Cal State Long Beach has been ranked as one of the nation’s “best bargains” in education in a report released Monday by Money magazine.
The annual report compared 727 universities across the country for quality and affordability. Cal State Long Beach ranked No. 13 this year, up from 22 the previous year. The university ranked the highest compared with other Cal State University campuses.
To determine the rankings, Money analyzed student-to-teacher ratios, six-year graduation rates, affordability and outcomes for Pell Grant recipients.
Overall, Cal State Long Beach was lauded for its relatively low total tuition of $25,100 compared to graduates’ average early career earnings of $51,100 a year. Total tuition was $10,300 with financial aid, and students walk away with an average of $15,000 in debt.
University of California, Irvine, came in No. 1 as the nation’s most affordable quality university, with an average cost of $14,900 with financial aid and an average student debt of $16,500.
Cal State Long Beach President Jane Close Conoley in a statement said the ranking is a “testament to the dedication of our entire academic and extended community.”
“Each year we work to increase diversity while removing barriers to equity of opportunity, retention and graduation while providing superior teaching, research, creative activity and action for the public good,” she said.
Money in its report noted that Cal State Long Beach’s is one of the state’s largest universities, and yet its graduation rate is about 45% higher compared to colleges that admit students of similar demographics. The report also noted that 38% percent of low-income students who attend Cal State Long Beach eventually move in to the “upper-middle class” bracket.
While Cal State Long Beach is popular, it’s also more selective. The university’s acceptance rate is just 28%.
Money’s top five volleges
- University of California, Irvine
- CUNY Bernard M. Baruch College, New York, NY
- Princeton University, Princeton, NJ
- University of California, Los Angeles
- University of California, Davis