This year’s college rankings by Forbes magazine place Cal State Monterey Bay among the top dozen mid-sized public universities in the nation. 

CSUMB was 11th on the list of mid-size public universities and finished ahead of other mid-size California schools such as UC Merced and CSU Channel Islands.

“We are thrilled to be recognized by Forbes as one of the top mid-sized public universities in the nation,” said CSUMB President Vanya Quiñones. She emphasized that one of the university’s strengths lies in providing a high-quality, accessible education to our diverse student body. “This is another affirmation that we are positively impacting the lives of our students and our community, placing us among top-tier institutions. It exemplifies how we thrive when we work together and embody ‘The Strength of Us.’”

Forbes says it uses 14 metrics to determine which 500 American colleges offer the best educational, financial, and career outcomes for all students.  

The magazine’s analysts use several data sets to establish a list of 500 of the finest colleges. They are then scored on alumni salaries, student debt, graduation rates, return on investment, retention rates and other factors.

Forbes is the latest publication to publish its annual college rankings. Earlier this month, the Wall Street Journal published its list of the nation’s top 500 colleges and universities. CSUMB was ranked 23rd in the nation for social mobility and 158th overall.

Money magazine rated CSUMB a 4.5-star university in its June ratings. Money does not numerically rank colleges but provides ratings on a 5-star scale based upon a series of measures. 

Next week, U.S. News and World Report issues its annual rankings, which are often looked upon as the standard in college assessment.