Despite budget cuts, a squeeze for resources and a new, arguably more stressful application process systemwide, six University of California campuses made the Top 10 on U.S News & World Report's list of the nation's best public universities.
UC Berkeley ranked No. 1 for the 15th year in a row, followed by UCLA at No. 2, UC Santa Barbara at No. 8 and UC Irvine at No. 9. UC San Diego and UC Davis tied for the No. 10 spot with the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
In a newsletter on the University of California website, UC President Janet Napolitano said the rankings were a reflection of the quality of a UC education.
“That six of our campuses are in the top 10 reflects the commitment to excellence found among our students, faculty and staff systemwide. These rankings capture what we already know -- UC students obtain a world-class education at a great value,” said Napolitano in the newsletter.
But the UC system was not without problems this past year.