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Chico State

Chico State Moves Up in Multiple National and Regional Best Colleges Rankings

An architectural breezeway filters light through as college students walk on a campus
Matt Bates / University Photographer

Students walk through the Merriam Library breezeway on Wednesday, August 31, 2022 in Chico, Calif. (Matt Bates/University Photographer/Chico State)

With the 2022–23 academic year officially underway, US News & World Report has once again recognized Chico State for its excellence in a variety of fields, on both the regional and national levels.

The University was named on seven individual lists in US News & World Report’s 2022–23 Best College Rankings. This includes a trio of regional top 25 placements in Social Mobility, Best Colleges for Veterans and Top Public Schools.

Jerry Ross, associate vice president for Enrollment Management, is thrilled that Chico State has once again been recognized for its excellence and said that these awards are particularly noteworthy, as US News & World Report’s annual lists are widely considered the touchstone of college rankings.

“Being ranked as one of the top 10 regional universities in the West is a great achievement that highlights the commitment to academic quality from faculty, staff and students alike, and it’s an honor we have shared for more than a quarter-century,” Ross said. “Additionally, Chico State takes great pride in being recognized for our role in social mobility, as it is a key effort of our access mission. Chico State provides a high-quality education at a great value and that is part of what makes us unique within higher education.”

Chico State’s top ranking this year came at No. 10 on the Top Public Universities in the West listing. This marks an eight-spot improvement from last year’s No. 18 ranking. Schools in the CSU make up seven on the top 10 slots, including Cal Poly San Luis Obispo (No. 1); Cal Poly Pomona (No. 2); San José State (No. 4); CSU, Monterey Bay (No. 7); Cal State LA (No. 8) and Stanislaus State (No. 9).

Additionally, Chico State saw improvement in the rankings of Social Mobility – Regional Universities West (No. 22, up two spots from last year), Best Colleges for Veterans – Regional Universities West (No. 13, up four spots from last year) and Best Regional Universities West (No. 26 out of 120 institutions, up 13 spots from last year).

The biggest jump in this year’s honors came in the Best Undergraduate Nursing rankings, coming in at No. 206—a 45-spot improvement from last year’s placing—out of 681 schools.Chico State was also ranked No. 70 on the Best Undergraduate Engineering – No Doctorate list, a four-spot jump from last year.

To compile its rankings, US News & World Report factored in graduation and retention rates, graduate rate performance, social mobility, faculty resources, expert opinion, financial resources, student academic excellence, and alumni giving among its methodology.

Chico State continues to rack up numerous national and regional recognitions—and in a diverse array of categories. In just the last year, College Consensus ranked the University No. 2 in its “Best Online Colleges and Universities and No. 8 in the “Best Public Colleges and Universities” lists—both national honors. Chico State is also well represented in a pair of Washington Monthly’s 2022 College Guide and Rankings lists—“Best Bang for the Buck Rankings: West” (No. 14) and “Masters University Rankings” (No. 6).