CSUMB ranked Top-50 nationally by Washington Monthly

Washington Monthly magazine has ranked Cal State Monterey Bay 48th in the nation on its 2025 Best Colleges for Your Tuition (and Tax) Dollars list.

“Education is the great equalizer, and at Cal State Monterey Bay we are committed to breaking down barriers that prevent students from achieving their dreams," said President Vanya Quiñones. "When we provide accessible, affordable education to first-generation and underrepresented students, we are not just changing individual lives, we are strengthening entire communities and creating pathways for economic advancement.”

The magazine bills its national list of more than 1,400 universities and colleges as an alternative to U.S. News and World Report’s annual college rankings. It says its rankings are based on what these institutions “do for the country.”

Schools are ranked on four criteria:

• Access: Colleges are ranked on their accessibility to non-wealthy students. Among the metrics examined, the magazine says, “are how many students are on federal Pell Grants for low-to-middle-income families and compares that to how many Pell recipients those schools might be expected to enroll based on test scores, admission rates and statewide family income.”
• Affordability: To determine this, schools are ranked “on the amount that students with family incomes below $75,000 pay, minus aid.” How much debt students have upon graduation is also factored in.
• Outcomes: The magazine tracks the percentage of students graduating within eight years compared to statistical predictions and examines the graduation rates of wealthy students compared to non-wealthy students. It also tracks the incomes students make in their early careers compared to their peers. The number of graduates who go on to receive PhDs is also a factor.
• Service: Colleges are tracked on the number of graduates who enter AmeriCorps and the Peace Corps, of ROTC cadets on campus, and of students enrolled in service-oriented majors such as social work. Programs encouraging voting participation are also a factor.  

CSUMB scored highest in the affordability category. The magazine listed a net price of $7,476 for a bachelor’s degree.

In other categories, CSUMB also scored well. Washington Monthly ranked the university No. 9 for Best Master's, a category in which CSU schools took eight of the top 10 spots.  When it came to Best Bang for the Buck among Western schools, CSUMB was No. 33. And the university was No. 38 for Best Hispanic Serving.