CSUMB repeats as a top California school in Forbes rankings

Cal State Monterey Bay maintained its impressive standing as the fourth-best public university among medium-sized California schools in suburban settings (as opposed to rural or urban), according to Forbes magazine’s “America’s Top Colleges List 2027” rankings, which were released on Thursday, Sept. 10. CSUMB received the same ranking in Forbes’ 2026 rankings.

The university was also ranked 11th in the nation in the same category. 

“We're proud to hold steady as the fourth-best public university in our category among California's medium-sized suburban schools, and to rank 11th nationally," said Carlos Vargas, interim president of Cal State Monterey Bay. "Maintaining this standing two years running speaks to the consistency and quality of what we offer our students.

“Our faculty and staff work diligently to support our students and continually realize the goals set forth in our vision statement,” Vargas said. “That effort shows in our campus being recognized regularly for its excellence."  

In addition to recognizing CSUMB as a Hispanic-Serving Institution, Forbes noted that the university’s coastal location “provides distinctive opportunities for research and hands-on learning related to marine ecosystems, environmental conservation and sustainability. Students can also participate in internships, community-based learning and research throughout the Monterey Bay region.” 

The Forbes website details the methodology the publication uses to determine its rankings of about 1,600 public and not-for-profit schools for undergraduates, including baccalaureate colleges, graduate schools and institutions focused on specialized fields such as engineering, business and the arts.

Forbes’ evaluation relied upon the government-run Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System, which gathers data from every U.S. college and university annually. It also used the U.S. Department of Education’s College Scorecard, an online tool for comparing cost, graduation rates and student debt. 

For the first time, this year the magazine incorporated post-graduation earnings data from People Data Labs, a private research company that collects and analyzes workforce and salary data from 70 million companies worldwide.

 Other data sources included Third Way, a Washington, D.C.-based public policy think tank; the National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics; and Forbes’ own original research on leadership, major awards, academic achievement and other measures of post-graduate success.