Fresno State continued its five-year streak of ranking No. 3 among public national universities for graduation-rate performance in U.S. News and World Report’s 2022 Best College Rankings issued Sept. 13. 

The University also placed fifth overall in graduation-rate performance among all national universities, according to an analysis of U.S. News’ Academic Insights data used in the magazine’s annual rankings. Fresno State has ranked No. 3 among public universities for the past four years and was No. 1 in 2017.

The graduation-rate performance uses the University’s actual six-year graduation rate compared to predicted performance based on admissions data, school financial resources, the proportion of federal financial aid recipients who are first-generation, math and science orientations and the proportion of undergraduates receiving Pell grants.

“This ranking shows the determination and resilience of our talented students, who come from diverse backgrounds and experiences, to achieve their higher-education dreams,” said Fresno State President Saúl Jiménez-Sandoval. “It is also a recognition of our outstanding faculty and staff who inspire and empower our students for success. And this is the best part: Their success is directly tied to the success of our community and a higher quality of life in our Valley.” 

U.S. News and World Report has published its Best College rankings for the past 37 years as a guide for students and parents to compare the academic quality of universities and colleges across the nation. The rankings evaluate campuses on a number of factors, including graduation and retention rates, faculty resources, academic reputation, financial resources and graduate-rate performance. 

The magazine’s latest rankings assessed 1,466 bachelor’s degree-granting institutions. Here’s a look at other categories where Fresno State continues to deliver on its mission to educate and empower students for success. 

  • Fresno State ranked No. 7 for economic diversity, a category highlighting schools with large percentages of undergraduates receiving federal Pell grants, meaning they come from low- to medium-income households.
  • The Lyles College of Engineering’s undergraduate engineering programs ranked No. 53 out of 246 universities, an improvement over the previous year when it ranked No. 60.
  • Moving up five spots from last year, Fresno State ranked No. 21 in social mobility for how well schools graduate students who receive federal Pell Grants. 
  • In a new ranking, the Fresno State undergraduate nursing program placed No. 251 out of 694 institutions that offer a bachelor’s of science in nursing. 
  • The University ranked No. 107 among all national public universities, and was one of two California State Universities to make the list with San Diego State University, which ranked No. 67.  

Fresno State’s reclassification as a Carnegie doctoral university in 2016 means it joined the top research universities in the nation in rankings produced by the new publication. Fresno State offers doctoral degrees in nursing, physical therapy and educational leadership.

Fresno State has appeared on several national college rankings for excellence in social mobility, research and service over the years. Last month, the University ranked No. 54 among the best national universities in Washington Monthly’s 2021 College Rankings, and was the only California State University to make the top 100. Fresno State also ranked No. 41 in the Best Bang for the Buck: West category.

The University ranked No. 7 in MONEY Magazine’s 2020 Best Colleges rankings for Most Transformative Colleges “where students beat the odds by doing better than would be expected from their academic and economic backgrounds.” The magazine did not publish a college rankings list this year.