Cal Poly is one of Forbes’ Top 25 Public Colleges, as part of the magazine’s 2024-25 list of America’s Top Colleges. As well, Cal Poly was named the best public-master’s university in California and is 14th on the list of top public and private universities in the West in the business magazine’s latest annual rankings.
Overall, Cal Poly was 57th — up from No. 83 in 2023 — among the 500 public and private not-for-profit universities in the U.S. that were ranked. The top five are Princeton, Stanford, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Yale and UC Berkeley. Among institutions in the Golden State, Cal Poly was 12th overall and seventh among public schools, behind University of California campuses at Berkeley, Los Angeles, San Diego, Santa Barbara, Irvine and Davis — all doctorate-level institutions. Cal Poly rose four spots from its ranking of 18th among Western schools in 2023.
“This ranking illustrates how Cal Poly is succeeding in providing our students with a world-class education and preparing tomorrow’s leaders to meet the critical demands of our state, nation and world,” said Cal Poly President Jeffrey D. Armstrong.
In the Top 25 Public Colleges rankings, Cal Poly is included along with seven other California schools: the six UC campuses and San Diego State University. Cal Poly and SDSU are part of the 23-campus California State University system, the nation’s largest public university, educating more than 450,000 students each year. Cal Poly was listed 18th overall among public institutions and seventh among California schools.
“While prestigious private colleges — particularly the eight Ivies — get the lion’s share of media attention, it’s public colleges that educate a majority of America’s undergraduates,” Forbes wrote. “Three out of every five bachelor’s degree-seeking students in the U.S. attend a state school.”
Cal Poly “boasts high starting and mid-career median salaries for its graduates, who often go on to work in technology, engineering and business,” the magazine reported. “Two years after graduating from a four-year program, Cal Poly alumni earn a median $72,358. Later on in their careers, 10 years after graduation, their median salaries hover around $148,600.”
Forbes’ annual list showcases schools that produce successful, high-earning and influential graduates from all economic backgrounds, with less student debt. It includes doctoral research universities, master’s universities and colleges and baccalaureate colleges, as well as colleges that offer specialized programs in engineering, business and art.
Forbes’ methodology examined: alumni salary, student debt, graduation rate, Forbes American Leaders List (an assessment of the leadership and entrepreneurship of a school’s graduates), return on investment, retention rate, and academic success.
This is the second major ranking Cal Poly has received this summer. In June, Cal Poly received Money magazine’s top five-star ranking in its 2024-25 Best Colleges in America list that showcased the top 745 colleges and universities in the U.S. based on graduation rates, cost of attendance, financial aid, alumni salaries and more. The 54 colleges that earned Money’s top rating include public universities, Ivy League schools, liberal arts colleges, a work college and an East Coast maritime academy.
To see the full Forbes Best Colleges list, visit: https://www.forbes.com/top-colleges/.
