University of California campuses dominate U.S. News & World Report’s latest rankings for best public universities in the nation, with UCLA tied for first with UC Berkeley.

UC Santa Barbara was ranked eighth, while UC Irvine and UC San Diego tied for ninth along with the University of Florida, and UC Davis came in at 12.

Overall, the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena was the highest-ranking university in Southern California at 10th best, with USC, Cal and UCLA all finishing in 21st place.

In that overall list, which includes private and public American universities, the usual schools are at the top: Princeton, Harvard, the University of Chicago, Yale, Columbia, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and Stanford. Those schools must offer a range of undergraduate majors, master’s and doctoral programs to be considered.

The online magazine, which released its rankings on Tuesday, evaluated 1,800 schools based on up to 15 criteria, including class size, standardized test scores of incoming students and average graduation rates.

Although as any student or parent can vouch, the best campus for a particular student includes factors well beyond what any list provides, these annual rankings are taken seriously among officials, students and parents.

For UCLA, it’s the first time the university has reached the No. 1 spot for public universities.

“UCLA takes great pride in the excellent academic achievements of our faculty and students, and I am grateful that their high level of accomplishment is reflected in the latest U.S. News & World Report ranking,” UCLA Chancellor Gene Block said in a statement.

For UCI, it’s the third straight year the Orange County campus is ranked ninth.

“Once again, we are delighted that UCI is deservedly recognized as one of the finest public universities in the U.S.,” UCI Chancellor Howard Gillman said in a statement.

Meanwhile, UC Riverside tied with four other schools, including the University of Arizona, for No. 58 among top public schools; and is No. 124 among all national universities.

Cal State Fullerton is among a few CSU schools that placed in the national rankings: No. 109 among top public schools and No. 202 among national universities.

Also in Southern California: San Diego State University ranked No. 68 among public universities and No. 140 among national universities, moving 25 spots from No. 165 since 2012.

Another U.S. News list, which analyzes liberal arts colleges, included three schools that are part of the Claremont Colleges consortium: Pomona College took sixth place, Claremont McKenna College came in eighth, and Harvey Mudd College was tied for 12th.

Another Southern California school that ranked in the top 50 among liberal arts colleges is Occidental College, which came in at No. 44.

The online magazine ranked so-called regional universities, too, which for the West listed Loyola Marymount in Los Angeles as third best for the sixth year running. Chapman University came in fifth.

“These rankings reaffirm that LMU’s renowned faculty, diverse student body, and innovative programs exemplify academic and creative excellence,” LMU President Timothy Law Snyder said in a statement.

U.S. News states that its formula uses mostly objective measures of academic quality, such as graduation rates and admission data. But the rankings are criticized by some for, among other things, how data is collected: For example, academic reputations are factored in.

U.S. News spokeswoman Enxhi Myslymi defended the rankings.

“Our ultimate mission is to provide students and families with credible, comprehensive data that allows them to make better college choices,” she said in an e-mail.