UC Davis has been recognized as among the top universities in the country for its contributions to society.

The campus earned a No. 6 ranking in Washington Monthly’s annual college guide and rankings released today (Aug. 23), improving from a 10th place ranking in 2009. The publication offers a “very different perspective on higher education,” one focused on how colleges shape the “characters of tomorrow’s leaders” and offer social mobility and service opportunities.

“Other guides ask what colleges can do for you,” Washington Monthly announced in its September/October issue. “We ask what are colleges doing for the country.”

Different kind of ranking

Washington Monthly’s rankings represent the combined score of three metrics in social mobility, research and service. While most college rankings rely heavily on factors such as student grades and SAT scores, a school’s resources and alumni giving—measures that strongly favor elite private institutions—the magazine bases its conclusions on different standards. These include ROTC and Peace Corps participation rates, faculty awards, faculty members elected to national academies, student community service, graduation rates among lower-income students, and research spending.

Those criteria play to UC Davis’ strengths, said UC Davis Chancellor Linda Katehi.

"I am very proud that UC Davis received a high mark in this meaningful ranking. It is proof that we are cultivating the kind of young minds and scientific research that advance societal knowledge and drive economic growth while providing opportunities to our students to serve their communities, the nation and the world," Katehi said.

By these standards, the University of California also shines. Five of the top 11 universities in Washington Monthly’s rankings are part of the UC system. UC San Diego topped the magazine’s 2010 list at No. 1, followed by UC Berkeley (2), UCLA (3), Stanford University (4) and the University of Texas at Austin (5). UC Santa Barbara received an 11th place ranking.

“The University of California stands out,” wrote the magazine’s editors, who expressed concern that UC’s future excellence is at risk due to California’s budget crisis.

“It’s terrible to watch a wealthy state like California dismantle one of the world’s great university systems,” the editors noted. “We hope they fix matters before UC schools begin to slide down in our rankings.”

The Washington Monthly ratings follow on the heels of high rankings last week for UC Davis in the U.S. News & World Report (9th among top national public universities) and Sierra magazine (16th among America’s 100 “greenest” colleges).

Perspective: Visit the campus

Many students and parents use college rankings to find the type of school that fits their expectations. For faculty and staff, the annual ratings offer candid—but not always thorough—assessments of how programs measure up in the academic universe.

Sometimes the rankings overshadow other important factors in choosing colleges, such as the environment of the campus and the strength of the particular academic program in which the student is interested.

The single most important thing students can do in selecting where they will be for at least the next four years is to visit the campus—get a sense of place and check out the residence halls, sit in on a class, and talk to students, alumni and professors.

To read Washington Monthly’s college rankings guide, go to www.washingtonmonthly.com. For more rankings of specific UC Davis programs and units, visit http://facts.ucdavis.edu/rankings.lasso.