Caltech in Pasadena was ranked as the 12th best university in the nation -- finishing in a tie with Dartmouth College in New Hampshire -- in an annual list released Monday by U.S. News & World Report.
The ranking was a slight dip from last year, when Caltech placed 10th on the list. But the magazine continued to hail the university's graduate programs in engineering, biology, chemistry, computer science, earth sciences, mathematics and physics.
Princeton and Harvard again topped the magazine's rankings of national universities, followed by a four-way tie among Columbia University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, University of Chicago and Yale University. Stanford ranked seventh on the list, while UCLA finished in a 19th-place tie with Washington University in St. Louis. USC ranked 22nd.
UCLA topped the list of public universities, while UC Irvine placed seventh.
"It is wonderful to see UCLA recognized for our many academic achievements and the impact of our research," UCLA Chancellor Gene Block said.
"As a wold-class university dedicated to the public good, we can also take great pride in being acknowledged for the access, opportunity and economic mobility UCLA provides to students from all backgrounds throughout California and the world."
