UC Berkeley is the top public university and the second best overall in the United States, according to Forbes’ 2022 America’s Top Colleges list. 

The list emphasizes campus’s rich history of leadership in technological and social change.

“We are pleased to see UC Berkeley ranked, once again, as the top public university in the country, and tied with Stanford in the No. 2 spot for best university,” said campus spokesperson Janet Gilmore in an email. “We know that rankings can fluctuate from year to year, however at Berkeley we have consistently, for decades, been ranked at or near the top of these rankings.”

According to Forbes senior education reporter Emma Whitford, the America’s Top Colleges ranking considered factors such as alumni salary, which makes up 20% of the ranking model. Other factors include student debt, graduation rates and the number of Pell grant recipients each school enrolls. These numbers are gathered from two different data sources, Whitford added.

The ranking lists UC Berkeley’s median 10-year salary as $154,500, and its average debt load as $7,086.

“One of the things that sets Forbes apart in its rankings is that we use the Forbes American Leaders list, which is a proprietary list that we keep that looks at the entrepreneurial leadership success of a college’s graduates,” Whitford said.

Considering these factors, Forbes ranked the Massachusetts Institute of Technology as first in the United States. UC Berkeley and Stanford were tied for second, with Princeton and Columbia ranking fourth and fifth, respectively.

After UC Berkeley, UC campuses round out the top four public universities on the list, with UCLA ranked sixth, UC San Diego ranked 17th and UC Davis ranked 23rd. Last year, UC Berkeley was ranked first in the nation by Forbes among all public and private colleges.

“It’s very encouraging to our students to be attending such a high ranking institution,” said ASUC Senator Thin Rati Oo in an email. “Of course, rankings are (subject) to opinion but for many of our students Cal is their dream institution and being here just encourages us to work hard at achieving our goals.”

UC Berkeley’s ranking in Forbes’ list this year was an incredible honor for all students on campus, Oo added.

ASUC Academic Affairs Vice President James Weichert noted that UC Berkeley’s ranking is a reflection of the school’s top-class education.

“It’s always great to see recognition about the opportunities that Berkeley provides to a wide array of students across the state of California, the country and the world,” Weichert said. “But as every Berkeley student knows, you can’t just pay attention to that. You gotta put your head down and get back to classes!”