Cal State Long Beach (CSULB) was selected for The Princeton Review’s 2018 edition of its annual guide, “Colleges That Pay You Back: The 200 Schools That Give You the Best Bang for Your Tuition Buck,” the university announced. CSULB was one of only two CSUs that made the list, which includes a mix of both public and private institutions.

“We are delighted to be recognized for what many call ‘return on investment,’” President Jane Close Conoley said in a statement. “Increasingly, Long Beach State University is recognized for its academic excellence as well as for its workforce preparation. When our students graduate, they join more than 300,000 alumni who are engaged and leading in their chosen careers and fields, and our inclusion in ‘Colleges That Pay You Back…’ underscores our efforts and their accomplishments.”

This fourth annual guidebook is the education services company’s resource for students ready for college and their parents who are shopping for “affordable, academically outstanding colleges that graduate their students to successful, rewarding careers.” “Colleges That Pay You Back…” includes detailed profiles of the schools, as well as ranking lists.

San Diego State University was also selected. The full lists, profiles and information on the project methodology can be reviewed here.

The Princeton Review chose the 200 schools based on an analysis of its surveys of administrators at more than 650 colleges in 2016-17, according to the release. Survey topics covered academics, cost, financial aid, career services, graduation rates, student debt and alumni support, as well as factored in data from PayScale.com surveys of alumni about their starting and mid-career salaries and job satisfaction.

Just 7 percent of the country’s four-year colleges made it into the book, according to Robert Franek, the lead author and the Princeton Review’s editor-in-chief. The Princeton Review used more than 40-plus data points to select and rank the 200 included schools.

“These schools were bona fide standouts for the return they deliver on one’s college investment,” Franek said in a statement. “They offer stellar academics, generous aid awards to students with need and/or merit, and provide all of their undergrads with career services from day one – plus a lifetime of alumni connections.”