CSULB Ranked No. 5 Public University in the West by U.S. News & World Report

California State University, Long Beach (CSULB) ranks fifth among public regional universities in the western United States in U.S. News & World Report’s Best Colleges 2016 rankings. Additionally, CSULB received high marks for the diversity of its student population - ranking eighth among regional universities in the west - and for its undergraduate engineering program.

"CSULB’s place at the top of U.S. News & World Report’s rankings reflects the quality of the university’s academic offerings, the diversity of our student population and our commitment to student success," said CSULB President Jane Close Conoley. "Helping students from diverse ethnic and socioeconomic backgrounds achieve their higher education goals by earning a high-quality degree is woven into the fabric of The Beach."

The U.S. News rankings are based on several key measures of quality including assessment of excellence, graduation and retention rates, faculty resources, student selectivity, financial resources, graduation rate performance and alumni giving.

CSULB is experiencing unprecedented success in several of these measures. Over the past decade, CSULB has seen increases in graduation rates which have climbed more than 20 percent over that period reaching all-time highs. CSULB’s graduation rate is approximately 18 percent above the most recently published national average for large, public master’s institutions.

In the area of alumni giving, CSULB recently announced that the university’s ongoing Declare Campaign officially surpassed its fundraising goal of $225 million. While the university has surpassed the goal with several months left in 2015, the Declare Campaign is far from complete and the culture of philanthropy established by the campaign will continue to be integral to the university’s efforts to bolster student achievement.

With diversity a critical aspect of the university mission, it comes as no surprise that CSULB’s student body does not have an ethnic majority. CSULB’s diversity index score of 0.72 was good for eighth best in the west. To determine which universities are serving the most ethnically diverse student population, U.S. News identified colleges where students are most likely to encounter undergraduates from a different ethnic group from their own by factoring in the proportion of minority students and the overall mix of groups in each institution’s 2014-15 academic year student body.Lastly, U.S. News ranked undergraduate engineering programs accredited by the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology. CSULB’s engineering was ranked among the top schools whose highest degree is a bachelor’s or master’s. 

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About California State University, Long Beach

California State University, Long Beach (CSULB) is a teaching-intensive, research-driven university committed to providing highly-valued undergraduate and graduate degrees critical for success in the globally-minded 21st century. Annually ranked among the best universities in the west and among the best values in the entire nation, the university’s eight colleges serve more than 37,500 students. CSULB values and is recognized for rich educational opportunities provided by excellent faculty and staff, exceptional degree programs, diversity of its student body, fiduciary and administrative responsibility and the positive contributions faculty, staff, students and more than 300,000 alumni make on society.