California State University, Bakersfield was recently ranked by the magazine Washington Monthly as part of its 2021 College Guide.

CSUB was ranked No. 25 on the Best Bang for the Buck: West list and No. 68 on the Master’s University list. Other Valley CSUs were also included in the rankings, such as Fresno and Stanislaus.

“A CSUB degree is the culmination of the hopes and dreams of our students who have benefitted from a high-quality, value-added, engaged university education,” said President Lynnette Zelezny. “We’re delighted when national rankings confirm what we know at CSUB: Our graduates have unlimited opportunities to make meaningful contributions to advance our beloved region.”

Rankings for Master’s Universities focus on four-year institutions that award a significant number of master’s degrees but few or no doctoral degrees. The rankings are determined based on a university’s contributions to the public good in three categories: social mobility, research and promoting public service.

The Best Bang for the Buck ranking is determined based on how well colleges help low-income students attain degrees at affordable prices. The list is created by isolating social mobility metrics from the main rankings of four-year institutions, according to Washington Monthly.

More than 65% of undergraduate students at CSUB are eligible for a Pell Grant, which supports students with significant financial needs.

CSUB has frequently been ranked high for affordability by various outlets. In 2020 alone, the university made several rankings, including No. 13 in CollegeNet’s Top 20 Social Mobility Index, No. 21 on Best Value Schools and No. 26 in 100 Affordable Public Schools with High Return on Investments (ROIs) by Great Value Colleges.

Visit the Washington Monthly 2021 College Guide website for the full rankings and breakdown of data.