For 12th Straight Year, Cal Poly Is Best in the West in U.S. News Rankings

For the 12th year in a row, Cal Poly has been rated the best public largely undergraduate university in the West by U.S. News & World Report, in its 2005 America’s Best Colleges guidebook.

Cal Poly retained its No. 5 position overall in the magazine’s list of the West’s best universities, including private institutions, that “provide a full range of undergraduate and master's-level programs but few, if any, doctoral programs.” (U.S. News ranks colleges which grant doctoral degrees, such as those in the University of California system, in a separate category.)

“It is very gratifying to receive national recognition, such as our placement in the U.S. News rankings,” said President Warren J. Baker. “For over a decade, Cal Poly has been ranked at the top of Western public institutions of higher learning. Of course, the success of our alumni and the quality of our faculty and programs are the real proof that this recognition of Cal Poly’s academic excellence is well deserved.”

U.S. News also names “programs to look for,” defined as “outstanding examples of academic programs that are believed to lead to student success.” Cal Poly is included in two categories: Internships/Co-ops and Undergraduate Research/Creative Projects.

Also earning a top spot in the magazine’s Best Undergraduate Engineering Programs – for schools whose highest degree is a bachelor’s or master’s – is Cal Poly’s College of Engineering, ranking as the No. 3 program at a public school.

A number of College of Engineering programs also ranked high in the Best Undergraduate Engineering Programs in their individual specialty categories. Cal Poly’s computer, electrical, industrial/manufacturing were each ranked as the top program at a public university in their respective specialty categories. The aerospace program ranked No.3.

The U.S. News rankings will be available at www.usnews.com starting Aug. 20 and will be in the U.S. News & World Report magazine that goes on sale Monday, Aug. 23.

Contact: Susan McDonald (805) 756-7266, 756-1511