Cal Poly moves up on Forbes’ prestigious best colleges list. Where it landed
Cal Poly has once again been ranked by Forbes as one of the best universities in the nation — and it moved up a couple spots from last year.
The magazine’s annual rankings, released Tuesday, named Cal Poly in its list of the 500 best public and private colleges in the country.
The San Luis Obispo campus landed in the No. 55 spot this year, up from No. 57 in 2024.
Cal Poly was also named among the 25 best public colleges in the nation, coming in at No. 17 this year. Last year, the university was ranked at No. 18.
When building the rankings, the magazine considered alumni salary, student debt, graduation rate, leadership and entrepreneurship among graduates, return on investment retention rate and academic success, according to the release.
Forbes highlighted Cal Poly’s three-year median salary of $83,200 — which hits $153,100 after 20 years, the magazine wrote.
Cal Poly was the only CSU campus to make the top 25 list. Among private and public colleges in California, Cal Poly ranked 12th, falling in line behind several UC campuses, the release said.
“Families find a Cal Poly education a great return on investment, while our students remain attracted to our hands-on, Learn by Doing approach,” said Cal Poly President Jeffrey D. Armstrong in the release. “For decades, employers have found value in classroom, campus club and lab experiences that transform our students into graduates ready to succeed in their careers and their communities from Day One.”
Forbes highlighted the successes of public universities despite federal efforts to disrupt higher education.
Cal Poly has not been immune from the Trump administration’s attacks. Since January, the university has lost out on federal grants, seen student visas revoked and heard federal allegations of antisemitism that resulted in the university president testifying before members of Congress.
“These 25 public schools give the private elites a run for their money. Their students have strong academic outcomes, high salaries and less debt,” the magazine wrote. “As public universities brace for the impact of slashed research funding and future enrollment declines, they’re still doing the bulk of the work of educating America’s students and doing it at a lower price than their private counterparts.”
