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U.S. News Names Cal Poly Best in the West for 24th Consecutive Year

September 13, 2016

Cal Poly is ranked as the No. 1 public, master’s-level university in the West by U.S. News & World Report’s America’s Best Colleges guidebook again this year – a ranking awarded to Cal Poly every year since 1993.

The 2017 guidebook lists Cal Poly in a tie with Saint Mary’s College for ninth place overall in the West of regional universities, public and private. This is up from 10th place last year.

“Our continued inclusion in the prestigious U.S. News rankings is a testament to the Cal Poly community’s unwavering passion for providing the best possible Learn by Doing experience for all of our students,” said Cal Poly President Jeffrey D. Armstrong. “Only through our faculty’s innovation and dedication to Learn by Doing; our staff members’ commitment to daily excellence; and our alumni, industry and friends’ support are we able to help our students become the industry and community leaders of tomorrow.”

Cal Poly’s College of Engineering moves up two spots to No. 5 on the list of best master’s/bachelor’s program this year and the college’s environmental engineering program is lauded as the best master’s/bachelor’s program in the nation. The civil engineering program ranks No.3, while electrical engineering is tied for No. 4, and mechanical engineering places at No. 5.

In addition, the Orfalea College of Business appears again this year in the magazine’s list of best undergraduate business programs.

Cal Poly also ranks No. 6 in the West (up from No. 10 last year) for most veteran-friendly universities. This list shows which top-ranked schools offer the best financial opportunities for military vets and active-duty service members. Cal Poly is the top-ranked public university in this category.

The U.S. News rankings are available at www.usnews.com/colleges. Read Cal Poly’s entry here.

—By Matt Lazier, with Lisa Nauful