Sonoma State University ranked sixth in the U.S. News & World Report's annual "America's Best Colleges" guide in the Western Region category of Top Public Universities-Master's. The University shares this position with California State University, Fullerton and Humboldt State University. Cal Poly San Luis Obispo heads the list for the Western region in the publication's annual college survey released recently.
SSU also ranked 34th in the Best Universities-Master's category in the Western region with an average freshman retention rate of 80%. Others at that same rank are CSU Fullerton and St. Martin's College in Washington State. This category highlights public institutions that award master's and bachelor's degrees, but few, if any, doctorates.
The rankings are part of a series of tallies published in the yearly "America's Best Colleges" issue. It is based on a variety of characteristics, including peer assessment among academics, graduation and freshman retention rates, faculty and financial resources, student selectivity and alumni giving.
U.S. News & World Report ranked Harvard and Princeton universities at the top, sharing the number one spot. Yale University placed third.
