Recently, U.S. News & World Report posted the latest of its annual national university rankings on its website. The list ranks the nation’s universities from best to worst based on factors such as faculty resources, student selectivity in addition to graduation and retention rates. This year, San Diego State ranked at No. 152 out of 281 national universities, jumping a record 31 total spots from No. 183 in 2011 to No. 165 in 2013, and again to No. 152 in this year’s rankings.
“To move up 31 spaces over that time means that people at other universities are hearing about us and are impressed by what we’re doing, so they’re ranking us higher than they used to just a few years ago,” SDSU Provost Nancy Marlin said. “That’s very, very gratifying.”
[quote]…it makes our students and their degrees all the more valuable.[/quote]
According to the report, SDSU’s graduation rate is 67 percent, and its retention rate is 86 percent. Graduate programs such as rehabilitation counseling, audiology and public health are rated within the top 50 programs of their kind. Most notable is SDSU’s International Business Program, which earned a spot in the top 10 “Best Undergraduate Business Programs” at No. 8 in the nation.
“My staff and I were thrilled, not only because it represents the hard work we have put into the program in the last year, but also because it makes our students and their degrees all the more valuable,” Director of the International Business Program Ramona Pérez said.
Marlin said the rankings heavily analyze each school’s reputation, and because many universities are already cemented in place year after year, these steadily increasing numbers mark a huge step forward in boosting SDSU’s notoriety.
“People in other disciplines are hearing about the cutting edge, visible research that a lot of our faculty are doing, so that is what they recognize and respect,” Marlin said. Opinions are difficult to change, but their evaluations are changing a great deal.”
The reason for such a jump may also lie in the report’s ranking algorithm. In the overall ranking process, financial resources account for 10 percent, and alumni giving rate accounts for 5 percent. This means that school funding makes up 15 percent of the total ranking score. So far, SDSU has collected more than $423 million in philanthropic donations to reach a goal of $500 million. Findings also indicate 56 percent of SDSU’s students graduate debt-free, while the average student debt at SDSU is $17,600.
Such low student debt rates contribute to SDSU steadily increasing rank, but to Marlin, the real measure of SDSU’s greatness isn’t necessarily found in algorithms nor percentages.
“The campus is viewed as a very welcoming environment for students because we are so diverse, and we value that diversity,” Marlin said. “This is a university that has a good sense of community and is very engaged in our local community. We have a lot of outreach programs that offer an inordinate amount of financial aid for students of various economic groups. We welcome various ethnic groups; veterans; the disabled; the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community; and so forth, and it makes for an incredibly rich and wonderful campus.”
SDSU can only grow from here, Marlin said.
“We’re going to garner more national attention, and a better reputation, as time goes on,” she said. “Our focus is on improving student success, faculty research and the community aspect of SDSU. Those efforts will keep moving us forward.”
