Cal Poly named Best in the West by U.S. News for third year in a row
Cal Poly has once again been named the best regional university in the West by U.S. News and World Report, marking the third straight year the San Luis Obispo campus has earned the title.
U.S. News publishes its college rankings annually. In addition to the top regional schools, the rankings also tally the best national universities, best liberal arts colleges, top public schools and more.
“For over four decades, Best Colleges has served as a trusted and data-backed resource for students and families navigating the complex college search process,” said LaMont Jones, managing editor for Education at U.S. News, in a news release. “Over the years, Best Colleges has evolved into a comprehensive tool that reflects the changing landscape of higher education, providing prospective students with a crucial starting point to identify schools that align with their academic and personal goals.”
For the Best in the West title, Cal Poly led University of Portland at No. 2 and Cal Poly Pomona at No. 3. That’s the same top three as last year.
The regional rankings tally up universities that offer a “full range of undergraduate programs and some master’s programs, but few doctoral programs,” according to U.S. News.
Cal Poly beat out more than 100 other institutions for the title, the list showed.
Within the regional universities in the West, Cal Poly was also named No. 1 in several other categories, including most innovative school and the top public school and the best college for veterans.
It landed in a tie for No. 2 in the list of best undergraduate teaching programs among regional universities in the West, No. 5 for engineering and No. 7 for best value.
Within the engineering rankings, Cal Poly’s computer engineering program ranked No. 1, while the mechanical and electrical engineering programs ranked at No. 2.
The former Cal Maritime — now known as Cal Poly Maritime after the SLO campus initiated a merger with the maritime academy — was also recognized in the annual rankings. It was named the best public college in the West, and placed second among private and public schools, the Cal Poly release said.
“We appreciate U.S. News’ recognition of Cal Poly as one of the nation’s finest universities for more than a generation,” Cal Poly President Jeffrey D. Armstrong said in a news release. “Our Learn by Doing ethos continues to create thousands of graduates each year who make a difference in their respective industries and occupations.”
The rankings are the latest accolades the university has earned this year.
Cal Poly also ranked among the 25 best public colleges in the nation by Forbes in August. It also landed in the No. 55 spot on Forbes list of best universities in the nation.
This story was originally published September 23, 2025 at 11:26 AM.
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