A Top-Ranked Institution

SDSU is No. 60 in the nation and No. 7 in California on the Business Journals' list of top public universities.

Tuesday, February 23, 2016
SDSU has also been recognized for its entrepreneurship, student and alumni volunteerism, vet-friendly campus and economic value.
SDSU has also been recognized for its entrepreneurship, student and alumni volunteerism, vet-friendly campus and economic value.

For the second year in a row, San Diego State University ranks among The Business Journals' top public universities and colleges in the United States that offer the best educational experiences to their students. SDSU is listed as No. 60 out of 477 national public universities and No. 7 of the 29 California institutions in the journal’s rankings.

The highest marks went to schools with highly selective admissions processes, strong retention and graduation rates, prestigious reputations, affordable tuitions and housing costs, diverse faculties and student bodies and economically robust communities.

The study, which was released today, ranked 477 public universities and colleges that met the following criteria:

  • At least 1,000 full-time undergraduates enrolled
  • More than half of the degrees they granted during the most recent academic year were at the bachelor's degree level or higher.
  • They have been classified by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching as baccalaureate, master's or research institutions.
  • They submitted the full range of 2014 data to the National Center for Education Statistics' Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System
  • They are not U.S. military academies

Universities that topped the list include the University of North Carolina, the University of Michigan and the University of Virginia. Two California schools — University of California, Los Angeles and University of California, Berkeley — round out the top five.

SDSU is among 11 California universities in the top 100 on the list.

Leading the way

So far this year, SDSU has also been recognized for its entrepreneurship, student and alumni volunteerism, vet-friendly campus and economic value.

SDSU’s undergraduate entrepreneurial program has been ranked No. 8 among the nation’s public universities and No. 21 for all universities in the U.S. by U.S. News & World Report.

The Peace Corps recently announced that SDSU ranks No. 24 among large schools on the agency’s  Top Volunteer-Producing Colleges and Universities list, with 32 Aztec alumni currently volunteering worldwide.

SDSU ranks among the country’s best schools for veterans. According to the Military Times, SDSU is 11th out of 125 four-year universities.

Kiplinger’s Personal Finance ranks SDSU No. 87 in public colleges and No. 204 among all colleges that combine outstanding education with economic value. 

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