UC Berkeley ranked fourth in the 2022-23 U.S. News & World Report Best Global Universities rankings, claiming its spot as the No. 1 public university in the world.

The ranking encompasses 2,000 universities across 95 different countries with the goal of helping prospective college students compare institutions they may want to attend outside of their own country, according to the U.S. News website. The website notes that they also hope to help schools find others with which they may want to collaborate.

“It’s wonderful news,” said campus spokesperson Janet Gilmore in an email. “We know that rankings may change from year to year but we are especially proud that over the years – and going back decades – Berkeley has consistently been at the top or in the top tier of various major national and international rankings.”

U.S. News ranks the universities using 13 indicators, each with different weights. These include global and regional research reputation; Publications, books and citations with special consideration given to those among the top 1% and 10% most cited both in and outside of their respective fields and international collaboration.

As the fourth best global university, campus clocked in with a score of 88.7. Most notably, campus ranks third in regional research reputation, fifth in global research reputation and seventh in books.

According to the website, regional and global research reputation compile the last five years of Clarivate’s Academic Reputation Survey results for best universities for research in the university’s respective region and globally. The survey asked 26,957 academics to rate universities based on the programs with which they were familiar. The website states that looking at the departments rather than the whole university creates a measurement that is more “specific” and “accurate” in determining the university’s reputation as a whole.

On the flipside, campus ranks No. 631 in international collaboration. According to U.S. News chief data strategist Robert Morse, a smaller proportion of campus’s papers include international authors, which is why it is ranked lower. However, it is still in the top one-third in that indicator, Morse noted.

“It is no accident,” Gilmore said. “It is a reflection of the sustained excellence in our community.”

Jacqueline Valdez Monroy contributed to this article.