University of California, Davis
IN-9: Diversity and Equity Recognition

In the QS World University: USA rankings, UC Davis achieved the highest score in the Diversity & Internationalization category in both 2020 and 2021, tying with two other universities in 2020 and one other university in 2021. The category assesses institutional performance in SDG 5: Gender Equality and SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities by evaluating factors including gender pay gap, faculty gender diversity, ratio of undergraduate students receiving Pell grants, number of Fulbright recipients, and proportion of international students.

UC Davis achieved a diversity index of 0.72 based on the U.S. News 2022-23 Campus Ethnic Diversity ranking. U.S. News uses data drawn from an institution’s total undergraduate student body during Fall of 2021.

From 2019 to December 2022, UC Davis was recognized by the American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE) as a Bronze Award recipient for the ASEE Diversity Recognition Program. The honor is given to colleges and universities that signed and executed the ASEE Deans Diversity Pledge; have an infrastructure to support diverse populations; have at least one K‐12 or community college pipeline activity; implement at least one additional program or initiative from a list of proven practices; and have a Diversity and Inclusion Plan that includes measurable goals designed to improve diversity. While the Silver and Gold Level criteria were under redesign until 2023, UC Davis was also recognized as exemplar.

The Winter 2022 edition of the National Jurist publication PreLaw ranked UC Davis School of Law as the 5th-best law school in the U.S. for Asian students. The ranking is based on the percentage of students in each ethnic group, the percentage of minority law professors, and the diversity services offered by the school—such as administrative assistance, mentoring programs, bar exam preparation support, and more.

In 2020-21, UC Davis placed 15th in the Diverse Top 100 Degree Producers ranking for all minority students receiving bachelor’s degrees, 24th for minority students receiving research doctorates, and 37th for minority students receiving professional doctorates. Notable performances in more specific categories include 7th for Asian students receiving bachelor’s degrees and 1st for all minority students receiving bachelor’s or professional doctorate degrees in Agriculture, Agriculture Operations, and Related Sciences. The rankings are based on the total number of graduates from an institution in 2020-21 who are part of a given minority and received a given degree.

In April 2022 UC Davis was ranked No. 247 among 500 employers on the Forbes annual ranking of “America’s Best Employers for Diversity”. In the education sector, UC Davis placed 17th. The ranking is based on data from a survey of 60,000 Americans working for companies and organizations with at least 1,000 employees each in the United States. In anonymous responses, survey takers rated their employers in several dimensions of diversity, including gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation, age and disability.

Additionally, in June 2022, UC Davis was ranked No. 131 among 400 employers on the Forbes annual ranking of “America’s Best Employers for Women”. In the education sector, UC Davis placed 16th. The ranking is based on data from a survey of 30,000 women and 20,000 men working for businesses with at least 1,000 employees each in the United States. All respondents rated their organizations on criteria such as working conditions and diversity, and responses were then analyzed for gender gaps. Female respondents were additionally asked to rate their employers on factors including parental leave and pay equity.

UC Davis National Diversity Rankings

#1

Diversity and Internationalization (U.S.) (QS World University Rankings)

#1

Best Value College for Women in STEM (U.S.) (Forbes)

#3

Workforce Diversity Among Educational Institutions (Forbes)

#3

“Most committed to improving diversity and inclusion” in healthcare (Monigle)

#3

Most Diverse Medical Schools (U.S. News and World Report)

#10

Most diverse business school in the U.S.—#8 for highest percentage of female and nonbinary students (48%) (U.S. News and World Report)

Top 35:

#15 Top Undergraduate Degree Producers for Minority Students

#5 for Asian American Students

#34 for Hispanic Students

(Diverse Issues in Higher Education)

# 29 Top Doctoral Degree Producers for Minority Students

#14 for Asian American Students

#32 for Hispanic Students

#10 for Native American Students

(Diverse Issues in Higher Education)

Top 100:

America’s Best Employers for Diversity
#35 for Davis

#59 Sacramento campus – UC Davis Health

(Forbes)

#83 Most Graduates Practicing in Rural Areas (U.S. News)

#71 Top Colleges and Universities for Hispanics

(Hispanic Outlook in Education)

Additional Awards

AAAS Sea Change Institutional Bronze Award

LGTBQ+ Healthcare Equity Leader (Human Rights Campaign Foundation)

2021 and 22 Health Professions HEED Award (INSIGHT Into Diversity)

QS World University Rankings: USA 2021: Diversity & Internationalization: https://www.ucdavis.edu/news/uc-davis-takes-top-spot-diversity-national-rankings

U.S. News Campus Ethnic Diversity Ranking: https://www.usnews.com/best-colleges/rankings/national-universities/campus-ethnic-diversity

ASEE Diversity Recognition Program: https://diversityrecognition.asee.org/recognized-institutions/

National Jurist PreLaw publication: https://mydigitalpublication.com/publication/frame.php?i=736259&p=&pn=&ver=html5

National Jurist PreLaw ranking Winter 2022 presented via the website Above the Law: https://abovethelaw.com/2022/05/the-best-law-schools-for-diversity-2022/

Diverse Top 100 Degree Producers 2020-21, UC Davis overall performance: https://top100.diverseeducation.com/ALL_SCHOOLS_2020-2021/?search_degree=&search_race=&search_major=&search_school=University+of+California-Davis&search_rank=&search_state=&search=search#anchor

Forbes, America’s Best Employers for Diversity: https://www.forbes.com/lists/best-employers-diversity/?sh=23d2f5c56468

Forbes, America’s Best Employers for Women: https://www.forbes.com/lists/best-employers-women/?sh=6ac2d580466c

Cora Ballek, student employee in the Sustainability office, assisted in compiling this credit response.