| Subject | QS | THE | ARWU | U.S. News |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Agriculture & Forestry | #2 | — | #16 | #5 |
| Veterinary Science | #2 | — | #5 | — |
| Environmental Science | #18 | — | #3 | #28 |
| Water Resources | — | — | #7 | #61 |
| Communication & Media | #101-150 | — | #20 | — |
| Psychology | #99 | #46 | #23 | #49 |
| Life Sciences & Medicine | #42 | #26 | — | — |
| Statistics | #101-150 | — | #32 | — |
| Biological Sciences | #43 | — | #33 | #34 |
| Economics & Econometrics | #71 | — | #37 | #139 |
| Biotechnology | — | — | #51-75 | #41 |
| Civil Engineering | #51-100 | — | #201-300 | #175 |
| Anatomy & Physiology | #51-100 | — | — | — |
| Earth & Geosciences | #51-100 | — | #76-100 | #95 |
| Anthropology | #51-100 | — | — | — |
| Development Studies | #51-100 | — | — | — |
| Food Science & Technology | — | — | #76-100 | #52 |
| Business & Economics | — | #55 | — | — |
| Clinical & Health | — | #72 | — | — |
| Sociology | #151-200 | — | #76-100 | — |
| Education | #201-250 | #95 | #76-100 | — |
| Political Science & IR | #201-250 | — | #76-100 | — |
| Public Administration | — | — | #76-100 | — |
| Engineering & Technology | #183 | #86 | — | #211 |
| Law | #151-200 | #89 | #101-150 | — |
| Medicine / Clinical | #112 | — | #101-150 | #92 |
| Natural / Physical Sciences | #139 | #93 | — | — |
| Social Sciences & Management | #317 | #97 | — | — |
| English Language & Literature | #101-150 | — | — | — |
| History | #101-150 | — | — | — |
| Chemical Engineering | #101-150 | — | #301-400 | — |
| Nursing | #101-150 | — | #151-200 | — |
| Pharmacy & Pharmacology | #151-200 | — | #101-150 | #206 |
| Physics & Astronomy | #151-200 | — | #101-150 | #149 |
| Computer Science | #201-250 | #101-125 | #101-150 | #197 |
| Telecommunication Engineering | — | — | #101-150 | — |
| Transportation Science | — | — | #101-150 | — |
| Public Health | — | — | #101-150 | #121 |
| Arts & Humanities | #283 | #151-175 | — | #114 |
| Chemistry | #129 | — | #201-300 | #190 |
| Geography | #151-200 | — | — | — |
| Materials Science | #151-200 | — | #151-200 | #353 |
| Mathematics | #201-250 | — | #151-200 | #162 |
| Business & Management | #301-350 | — | #151-200 | — |
| Biomedical Engineering | — | — | #151-200 | — |
| Architecture | #201-260 | — | — | — |
| Philosophy | #201-225 | — | — | — |
| Electrical & Electronic Engineering | #201-250 | — | #201-300 | #254 |
| Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering | #201-250 | — | #301-400 | — |
| Accounting & Finance | #301-375 | — | — | — |
| Nanoscience & Nanotechnology | — | — | #301-400 | #343 |
| Energy Science & Engineering | — | — | #301-400 | — |
| Artificial Intelligence | — | — | #301-400 | — |
University of California, Davis ranks #114 in QS 2026, #64 in THE 2026, #101-150 in ARWU 2025 and #96 in U.S. News 2026. Its consensus position across the major rankings is #86 globally.
QS weights employer reputation and international metrics more heavily; THE places more weight on research influence and teaching environment. Differences of this size between the two systems are common — see our methodology comparison.