<p>OP, the answer is simple – Berkeley undergrad has a relatively higher faculty to student ratio compared to its peers. And, with Berkeley’s huge undergrad student body, large classes become inevitable. For Berkeley to rise in USNews ranking, all it needs to do is to decrease the undergrad student population, and perhaps, abolish a few programs. If Berkeley would have an undergrad student body of 10k (maximum) and a faculty-to-student ratio of 1:8, it would easily rise in the ranking and would overtake half of the Ivies.</p>