Sonoma State University has once again been selected as one of America’s top colleges by Forbes magazine. Under the “top college” listings released by Forbes on Aug. 21, SSU was ranked No. 88 in the West and No. 150 among public colleges in the nation.
SSU was ranked 12th among the 18 CSU schools that made the annual list. The CSU campuses listed included Cal Poly San Luis Obispo (No. 137), San Diego State (219), Long Beach State (286), Cal State Maritime Academy (297), Cal Poly Pomona (301), San José State (314), Cal State Fullerton (317), Chico State (347), Cal State Stanislaus (431), Fresno State (432), San Francisco State (433), Sonoma State (445), Sacramento State (467), Cal State Northridge (469), Cal State East Bay (477), Cal State Los Angeles (494) and Cal State San Bernardino (515) and Humboldt State (625).
For its “top college” listing, Forbes ranked both public and private not-for-profit schools on variables including alumni salary, debt upon graduation, academic success, graduation rates and providing students with opportunities to lead successful lives and careers.
In a prepared statement, the CSU system noted, “The recognition of these CSU campuses from Forbes is a testament to progress made by the CSU’s Graduation Initiative 2025, which is helping to eliminate opportunity and achievement gaps and prepare the skilled workforce needed to power the nation’s economy.”
In a similar report released in April, Forbes ranked Sonoma State University No. 188 in its list of Best Value Colleges in America, which analyzed 300 colleges in America based on student return on investment. SSU was listed between Bucknell University (187) and Tulane University (189).
“We are proud of the fact that within the past year we have been recognized by Forbes as a university that offers both a quality education and a great value,” said SSU President Judy K. Sakaki. “We continue to be focused on student success and academic excellence.”
This month’s ranking also comes on the heels of SSU being named one of the Princeton Review's 2019 Top 384 Colleges in the nation for the fourth year in a row. The campus was placed in the publication’s “Best Western Colleges” list earlier this month.