File photo. 

California State University, Long Beach (CSULB) ranked in the top 50 for “Colleges that Add the Most Value,” in this month’s 2015-16 “Best Colleges” issue of Money Magazine, receiving an “A” grade for tuition value. 

The study, which ranked CSULB 121 overall on its “Best Colleges” list, ranked the top 50 “Value Added” schools based on graduation rates, earnings and student loan repayment. CSULB President Jane Close Conoley said it was the interaction of staff and faculty with students that gave the school its ranking.

“A 2014 Gallup survey of 30,000 college graduates offers insight into why Money magazine gives CSULB an “A” grade,” said Close Conoley, citing the researchers’ findings that certain formative experiences are essential for successful careers. “Graduates across the board indicate that if a professor or staff member reached out to them, made them excited to learn or to ‘follow their dream’ while they were in college, the graduate’s odds of being engaged at work more than doubled.”

CSULB was listed along with the University of California, Riverside, University of California, Irvine, California State University, Stanislaus, and Mount St. Mary’s University for the top 50 “value added” schools with “A” grades.

CSULB’s 60 percent graduation rate, net price of a degree ($122,573) and average early career earnings ($43,800) contributed to the university’s grade and ranking.

According to Close Conoley, volunteer and community service programs, coupled with small class sizes help the university graduate students with “a high-quality degree that so many employers demand.”

“We involve students as active learners in the classroom and in our research efforts and spend significant time researching how well our students are learning,” Close Conoley told the Post. “Our classes are small and student engagement is high. We offer travel abroad opportunities – we even have a passport office on campus. Many students have internships and apprenticeships and many do research with faculty.”