Six graduate programs in The Robert Mehrabian College of Engineering at UC Santa Barbara placed among the nation’s best in the 2026 U.S. News & World Report rankings, with two programs landing in the top eight and four in the top thirteen in their fields. As a whole, the college rose to No. 14 among public universities and No. 28 overall.

Among the college’s strongest performers, materials remained a national leader, ranking No. 3 among public universities and No. 6 overall out of 121 programs, marking its 24th consecutive year among the top three. Chemical engineering also continued its long run of excellence, rising to No. 8 among public universities and No. 12 overall out of 136 programs, extending its top-ten streak to 25 years. 

Computer science moved up among public universities to No. 12 and ranked No. 27 overall out of 205 schools. Electrical and computer engineering also advanced two places, reaching No. 13 among public universities and No. 25 overall out of 189 programs. Bioengineering posted one of the biggest gains, rising six spots among all universities to No. 19 and five spots among public universities to No. 18. Mechanical engineering ranked No. 17 among public universities and No. 31 overall out of 187 institutions.

The graduate program rankings were based entirely on peer assessments submitted by department heads at universities nationwide. In the broader college rankings, U.S. News also considered institutional data and surveys from engineering deans and recruiters. UCSB placed eighth overall and fourth among public universities in the share of full-time faculty who are members of the National Academy of Engineering, with 10.8% of its faculty holding that distinction.

The rankings add to a broader picture of UCSB’s strength in engineering and the physical sciences. In the 2025 Leiden Rankings (Open Edition), which measure research impact using citation data rather than reputation surveys, UCSB ranked first among U.S. public universities and third among all U.S. institutions in engineering and physical sciences.

That analysis examined research papers published between 2020 and 2023 from 2,831 universities worldwide. Among institutions that produced at least 1,000 papers during that period, Leiden measured how many publications ranked in the top 1%, 5%, 10%, and 50% of their fields by citation impact. UCSB produced 4,920 engineering and physical sciences papers during the evaluation window and placed first among U.S. public universities across all four tiers. The university has ranked among the top two public institutions in Leiden for fifteen consecutive years. Click here to read more about the college's rankings in the 2025 Leiden Rankings.