by Ken Mashinchi | Sep 18, 2023 | Awards and Achievements, Featured
San José State University is the #1 public university in the West for best value, according to the U.S. News and World Report’s 2024 Best Colleges rankings released Monday. The West region consists of 15 states, spanning as far east as Texas and Oklahoma. SJSU was ranked #3 in Best Value among public universities in last year’s rankings.
SJSU made huge leaps in a number of other categories, including rising to #4 overall among universities in the West. SJSU jumped 12 spots from last year’s rankings, and ranks #3 among public universities in the West.
In additional West regional rankings, SJSU is listed as the #3 Most Innovative School in the debut of the ranking — #2 among public universities — and also rose in two other regional categories:
- #3 for Best Colleges for Veterans, rising four spots from last year
- #7 in Top Performers on Social Mobility, also up four spots from 2023 rankings
SJSU also ranked #3 among public universities in the West for campus ethnic diversity, and tied for #11 in the West for least debt.
“Our students, faculty, staff, alumni and local community have long known what the rest of the country is now getting to see: San José State is a top university, not only in California but nationwide,” said SJSU President Cynthia Teniente-Matson. “Our tremendous faculty and staff aren’t just providing a world-class education; they are helping students discover what they can do in Silicon Valley and beyond, at a public university that is providing immediate on-campus opportunities without breaking the bank.”
Nationally, the Charles W. Davidson College of Engineering remains a powerhouse, ranking #6 among public universities — and #12 overall (up three spots from 2023 rankings) — on the Best Undergraduate Engineering Program – Non-Doctorate list. Additional national engineering rankings include:
- In SJSU’s debut of the Electrical/Electronic/Communications ranking, electrical engineering ranks #3 among public universities and #8 overall
- Mechanical engineering ranks #6 among public universities and #12 overall — up two spots from the 2023 rankings.
- In another ranking debut for SJSU, computer engineering ranks #7 among public universities and #12 overall in the Computer category.
“SJSU, as Silicon Valley’s public university, is the best place in the world to study engineering and to launch your career as an engineer,” said Don Beall Dean of the Charles W. Davidson College of Engineering Sheryl Ehrman. “We are proud of our talented students and faculty who deliver a hands-on, real world-centered educational experience, and we are thrilled to see our college and departments receive this recognition.”
Additional rankings include:
- The College of Health and Human Science’s undergraduate nursing program ranks in the top 15 among California programs
- The Lucas College and Graduate School of Business ranks in the top 20 among undergraduate business programs in California
- The College of Science’s computer science program ranks in the top 20 among California universities
U.S. News and World Report’s rankings focus on academic excellence, with institutions ranked using more than a dozen measures of academic quality, including graduation rates and performance, peer assessment and financial resources per student.
The Best Value category is based on four ranking indicators: academic quality, percentage of full-time undergraduate students receiving need-based scholarship or grants, percentage of students who received need-based aid that does not need to be paid back, and average discount from the school’s total price for undergraduate students.
SJSU’s Rise in Rankings Validated in Forbes, Wall Street Journal, Other Rankings
SJSU’s strong showing in national rankings over the past month also includes the Forbes, Wall Street Journal, Washington Monthly, Third Way and the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE).
- SJSU ranks #10 among public universities in California in the Forbes America’s Top College 2023 list and #37 among public universities in the country. According to Forbes, the median 10-year salary for SJSU graduates is $132,400.
- In the Wall Street Journal/College Pulse 2024 Best Colleges in the U.S. rankings, SJSU ranks #19 among public universities in the state.
- SJSU ranks in the top 50 of Washington Monthly’s 2023 Master’s University Rankings, and #14 among California universities.
- In Third Way’s 2023 Economic Mobility Index, SJSU ranks in Tier 1 — the top 20% — of universities in the country.
- In AASHE’s 2023 STARS Top Performers list, SJSU ranks #6 nationally among Master’s institutions. The Sustainability Tracking, Assessment & Rating System (STARS)measures and encourages sustainability in all aspects of higher education.
In June, Money magazine ranked SJSU 4.5 out of 5 stars — a high mark among the 736 colleges scored. SJSU also appeared on Money’s rankings for Best Public Colleges, Best Colleges in the West and Best Colleges with High Acceptance Rates. The university also remains Money magazine’s #1 Most Transformative University, an honor SJSU first received in 2020.
Earlier this year, the Wall Street Journal placed SJSU #1 among public universities in the country for accounting salaries for graduates, #2 among public universities in the country from WSJ for salaries for marketing graduates, #4 among public universities in the country for salaries for data science graduates, #5 among public universities for salaries for engineering graduates and #6 among public universities for salaries for software developer graduates.
