# Regarding UCLA's assent in the Rankings **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [February 19, 2015, 9:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/regarding-uclas-assent-in-the-rankings/713130 "2015-02-19T21:27:01Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Dibbs](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/da6949/32.png) [@Dibbs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dibbs)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2015, 9:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/regarding-uclas-assent-in-the-rankings/713130/1 "2015-02-19T21:27:01Z")
Not to pick on them because of this thing in the news about a super-virus situation, as things do happen. But I’m just wondering how/why is it that this university has climbed up so rapidly in the prestige department so much in, oh let’s say…, in the past 3 or so years? I’m NOT suggesting that it’s not a truly wonderful school, 'cause it is, I’m just at a loss as to how it for so very long had been at around the 50 or 60 or even 70 spot (as I recall) in most polls, rankings and surveys but now appears in a lot of top 10 rankings. I wonder if politics is behind it and/or the many high-achieving Asian students going there these days? Anyway, it’s no biggie … just something I’ve wondered about a bit in recent months.😃 Misspelled a word:-( ---
**Author:** ![Schnitte](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/schnitte/32/9033_2.png) [@Schnitte](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Schnitte)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2015, 9:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/regarding-uclas-assent-in-the-rankings/713130/2 "2015-02-19T21:59:19Z")
It’s just a guess, but UCLA had a Nobel Laureate in 2012 (Lloyd Shapley, economics). This alone surely does not boost the overall quality of the university, but it is a factor which contributes to an improvement in rankings, since the ranking methodologies - especially in the category “prestige” - attach great weight to the status of faculty members and their publications. ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2015, 10:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/regarding-uclas-assent-in-the-rankings/713130/3 "2015-02-19T22:17:49Z")
Whose university rankings? US only or world? Can you link to the actual rankings? I’m having a problem finding rankings from three years ago. I did find [THE World University Rankings](http://www.timeshighereducation.co.uk/world-university-rankings/2012-13/world-ranking), which gives five years worth of data. UCLA was 12th in 2014-15. It was 11th in 2010-11. ---
**Author:** ![Schnitte](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/schnitte/32/9033_2.png) [@Schnitte](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Schnitte)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2015, 10:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/regarding-uclas-assent-in-the-rankings/713130/4 "2015-02-19T22:26:51Z")
> [@Exapno\_Mapcase](#): > > Whose university rankings? US only or world? Can you link to the actual rankings? I’m having a problem finding rankings from three years ago. > > I did find [THE World University Rankings](http://www.timeshighereducation.co.uk/world-university-rankings/2012-13/world-ranking), which gives five years worth of data. > > UCLA was 12th in 2014-15. It was 11th in 2010-11. I also checked THE, googling the [2005 edition](http://jobs.timeshighereducation.co.uk/hybrid.asp?typeCode=174) of the table. UCLA was 37 that year (and 26 in 2004), so it does seem to have climbed a few rungs in the ladder since then. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Second\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bbe5ce/32.png) [@The\_Second\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Second_Stone)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2015, 12:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/regarding-uclas-assent-in-the-rankings/713130/5 "2015-02-20T00:18:31Z")
UCLA is the finest University on the planet, bar none. If anything, the rankings are defamatory to UCLA. That said, rankings are complete bullshit with all the dignity of drunken editors sitting around doing fantasy football stuff. Ole Miss students read the same books and can party just as hard. What makes UCLA truly superior is the level of vanity of the undergraduates in Los Angeles, who are a true pleasure to look at and are the best at fucking on the planet. Yay Bruins! TSS, one handsome Bruin Alum. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Hamster\_King](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8edcca/32.png) [@The\_Hamster\_King](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Hamster_King)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2015, 12:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/regarding-uclas-assent-in-the-rankings/713130/6 "2015-02-20T00:48:50Z")
The increase in rankings is largely due to the fact that my wife started teaching there in 2003. 😃