| Subject | QS | THE | ARWU | U.S. News |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Earth & Geosciences | #51-100 | — | #51-75 | #12 |
| Biological Sciences | #201-250 | — | #76-100 | #13 |
| Anthropology | #51-100 | — | — | — |
| Physics & Astronomy | #151-200 | — | #51-75 | #208 |
| Environmental Science | #351-400 | — | #76-100 | #56 |
| Natural / Physical Sciences | #336 | #98 | — | — |
| Linguistics | #101-150 | — | — | — |
| Mathematics | #501-600 | — | #101-150 | — |
| Life Sciences & Medicine | #451-500 | #126-150 | — | — |
| Social Sciences & Management | — | #126-150 | — | — |
| Sociology | #151-200 | — | #201-300 | — |
| Arts & Humanities | #331 | #151-175 | — | #162 |
| Geography | — | — | #151-200 | — |
| Statistics | — | — | #151-200 | — |
| Education | — | #151-175 | — | — |
| Computer Science | #451-500 | #176-200 | #201-300 | — |
| Agriculture & Forestry | — | — | #201-300 | #187 |
| English Language & Literature | #201-250 | — | — | — |
| Communication & Media | #201-250 | — | — | — |
| Economics & Econometrics | #551-700 | — | #201-300 | — |
| Political Science & IR | — | — | #201-300 | — |
| Psychology | — | #301-400 | #201-300 | — |
| Engineering & Technology | — | #201-250 | — | — |
| Chemistry | — | — | #301-400 | — |
| Electrical & Electronic Engineering | — | — | #401-500 | — |
| Materials Science | — | — | #401-500 | — |
| Public Health | — | — | — | #488 |
University of California, Santa Cruz ranks #458 in QS 2026, #151-200 in ARWU 2025 and #133 in U.S. News 2026. Its consensus position across the major rankings is #228 globally.