CSUB sees improved rankings in U.S. News’ 2024 Best Colleges report

University ranked No. 16 in Top Public Schools, No. 22 in Top Performers on Social Mobility

By California State University, Bakersfield

September 18^th, 2023

California State University, Bakersfield excelled in several categories of U.S. News and World Report’s new 2024 Best Colleges rankings.

For the western region of the country, CSUB ranked No. 16 in the Top Public Schools category, No. 22 in Top Performers on Social Mobility and No. 34 among all western universities. CSUB was also ranked No. 69 nationally in Best Undergraduate Engineering Programs.

The rankings marked a significant improvement in most categories over last year, when CSUB was ranked No. 29 in Top Public Schools, No. 60 in Regional Universities West and No. 87 in Best Undergraduate Engineering Programs.

“We are so proud to report to the families of this region and throughout the United States that CSUB is one of the most transformative universities in the entire country, as these new rankings show,” said President Lynnette Zelezny.

CSUB’s rising rankings come after U.S. News and World Report made significant changes to the methodology of the rankings this year, including eliminating some factors such high school class standing, alumni giving rate and class size.

Instead, a heavier emphasis was placed on social mobility and new factors, such as the performance and outcomes of first-generation students. Some of the main factors that schools were ranked on include graduation rates, first-year retention rates and the performance of Pell Grant graduates.

“We applaud the new and improved methodology of the college ranking system, which now emphasizes the grit and determination of students at universities like CSUB and just how far graduates can soar with a life-changing university degree,” Zelezny said.

The Top Public Schools category consists of public colleges and universities that operate under the supervision of state governments and are funded, in part, through tax dollars and subsidies from the state.

Top Performers on Social Mobility rankings are determined by how well schools graduated students who received federal Pell grants. These grants are awarded to students with family incomes of up to $50,000. At CSUB, over 60% of students are eligible for a Pell Grant.

The Regional Universities West category ranks universities in the western part of the nation that offer a full range of undergraduate degree programs and some master’s but few doctoral programs.

CSUB has received several top rankings from other outlets over the past year, including:

No. 10 in Best Bang for the Buck: West and No. 11 in Master’s Universities by Washington Monthly.
No. 20 nationwide in Education Reform Now’s 2023 Social Mobility Elevator rankings.
No. 10 in CollegeNET’s 2022 Social Mobility Index.