Wall Street Journal Ranks CSUSM Among Nation’s Best
By Cyndi Cunningham
Cal State San Marcos is 79th in the nation in the Wall Street Journal/College Pulse “2026 Best Colleges in the U.S.” rankings, climbing nearly 20 spots since last year.
The Wall Street Journal determined the rankings based on data collected in three main categories: student outcomes, learning environments and diversity. The WSJ examines how much a university improves students’ chances of graduating and their future earnings, balancing those outcomes with feedback from students on college life.
Over 500 of the top universities were considered and ranked in collaboration with College Pulse and Statista.
CSUSM also placed highly in the following categories:
- 16th in social mobility
- 55th in best value
- 71st in student experience
- 79th in best salaries
The rankings are another example of CSUSM's longstanding commitment to student success. As part of that commitment, the university recently announced the launch of a $200 million fundraising campaign. Dubbed “Blueprint for the Future,” it is designed to make higher education more affordable and accessible for students.
There are many examples of the blueprint in action, including a recent $2 million National Science Foundation grant to fund annual scholarships for chemistry and biochemistry students. Also, the CSUSM Master of Social Work program has secured more than $3.5 million in funding to cover tuition, fees and training stipends for more than 100 students.
In August, CSUSM ranked among the top schools in the Washington Monthly rankings. And over the summer, CSUSM received 4.5 out of 5 stars on Money magazine’s list of “Best Colleges in America.”
Media Contact
Eric Breier, Interim assistant director of editorial and external affairs
ebreier@csusm.edu | Office: 760-750-7314