Chico State Climbs in Washington Monthly’s Annual National and Regional Rankings

Higher education is an important investment in not only the lives of future college students but also the trajectories of their families. And as Washington Monthly released its “2021 College Guide and Rankings” this week, California State University, Chico has once again proven it belongs among the nation’s top institutions.

Chico State placed within the top 15 on both the “Best Bang for the Buck Rankings: West” and “Master’s University Rankings”—climbing up several spots on each list from last year’s standings.

Jerry Ross, associate vice president for Enrollment Management, noted that whether it is seeing the return on the worthy investment of an undergraduate education or continuing to pursue a graduate degree, Chico State offers an unparalleled combination of quality, value and diversity.

“We are pleased to see Washington Monthly continue to recognize Chico State’s commitment to excellence,” he said. “These rankings are a testament to our talented faculty, the high-quality academic programs we offer and our shared dedication to student success.”

On Washington Monthly’s “Best Bang for the Buck Rankings: West” list, the University was recognized at No. 15—out of 215 regional institutions—a two-spot jump from last year.

California State University schools occupy more than half of this regional ranking’s top 20 spots. Buoyed by the system’s affordable education compared to other national systems, this list is led by top-ranked Cal State Long Beach; Cal State LA (No. 3); CSUN (No. 4); Cal State Fullerton (No. 5); Stanislaus State (No. 7); Cal Poly Pomona (No. 8); Cal State San Bernardino (No. 9); Sacramento State (No. 12); Cal Poly San Luis Obispo (No. 13); CSU Channel Islands (No. 17); CSU, Dominguez Hills (No. 19); and San José State University (No. 20).

In its “Master’s University Rankings,” Washington Monthly recognized Chico State at No. 12—up three spots from last year—out of 616 national colleges and universities. This places our University within the top 2 percent of all national colleges and universities considered for this ranking.

Once again, the CSU system fared extremely well, taking nearly half of the ranking’s top 20 slots, including Cal State Long Beach (No. 2); CSUN (No. 4); Cal State LA (No. 5); Cal State San Bernardino (No. 7); Cal State Fullerton (No. 9); Sacramento State (No. 10); Cal Poly Pomona (No. 14); and Stanislaus State (No. 17).

Dean of Graduate Studies Sharon Barrios noted that even through a period of turbulence over the last academic year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Chico State was dedicated to providing graduate students a purposeful, equitable and innovative educational experience that enabled them to fulfill their goals and prepare well for the professional, economic and technology opportunities of the future.

“Chico State has remained steadfast in its commitment to our graduate students, who continue to receive a world-class, collaborative education from the best and brightest faculty,” Barrios said. “The reputation of our faculty as active researchers, innovative teachers and committed mentors is what draws our highly qualified students—many already professionals in their fields—from across the region, the nation and the world. The dedicated faculty support our students to pursue educational paths that will transform their lives and their communities.”

Washington Monthly established its rankings consensus by equally weighing three parts: social mobility, research and community and national service, and requires that in order to be considered for the list, each institution must “be excellent across the full breadth of our measures, rather than excelling in just one measure.”