UC Berkeley was ranked as the world’s top public university and fourth-best overall in the U.S. News & World Report rankings published Tuesday, with a score of 89.8 on a scale of zero to 100.

This marks the seventh annual U.S. News & World Report Best Global Universities ranking, which evaluate nearly 1,500 schools across 86 countries to help student applicants “accurately compare institutions around the world,” according to a U.S. News press release. Universities were ranked according to academic research and reputation, with UC Berkeley ranking fifth for global research reputation.

UC Berkeley spokesperson Janet Gilmore said the ranking is “wonderful news” for the campus.

“We know that rankings may change from year to year but we are especially proud that over the years — and going back decades — Berkeley has consistently been at the top or in the top tier of various major national and international rankings,” Gilmore said in an email. “It is no accident. It is a reflection of the sustained excellence in our community.”

This global ranking differs from the U.S. News & World Report national ranking in September that ranked UC Berkeley as the second best public university. According to Gilmore, this is because the global rankings were based on 13 indicators chosen to measure global research performance, while the national rankings were based on different criteria pertaining to U.S. undergraduates such as graduation rates, financial resources and student retention.

According to Robert Morse, chief data strategist of U.S. News & World Report, UC Berkeley’s score of 89.8 was based on ranking indicators such as the number of publications and citations, as well as global research reputation.

Across 31 subjects, UC Berkeley also ranked first in chemistry and third in a variety of subjects, including economics and business, environment/ecology, biotechnology and applied microbiology, physics and space science.

“In considering where to apply to college, students should seek to find the right fit for them,” Gilmore added in the email. “That said, we know that many people do pay attention to these rankings, so they are important in that regard.”

Campus students such as freshman Vanessa Kilps and junior Kimberly Hebert voiced their thoughts about the ranking on Twitter.

Hebert said in an email that she feels proud that UC Berkeley is receiving such high recognition on a global scale and hopes that the rankings assist prospective college students. Kilps echoed these thoughts and added that being a student at a high-ranking school requires hard work.

“This ranking is a reminder of how grateful and happy I should be about attending UC Berkeley,” Kilps said. “It takes hard work and focus, but at the same time it’s really great to be attending a school where everyone is so driven and competitive because it drives me even more.”