For 28th year, Cal Poly ranks No. 1 as best public, master’s level university in West
Cal Poly is once again ranked as the No. 1 public master’s level university in the West, according to the U.S. News & World Report’s annual America’s Best Colleges guidebook.
It’s the 28th straight year the San Luis Obispo university has earned that distinction.
“For more than a generation, we have taken pride in being recognized as one of the best universities in the nation,” said university President Jeffrey D. Armstrong in a media release. “Our goal is to produce the next generation of industry innovators and future leaders who, through Learn by Doing, graduate ready to contribute in their careers from day one. These rankings also positively reflect on our talented and dedicated faculty and staff who devote themselves to helping students thrive and succeed in life.”
The 2021 guide, which was released on Monday, ranks more than 1,800 colleges and universities in the U.S. Cal Poly is ranked alongside 127 regional schools in the West, in which it placed third overall — behind two private universities.
The Western regional list includes public and private institutions in 15 states that provide “a full range of undergraduate and master’s-level programs but few doctoral programs,” according to the guide. Universities that grant doctoral degrees, such as those in the University of California system, are listed in a separate category.
This year’s rankings data predate the coronavirus pandemic, so the impact of COVID-19 on higher education is not reflected in how schools performed overall.
Cal Poly also ranked high in a number of other categories for the Western region:
- No. 1 in innovation, recognizing schools that “are making the most innovative improvements in terms of curriculum, faculty, students, campus life, technology or facilities.”
- No. 1 in best colleges for veterans. Top-ranked schools in this category “make pursuing a college education more affordable” for veterans and active-duty service members, according to the guide.
- No. 2 for best undergraduate teaching programs, which is based on votes from top college administrators for “putting a particular focus on undergraduate teaching.” Mills College, a private school in Oakland, was No. 1.
- No. 8 for best undergraduate engineering programs, which is based solely on peer assessment surveys and ranked among 220 schools that do not offer a doctorate degree.
- Cal Poly’s programs ranked high within the undergraduate engineering program: No. 1 in industrial/manufacturing, No. 2 in aerospace/aeronautical/astronautical, civil, computer, and electrical/electronic/communications; and No. 3 in biomedical and mechanical engineering.
- Ranked 96th in the “top performers on social mobility” category. This category ranks schools that “advance social mobility” by enrolling and graduating large proportions of disadvantaged students awarded with Pell grants. The bulk of these federal grants are awarded to students whose adjusted gross family incomes are under $50,000.
