‘Still #1'? UCLA and UC Berkeley spark social media war over college rankings

San Francisco Chronicle​

07-07-2025

A social media showdown is heating up between two of California's most prestigious universities, as UC Berkeley and UCLA trade digital jabs over which truly deserves the title of America's top public university.
The rivalry reignited after U.S. News & World Report released its global university rankings last month. UC Berkeley emerged as the highest-ranked U.S. public institution on that list, placing No. 6 overall — just behind elite private schools such as Harvard, MIT and Stanford.
Berkeley wasted no time capitalizing on the moment. Its social media accounts lit up with posts declaring the school '#1 public,' featuring a dancing Oski the Bear and the hashtag '#HolyAirBall,' a playful meme referencing underestimation.
Not to be outshone, UCLA clapped back days later.
'Still #1,' the Bruins proclaimed in posts citing U.S. News' national undergraduate rankings from last September, where UCLA has claimed the top public spot for eight consecutive years.
The friendly fire quickly escalated into an all-out comment war among alumni and fans, with Reddit threads dissecting the rankings and Instagram flooded with Bear and Bruin emojis.
Even university leaders stepped in.
"We admire UCLA's eagerness to take a single ranking for its undergraduate program and use it for all it is worth,' Berkeley Chancellor Rich Lyons said in a statement to the Chronicle on Monday. 'We know how challenging a sibling rivalry can be for the younger sibling. Go Bears (and Bruins).'
Mary Osako, UCLA's vice chancellor for strategic communications, sounded a similar note.
'Bruins everywhere love celebrating our No. 1 ranking — we've been diligently doing so for 8 years, but who's counting?' she said in a statement to the Chronicle. 'Our playful banter may have ruffled a few (golden) feathers. UCLA and Cal are both top public universities that are changing the world for the better. Bruin or Bear, we can all be proud of that.'
Beneath the snark lies a murkier reality: The two rankings rely on very different methodologies.
The global list emphasizes academic research and reputation, while the national one focuses on student outcomes, such as graduation rates and social mobility.
In other rankings — from Forbes to the Wall Street Journal — Berkeley often comes out ahead, particularly in measures related to research output and graduate earnings. Still, UCLA consistently shines in undergraduate-focused metrics, and the two schools frequently trade positions or tie.
'There are many rankings, each has a slightly different focus, and each with its own source of noise,' Lyons said, noting that he keeps the rankings table in his coat pocket every day.