Accolades | About CSUSB

CSUSB Rankings

Academic Excellence/Overall Ranking

Named one of the best universities in the West – The Princeton Review, 2025 Best Colleges: Region by Region

Named one of the best universities in the West by – The Princeton Review, 2025 Best Colleges: Region by Region

Listed among the Best Colleges in the nation at No. 46, and named a top institution for social mobility at No. 3, Student Experience at No. 27, Best Value at No. 34, and Best Salaries at No. 107. – The Wall Street Journal, 2025 America's Best Colleges
Recognized by the ALL IN Campus Democracy Challenge as a 2024 ALL IN Most Engaged Campus for College Student Voting – ALL IN Campus Democracy Challenge
Named one of the best universities in the West – The Princeton Review, 2024 Best Colleges: Region by Region
Earned Bronze Seal for student voter participation in 2022 midterm elections – ALL IN Campus Democracy Challenge
Earned second prize in the 2022 Gerald D. Nash History Journal Competition – Graduate Print Division for the 15th edition of the student-run journal, History in the Making: A Journal of History – Phi Alpha Theta National History Honor Society
Earned Silver Seal for student voter participation in 2020 presidential election – ALL IN Campus Democracy Challenge

Accessibility and Affordability

Ranked No. 1 in California and No. 12 in the nation in the annual Best for Vets: Colleges rankings – Military Times, 2024
Ranked No. 11 in the nation, among the top 25 Best Value Online Colleges and Universities – College Consensus, 2024
Ranked No. 1 for Top Affordable Online Master of Social Work Programmes for Mental Health Professionals – Physcreg, 2024
Listed CSUSB at No. 9 in the West in the Best Bang for the Buck category and No. 31 in its National University Rankings – Washington Monthly, 2024 College Guide and Rankings
Listed among the top schools in the nation for affordability, quality of education and student outcomes, earning a 4.5-star rating – Money magazine, 2024

Listed among the top schools in the nation for affordability, quality of education and student outcomes, earning a 4.5-star rating by Money Magazine, 2024

Named a Military Friendly® School for 2023-24 with a gold ranking – Military Friendly®

Named a Military Friendly® School for 2023-24 with a gold ranking by Military Friendly®

Named one of the Top Veteran-Friendly Schools in the nation – U.S. Veterans Magazine, 2023
Ranked No. 10 in the nation in the annual Best for Vets: Colleges rankings – Military Times, 2023
Ranked No. 6 as one of the most affordable universities in the nation – EDsmart, 2023
Listed CSUSB at No. 12 in the West in the Best Bang for the Buck category and No. 29 in its National University Rankings – Washington Monthly, 2023 College Guide and Rankings

Career Outcomes/Social Mobility

Ranked No. 4 in the nation for social mobility and No. 27 in the Best Value Schools category – U.S. News & World Report, 2024 Best Colleges rankings

CSUSB ranks #3 in the nation for social mobility by The Wall Street Journal. We help you rise higher – providing pathways to great jobs while keeping your debt low, so you can achieve your dreams without the burden.

Ranked No. 12 nationally for social mobility and No. 48 (the highest ranked California public institution) in the Best Value-National Universities category. – U.S. News & World Report, 2025
Listed at No. 5 in the nation for social mobility – Education Reform Now, 2023
Ranked No. 8 for economic mobility – Third Way, 2022

Diversity

Ranked No. 32 in the 50 Best Value Hispanic Serving Institutions For International Students – Study Abroad Aid, 2024
Ranked No. 20 in bachelor’s degrees granted to Latinx students, and No. 8 in awarding English language and literature/letters degrees – Hispanic Outlook in Higher Education, 2023

Ranked 35th in the Top 100 Colleges and Universities for Hispanics – Hispanic Outlook in Higher Education magazine, 2022

Degree Programs

CSUSB recognized nationally for outstanding graduate programs: Best Education Schools (No. 114), Best Fine Arts Programs (No. 178), Best Public Affairs Programs, Public Administration (No. 129), Public Health (No. 168), Rehabilitation Counseling (No. 49), and Social Work (No. 120) – U.S. News & World Report’s Best Graduate Schools, 2025
Recognized as a Tier One MBA program in the Global MBA Rankings – CEO Magazine, 2025
Listed among the top online Master of Public Health programs in the nation. CSUSB was one
of 142 colleges and universities selected for the prestigious list. – The Princeton Review, 2025
Listed among the top online MBA and graduate criminal justice programs. CSUSB was ranked 135th in the nation and 5th in California for its MBA program, and the graduate criminal justice program earned the No. 4 spot in California and No. 46th spot in the nation – U.S. News & World Report, 2025 rankings for best online programs
Ranked No. 86 in the nation for doctorate in education programs in the Best Education Schools category – U.S. News & World Report, 2024 Best Graduate Schools
Listed among the top online master's degree in criminal justice programs in the nation. CSUSB was ranked 44th in the nation and 4th in California – U.S. News & World Report, 2024 rankings for best online programs

Listed among the Best On-Campus MBA programs in the nation by The Princeton Review, 2024. In the Top 50 Best Online MBA programs, CSUSB was ranked 37th in the nation, 3rd in California and 1st in the state among public universities.

Listed among the Best On-Campus MBA programs in the nation. In the Top 50 Best Online MBA programs, CSUSB was ranked 37th in the nation, 3rd in California and 1st in the state among public universities. – The Princeton Review, 2024
Ranked No. 120 for the Master in Social Work program in the Best Schools for Social Work category, and ranked No. 135 for the Master of Public Administration program in the Best Public Affairs Programs category – U.S. News & World Report, 2024
CSUSB’s MBA program was listed in three categories: Global MBA Tier One, 44th for Global Executive MBA and 46th for Online MBA – CEO Magazine, 2024
Listed among the top online MBA programs in the nation. CSUSB was ranked 137th in the nation and 5th in California – U.S. News & World Report, 2024 rankings for best online programs
Ranked No. 16 for nursing programs in California and in the top 10% nationally – RNCareers.org, 2024
Nine CSUSB graduate programs were listed among the best in the nation – U.S. News & World Report, 2023-24
In the Top 50 Graduate Entrepreneurship Programs in the nation, CSUSB was ranked 44th in the nation, 8th in the Top 9 Entrepreneurship Programs in the West, among the top 4 in California and 2nd in the state in public universities. – The Princeton Review, 2023
Ranked No. 7 for having one of the best RN to BSN programs in California – Allnurses, 2023
Ranked among the top in the nation for graduate programs in public affairs, social work, public health and part-time MBA – U.S. News & World Report, 2023 edition of Best Graduate Schools
CSUSB’s online MBA program ranked No. 6 in California – Online MBA Report, April 2022
Ranked 8th in the West and 44th in the world for top graduate schools for entrepreneurship studies – The Princeton Review, 2022
Ranked No. 3 for the Best MBA for Human Resources – The Princeton Review, 2022