20. The most notable increase in rankings was the University of California, Riverside, which rose from 124th to 85th last year and improved 39 places.

According to the University of California's official website, Kim A. Wilcox, president of the University of California, Riverside, said: "I am encouraged by the fact that more university ranking systems are beginning to recognize diversity, social mobility and student success. The logo of the university - not exclusivity and wealth." "We are committed to providing the highest quality research-based university experience for all background students." The University of California, Merced, rose from 165th to 136th last year, raising one 29 places. It is worth mentioning that Merced has only established 14 academic years, and in this period of time has won outstanding academic honors. It is simply a rising star. According to this momentum, it may take a few years to rush into the TOP100.

Overall, the University of California, California's largest public university system, is also prominent in public schools throughout the United States. UCLA and the University of California at Berkeley were ranked first and second among national public universities. The University of California, Santa Barbara is ranked fifth. The University of California, Irvine is ranked 7th, the University of California at Davis is ranked 10th, and the University of California, San Diego is ranked 12th this year. The University of California, Santa Cruz, ranked 26th, the University of California, Riverside, ranked 35th, and the University of California, Merced, ranked 67th.

Why does the University of California stand out in the US.News rankings? The word "social mobility" appeared in many news and interpretations. Social mobility refers to social mobility. In this year's ranking assessment, US.News, while emphasizing academic reputation, financial resources, and admission selectivity, considers the graduation rate of students, especially the graduation rate of low-income families. US.News stated that “changes are meant to better measure the performance of universities in promoting social mobility.”

The university rankings for 2019 include two “social mobility” indicators based on the Pell Grants graduate rate. The Pell Grant is funded by the Ministry of Education and is designed to make it easier for students with lower family incomes to enter the university. The recipients are often from families with annual incomes below $50,000, most of which are used to finance students whose family income is less than $20,000. These two indicators are the six-year graduation rate for bursary students and the graduation rate compared to the overall graduation rates of universities and colleges. Together, these two indicators account for 5% of the total ranking assessment and are designed to reward schools with high academic productivity from low-income backgrounds. The University of California is the largest public university system in California. It receives a large number of low-income background students and has a higher graduation rate from low-income background students, so they have become the biggest beneficiaries of this new scoring mechanism.

This change in evaluation criteria also reflects a heated discussion of income inequality in American society. When assessing American universities, the proportion of factors affecting students' entry into college and background is lowered, and the success of students in low-income families is considered. The logic of this approach is that if students score high when they enter school, they are often from high-income families. They are destined to succeed, and their success is not surprising. And if students from low-income families can succeed in higher education, then the success of American higher education can be reflected.

Considering the factor of social mobility has indeed benefited some public schools and their rankings have improved. However, some critics have suggested that the specific calculation method for this factor is not comprehensive enough. For example, among the top private schools in the top ten, Princeton University and Harvard University still have not graduated due to this factor. For international students, the promotion of the University of California will inevitably attract more local students, both local students and international students will face more intense competition. If you want to apply to the University of California, you can consider applying to a community college in the California area, and then transfer to the University of California. For more information about the US university rankings, the University of California transfer application, welcome to consult the US study abroad agency life education.