UC Riverside has been named one of the world’s top universities in the 2026 edition of the QS World University Rankings released June 19.

The campus placed No. 66 in the United States in the 20th edition of the rankings, published by higher education analyst Quacquarelli Symonds and posted at TopUniversities.com. Among the nation’s public universities UCR was No. 35. Internationally, UCR was No. 440, moving up from No. 497 in the 2025 edition.

The list features 1,501 universities in 106 locations around the world including 192 in the U.S. The publisher based its rankings on factors including research and discovery, employability outcomes, global engagement, learning experience, and sustainability.

In March, in a separate list, QS World University Rankings ranked UCR among the world’s top universities for 17 subject areas, including placing No. 89 in the world for agriculture and forestry.