School-Wide Rankings
US News and World Report Ranking of Best Engineering Schools (published April 2026)
The Jacobs School of Engineering ranks 9th among the nation's top engineering schools, and 6th in the nation among public universities according to the US News and World Report Ranking of Best Engineering Schools (published April 2026). Read about these Jacobs School rankings here.
The Jacobs School of Engineering ranks #1 in the nation among public engineering schools for academic papers cited in the top 25% of research journals, among the country’s top 30 engineering schools by overall US News & World Report ranking.
With $329 million in federal, state and industry research expenditures, the Jacobs School of Engineering is a core part of UC San Diego's incredible $1.73B research enterprise.
The Jacobs School of Engineering ranks #2 in the nation for research expenditures per faculty member, among the country’s top 40 engineering schools by overall US News & World Report ranking.
US News and World Report
The graduate program rankings below are from US News and World Report Ranking of Best Engineering Schools (published April 2026)
Bioengineering
The Department of Bioengineering ranks 4th in the nation for biomedical/bioengineering (US News and World Report Ranking of Best Engineering Schools, published April 2026).
Computer Science and Engineering
The Department of Computer Science and Engineering (CSE) ranks 12th in the nation overall, plus 10th in artificial intelligence; 11th in computer systems; 12th in programming language; and 15th in computer science theory. (US News and World Report Ranking of Best Engineering Schools, published April 2026).
Computer Engineering
The Jacobs School ranks 13th in computer engineering, a program offered in both the Department of Computer Science and Engineering (CSE) and the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE). (US News and World Report Ranking of Best Engineering Schools, published April 2026).
Electrical and Computer Engineering
The Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE) ranks 14th for its programs in electrical / electronic / communications engineering (US News and World Report Ranking of Best Engineering Schools, published April 2026).
Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering
The Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering ranks 19th for aerospace / aeronautical / astronautical engineering; and 26th for mechanical engineering. (US News and World Report Ranking of Best Engineering Schools, published April 2026).
Structural Engineering
The Department of Structural Engineering is ranked 24th for civil engineering (US News and World Report Ranking of Best Engineering Schools, published April 2026).
Materials Science and Engineering
The Jacobs School ranks 35th for materials engineering.
(US News and World Report Ranking of Best Engineering Schools, published April 2026).
Chemical Engineering
The Jacobs School ranks 30th for chemical engineering.
(US News and World Report Ranking of Best Engineering Schools, published April 2026).
Additional Rankings
The biocomputing, bioinformatics, biotechnology program, a multidisciplinary undergraduate offering supported by three UC San Diego divisions, including the Jacobs School of Engineering, is ranked #2 in the nation and 1st among public schools. (US News and World Report Best Colleges Ranking, published September 2025)
The bioengineering and biomedical undergraduate program in the Shu Chien-Gene Lay Department of Bioengineering is ranked #7 in the nation and #3 among public schools. (US News and World Report Best Colleges Ranking, published September 2025)
The cybersecurity undergraduate program in the Department of Computer Science and Engineering ranked #7 in the nation and #4 among public schools. (US News and World Report Best Colleges Ranking, published September 2025)
The computer systems undergraduate program at the Jacobs School of Engineering ranked #9 in the nation and #6 among public schools. (US News and World Report Best Colleges Ranking, published September 2025)
UC San Diego Rankings
UC San Diego is the #6 public institution in the nation, according to the 2025 U.S. News & World Report Best College rankings.
Standings
STANDINGS: ENROLLMENT FOR JACOBS SCHOOL OF ENGINEERING AT UC SAN DIEGO
(school-wide enrollment: bachelors, masters, PhD)
#1 in California (and on the West Coast) for school-wide enrollment in engineering schools (ASEE 2024 data, published Fall 2025).
The Jacobs School of Engineering at UC San Diego is the largest engineering school in California, according to the latest enrollment data from ASEE.
Jacobs School Statistics
| 278 | Professors (Fall 2025) |
|---|---|
| 6 | New faculty hired in 2025 |
| ~195 | Faculty hires in the last 12 years |
| 10,240 | Engineering Students (FALL 2025) |
|---|---|
| 6,255 | Undergraduate Students |
| 2,631 | Masters Students |
| 1,354 | PhD Students |
| 2,920 | Degrees Awarded (2024-2025 School Year) |
|---|---|
| 1,558 | Undergraduate degrees conferred |
| 1,099 | Masters degrees conferred |
| 263 | PhD degrees conferred |
| $329M | In Research Expenditures (2024-2025 Fiscal Year) |
|---|---|
| ~53% | Government-sponsored research expenditures |
| ~47% | Industry-sponsored research expenditures + gift-and-endowments income |