Money magazine has given Cal State Monterey Bay 4.5 out of five stars on its 2024 college ratings and given it the magazine’s America's Best Colleges Award.

Money does not provide an individual ranking of schools. “There isn't one ‘best’ college for every student,” the magazine’s website says. It cited CSUMB for being both accessible and affordable.

Two recent reports, from Georgetown University and the College Futures Foundation, place CSUs among the top California colleges offering the best return on investment.

“Rather than using numerical rankings to order the colleges, Money uses a rating system that they say more accurately represents the variation in colleges’ performance,” said a press release from California State University Chancellor’s Office. “In a numbered ranking, very small differences in colleges’ scores result in different ranks, exaggerating the difference in performance, and it’s more important to look broadly at where a college lands on a list and not its precise rank, according to the publication’s editors.”

All 23 CSU schools scored at least four stars. Four schools – Cal Poly’s San Luis Obispo and Pomona and Cal States Long Beach and Stanislaus – received five stars.

In its information on CSUMB, Money praised the school for providing financial support and promoting upward economic mobility. 

“Once students are in, 73% receive some sort of grant or scholarship aid, and their CSU Monterey Bay degree sets them up for success, with the university earning a high score on Third Way’s Economic Mobility Index,” Money reported.