Go Bulldogs! Latest national ranking highlights Fresno State’s academic performance | Opinion

U.S. News and World Report just came out with its annual ranking of the best colleges in America, and California State University, Fresno — aka Fresno State — scored big in the listing.

Of the nearly 1,500 campuses examined by U.S. News, Fresno State came in as:

▪ No. 8 in top performers for social mobility. Last year, it ranked No. 30 in this category.

▪ No. 12 for best electrical, electronic and communications engineering.

▪ No. 49 for best undergraduate engineering program that is non-doctorate.

▪ No. 129 for best colleges for veterans.

In the overall rankings, Fresno State was No. 101 among public schools nationally and No. 185 overall when private schools are included.

That last number may not seem all that impressive. But Fresno State jumped 64 places on the overall list, which is no small feat. The increase was noted by The New York Times in its report on the rankings.

A dozen public universities, The Times noted, saw their rankings jump because of refinements that U.S. News did to its analysis. “They benefited from an algorithm that sent some private universities’ rankings plummeting but represented an effort to account for deals that higher education leaders routinely talk up, like transforming the lives of economically disadvantaged students,” The Times said.

Fresno State’s strong social mobility

The social-mobility ranking is particularly gratifying. It measures a school’s ability to enroll and graduate students who utilize federal assistance to attend college. U.S. News noted that the majority of Pell Grants, as they are known, as given to students whose adjusted gross family incomes are $50,000 or less. Also factoring into social mobility were the number of first-generation students at each school.

At Fresno State a year ago, 66% of the undergraduate enrollment — 15,189 students — were the first in their families to attend college. Of the undergraduates enrolled a year ago, 58% came from low-income backgrounds, university officials said.

Fresno State has 21,300 students as undergraduates, with most of them Latino.

“This high and significant ranking on social mobility is especially important for our students, their families and our region, as it means that Fresno State allows our students to find the best versions of themselves, and in doing so, they become the leaders we all need in our Valley and the world,” Fresno State President Saúl Jiménez-Sandoval said in a statement.

Seven of the top 10 schools ranked for social mobility are in California — five from the California State University system and two from the University of California, including UC Merced, which was No. 4.

Fresno State is also noteworthy for its affordability. A year for students from California costs $5,640 after aid, U.S. News said.

Winning streak

Much has been made so far this school year about the Fresno State football team, and with good reason: The Bulldogs have a 12-game winning streak dating back to last year, and the team is defending Mountain West Conference champion. Of its first three games, Fresno State has beaten Purdue and Arizona State on the road, despite those universities being part of the upper echelon of collegiate football.

But in the bigger picture, academic excellence is the most important thing. Fresno State has seen a steady rise in the grade-point averages of incoming freshmen. This fall, that GPA stood at 3.45.

Similarly, the average GPA of graduating Fresno State students has been on the rise. For the 2021-22 school year, that GPA average was 3.29.

The U.S. News rankings are one measurement of good things happening at Fresno State. Jiménez-Sandoval notes that 80% of Fresno State graduates stay in the San Joaquin Valley after graduation.

“That’s why graduation day is so meaningful to me — we are graduating the leader-professionals who will strengthen communities and elevate the quality of life for everyone in our Valley,” he said.

Indeed. From the football field to the classrooms, the refrain is the same — Go Bulldogs!

UC Merced ranking

UC Merced placed No. 60 on the overall ranking, a great showing for the newest UC campus. Its average annual cost for students from California is $10,751 when aid is factored in.