CSUB ranked among top Hispanic-Serving Institutions

Degree Choices ranks university No. 7 in California, No. 17 nationwide

By California State University, Bakersfield

February 20^th, 2023

California State University, Bakersfield has been recognized for its efforts to enroll and graduate Hispanic students in the region.

The university was ranked No. 7 out of all Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSI) in the state as part of Degree Choices’ Best College Rankings. The university also ranked No. 17 in the research firm’s ranking of all HSIs in the nation and No. 15 among all colleges in California.

CSUB is federally designated as an HSI because Hispanic students make up more than 25% of full-time equivalent undergraduates. Currently, over 60% of undergraduates at the university identify as Hispanic or Latinx.

“These rankings are a testament of the transformational value of a CSUB education for our Latinx students,” said Claudia Catota, chief diversity officer and special assistant to the president. “I am proud that we continue to partner with Excelencia in Education and other organizations we continue to learn how to better serve our Latinx students — and all our students — to support them through graduation.”

Degree Choices is a company that provides career and financial advice to prospective students. The goal of its Best Colleges rankings is to help students determine whether they will receive a good return on their educational investment.

For the rankings, Degree Choices used data from two U.S. Department of Education programs — the College Scorecard and the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System — to evaluate more than 2,200 four-year colleges and universities.

Degree Choices uses the data to measure how long it takes the average student to pay back their school costs and how those costs compare to the earnings they can expect after leaving school. They also compare student earnings against an average earnings benchmark based on their major and graduation year.

All of this data is combined to create a school’s economic score, and institutions are ranked based on that score.

Other CSUs ranked high in the rankings, including Fresno, Los Angeles and Dominguez Hills.

The Degree Choices rankings are just the latest that CSUB has received over the past year. Others include:

No. 10 in CollegeNET’s 2022 Social Mobility Index.
No. 18 in Top Performers on Social Mobility among western universities in the U.S. News and World Report’s 2022-23 Best Colleges report.
No. 13 in the Best Bang for the Buck: West list in Washington Monthly’s 2022 College Guide.
No. 5 in think tank Third Way’s Economic Mobility Index.

“CSUB positively impacts students’ lives in so many ways,” said Debra Jackson, associate vice president for Academic Affairs and dean of academic programs. “At the forefront is how the university helps our graduates move into higher-paying careers and substantially improves their overall lifetime earnings. This is especially important for our diverse student population, the majority of whom are Latinx. CSUB is committed to closing equity gaps by ensuring access to higher education and improving degree attainment in our region.”