May 17, 2022 - Fresno State is among the nation’s best colleges when it comes to quality, affordability and outcomes ranking No. 29 in Money’s new 2022 Best Colleges list, the online financial publication announced on Monday.
This year, for the first time, Money separated its annual rankings into two lists: a main ranking of 623 colleges nationwide and a secondary ranking of the nation’s 48 most selective schools. Designed to help families look at the costs and payoffs of any university they consider, Money’s Best Colleges list highlights colleges that have a record of helping students graduate and launching them into jobs with above-average wages. One of Money’s main messages this year is that a college doesn’t need to be super selective to be a good investment.
Fresno State is one of 11 California State University campuses in the top 50 of the main list. In Money’s subcategories, Fresno State ranked No. 25 for Best Public Colleges and No. 17 for Best College in the West.
“This new rankings report from Money affirms Fresno State’s commitment to providing our students with the opportunity to learn, engage and become visionary leaders,” said Fresno State President Saúl Jiménez-Sandoval. “The heartfelt efforts of our faculty and staff result in a comprehensive higher education that transforms the lives of our talented and diverse students — who in turn empower our communities, state and world.”
The rankings include only the U.S. colleges that have sufficient reliable data to analyze. Data collection and analysis was led by Money’s rankings partner, Witlytic, but Money’s editorial staff is responsible for the final decisions.
The colleges and universities were ranked on 24 factors in quality, affordability and outcomes. Money made several changes to its rankings calculations this year, including removing Payscale earnings data and calculating earnings weighted by majors differently, which makes it difficult to compare a college’s performance this year with previous years. Fresno State has appeared on Money’s Best Colleges list since 2016, excluding 2021 when Money did not publish a rankings list.
Nearly 25,000 students attend Fresno State, 66% of whom are the first in their families to graduate from college. The University remains one of the most affordable campuses in the California State University system when it comes to tuition and fees. The University has the lowest campus mandatory fees in the CSU, including fees for health services and instructionally-related activities.
Source: Fresno State
