CSUMB tops U.S. News rankings for social mobility

By Mark Muckenfuss 

Cal State Monterey Bay has much to celebrate in the latest rankings from U.S. News and World Report. Considered by many to be the standard when it comes to college rankings, U.S. News has named CSUMB No. 1 for social mobility among Western regional universities, a metric that measures how well a school puts low-income students on a path to success. 

CSUMB also had impressive overall rankings among Western schools, coming in tied at No. 5 overall among public universities and tied at No. 10 among all schools in the 15-state region. In both instances, CSUMB tied with Cal State Stanislaus.

The rankings represent a continued steady climb over the years -- in 2020 CSUMB was 26th among Western regional universities -- and are a remarkable accomplishment for a university of its size and age.

CSUMB President Vanya Quiñones said the rankings reflect the university’s vision.

“Being ranked No. 1 for social mobility among Western universities highlights CSUMB’s commitment to transforming the lives of thousands of students through higher education,” Quiñones said. “Our overall rankings are equally impressive. For a midsize institution founded just 30 years ago to be in the top 10 of regional universities in the West and the top 5 among public universities shows that our students have access to excellent academic opportunities, empowering them to advance in their lives.

“Our standing reflects the collective efforts of everyone on our campus dedicated to student success,” she added. “We refer to this as our Otter Raft, inspired by how otters link arms in the wild to support and protect their communities. By working together toward a common goal, Cal State Monterey Bay has gained tremendous strength in our mission to provide accessible, inclusive and affordable academic excellence.” 

The rankings are based on a set of 17 criteria, with graduation rates and peer assessment being the two biggest factors. The designation for regional universities by U.S. News are those that “offer a broad scope of undergraduate degrees and some master's degree programs but few, if any, doctoral programs.” 

CSUMB placed ahead of such prestigious schools as the University of Washington, Tacoma, and Cal States Los Angeles, Northridge and Chico.

In the social mobility category, CSUMB displaced last year’s No. 1, Mount Saint Mary’s University, in Los Angeles.

The social mobility and public university rankings were both a single-point increase from last year’s list, but CSUMB jumped from 14th to 10th in its ranking against all Western schools. 

Nationally, CSUMB also received top rankings for its undergraduate programs in computer science, nursing and psychology.

This is the latest in a number of positive rankings for CSUMB, including recent rankings by the Wall Street Journal and Forbes magazine. 

“In 30 years, we have come a long way,” Quiñones said, “and I assure you, we are just getting started.”