The Wall Street Journal ranked University of the Pacific No. 87 among all top U.S. colleges and universities—the highest national ranking ever achieved by the 173-year-old institution.

Pacific also ranked No. 11 among all private universities in the American West, trailing only traditional academic powers such as Stanford University, Cal Tech and USC and ahead of peers such as University of San Francisco, Pepperdine University and Loyola Marymount University.

California’s first and oldest university came in 40 spots higher than last year in the new Wall Street Journal/College Pulse rankings.

Pacific placed exceptionally well among all schools and colleges in the country in social mobility (No. 36 overall and No. 8 among private colleges) and graduates’ salaries (No. 54 nationally and No. 7 among private schools in the West).

The annual Wall Street Journal/College Pulse Best Colleges in the U.S. report rates the top 500 colleges and universities in the country—private and public, big and small—based on factors such as graduates’ financial success and student feedback in areas such as student life, career preparation and the quality of academic facilities.

New questions this year also looked at the extent to which colleges develop character strengths in students, such as moral courage, resilience and fairness.

“Pacific is committed to not only preparing students with the knowledge they need to be successful lifelong leaders and learners but helping them become critical thinkers by teaching them how to think, not what to think,” said President Christopher Callahan. “Our small class sizes and extraordinary faculty create an environment in which students experience transformative growth, which we see in their career achievements.”

The president noted that unlike other national rankings that focus on inputs such as admission rates and subjective criteria such as reputational rankings set by opinions of leaders at other universities, the Wall Street Journal study looks at outcomes such as alumni earnings, social mobility and student satisfaction.

Pacific’s rise in national rankings is reflective of the university’s laser focus on student success. Callahan has set an ambitious 10-year goal of becoming the best comprehensive, student-centered university in the country.

The university highly emphasizes key factors that have been shown to contribute to student success: small learning environments, one-on-one attention, experiential learning and undergraduate research. A new common book program also was launched this year to help students listen and learn from each other.

While many universities nationwide have been struggling to enroll students, Pacific has been bucking the national trend. The 2023-24 academic year saw record enrollment with 6,755 students.

Over the past year, Pacific launched six academic programs to meet the need for in-demand areas of study, including bachelor’s degrees in data science, pharmaceutical science and general studies and master’s degrees in nutrition science, regulatory science and counseling psychology.

“With these new programs, we are ensuring our students are prepared for in-demand careers when they graduate,” said Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs Gretchen Edwalds-Gilbert. “Data science is one of the fastest-growing fields in the world, there are severe shortages of marriage and family counselors and there is a global demand for expertise in pharmaceutical sciences and regulation.”

Additional academic programs are being developed based on ideas generated from Pacific’s first-ever Curriculum Innovation Day held in January, which President Callahan described as one of the “most important (days) in the modern era of Pacific.”

Faculty members from a wide variety of disciplines came together for the brainstorming session to cultivate ideas for interdisciplinary programs.

Additionally, Pacific received Hispanic-Serving Institution status from the U.S. Department of Education to add to its designation as an Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander-Serving Institution.

Pacific is also growing its recreational and athletic facilities. In spring 2024, the university opened the country’s first pickleball and padel complex on a college campus, a cricket pitch and a gaming center. Plans are also in the works to open boutique lodging, housing for student veterans and a student-athlete and sports medicine center.

Earlier this year Pacific was also named one of America’s best colleges by Money magazine, earning 4.5 out of 5 stars.

Pacific offers more than 80 undergraduate and 50 graduate and professional programs across its three Northern California campuses in Sacramento, San Francisco and Stockton.