The University of California, Davis, is distinguished among public universities for the upward social mobility it offers graduates, according to Washington Monthly’s annual assessment of U.S. schools based on what they do for the public good.

Washington Monthly’s annual college rankings, published online today (Sept. 1), ranked UC Davis second only to Utah State University among national public universities for social mobility. Among both public and private universities, it was 11th.

Overall, the publication placed UC Davis 13th among national public and private universities, fifth among those that are public universities, and fourth among national public and private universities in California.

The rankings define national universities as four-year institutions that award a significant number of doctoral degrees.

The Washington Monthly rankings, now in their 16th year, recognize “not what colleges do for themselves, but what they do for the country,” and rate schools on three equally weighted categories: research, social mobility and public service. They considered 1,469 colleges.

The social mobility ranking factors in graduation rates over eight years, the number of Pell Grant recipients and other socioeconomic characteristics of students, affordability, the median income of graduates 10 years after enrollment and student loan repayment. 

The complete rankings and methodologies are available online.