California is home to some of the country's most prestigious universities, attracting top students and teachers from all over the world.

This year the No. 1 school in the U.S. News & World Report 2016 rankings of top public colleges in America is UC Berkeley, followed by UCLA.

On the news magazine's separate list of best national universities, which includes both private and public, Stanford is in a three-way tie with two other universities. (Find the top 10 best schools in the best national universities category below.)

Several University of California campuses fall within the top 50 on the national list: UC Berkeley ranked 20th; UC Santa Barbara shares the 37th spot with Case Western Reserve of Ohio; UC Irvine and UC San Diego are in a tie for No. 39; and UC Davis ranked No. 41 along with five other universities.

In a list of the top national liberal arts colleges, Pomona College tied at 4 with three other universities including Wellesley and Bowdoin colleges. Claremont McKenna ranked 9th.

Among regional universities, offering a full range of undergraduate programs and some master's programs but few doctoral programs, Santa Clara University was second.

The report from U.S. News ranks 1,376 schools and includes several lists including a best value colleges category and a new ranking looking at the most innovative schools.

The annual rankings are based on academic excellence and focused on outcomes with graduation and retention rates carrying the most weight in the methodology.

"Taking into account how well a school supports its students from freshman year through graduation is important," Brian Kelly, editor and chief content officer at U.S. News, said in a statement. "To find the best fit, students should consider a range of factors, from financial aid offerings and location to campus size and majors. The process can be overwhelming, but our rankings and advice content are a great place to start."