SDSU a Top Best Value College in Rankings Based on Cost of Attending and Future Earnings
The Wall Street Journal and partners placed the university No. 11 in the nation for graduates moving into lucrative careers.
San Diego State University lands in the No. 11 spot of a Wall Street Journal/College Pulse ranking of U.S. colleges offering the “best value” to graduates in terms of the net price of attending.
Released Monday, the “2024 Best Colleges” list ranks 400 schools based on the average cost of a degree and median salaries for alumni 10 years after graduation.
The latest in a profusion of annual rankings issued from various sources over the past month, the Wall Street Journal/College Pulse is based on calculations of “how quickly a degree from each college pays for its cost through the salary boost it provides its students.”
One factor in SDSU’s success can be attributed to the growth of professional development programs and resources offered to students, said Daniel Newell, executive director of Career Services. This emphasis is a key activity outlined in the university's current strategic plan.
“Career Services offers an array of services and resources to connect students to industry for work opportunities while in school and upon graduation,” said Newell. “Our team hosts in-person, virtual, and hybrid employer connection events that include career fairs, information sessions, fireside chats, and more. Our dept developed over 95k jobs last year and registered over 12k new recruiters. SDSU is a destination for recruiters locally, nationally, and around the globe.”
Outreach of these services begins the moment students arrive on campus.
"SDSU begins speaking with students in their first year of study about the connections between majors and careers, so they're ready to thrive when the time comes to enter the workforce," said Stefan Hyman, associate vice president for enrollment management. "While the value of an SDSU education can be measured in many different ways, we take enormous pride in the success of our alumni."
This “payoff time,” as the publication puts it, was placed at nine months for SDSU, based on median salaries after 10 years and how much higher they are than the statewide average for all high-school graduates.
Tuition and fees, housing, the cost of books and supplies and financial aid are all factors in the Wall Street Journal/College Pulse rankings’ methodology.
“Colleges that finished atop the best-value list both kept costs low and put graduates on pathways to lucrative careers,” the Wall Street Journal said.
California State University schools are heavily represented in the publication’s rankings, including Cal State LA (No. 3) and the CSU campuses in Fullerton (No. 7), Sacramento (No. 15), Fresno (No. 16), and Monterey Bay (No. 18).
In related rankings developments, SDSU surged in this week's U.S. News & World Report’s Best Colleges Rankings earning its highest position ever as a public university to No. 51, up 21 spots from the previous year. The university also landed at No. 105 among all universities nationwide.
Last month, SDSU was listed 16th on Forbes’ 2023 rankings of the Top 25 Public Colleges and No. 43 in the magazine’s annual list of top 500 colleges, up 20 spots from last year.
