Fresno State places higher than Brown, Dartmouth in new ranking

FRESNO, Calif. ( KSEE/KGPE ) – Fresno State outranked multiple Ivy League schools in Washington Monthly’s 2024 annual list of top universities.

According to the list, Fresno State ranks 22 out of the nation’s top 442 universities. This year’s ranking puts Fresno State ahead of Brown, Dartmouth, and Carnegie Mellon; all Ivy League schools.

Washington Monthly says their ranking system is “based on what [colleges] do for the country,” ranking four-year liberal arts institutions upon their social mobility, research, and promotion of public service.

Social mobility is Fresno State’s strongest suit, ranking 9 out of 442 universities in the country. According to the university, about 60% of more than 6,000 students who graduated in May were first-generation students whose parents do not have bachelor’s degrees.

Fresno State, which has annually provided over 1 million hours of service to the community for 15 years in a row, ranked 51 out of 442 in promotion of public service.

The school says it is one of 25 institutions to receive the first Carnegie Leadership for Public Purpose classification that recognizes schools committed to the pursuit of public goods like justice, equity, diversity, and liberty. Fresno State is the only public institution in California to receive the designation.

Washington Monthly ranked Fresno State 367 out of 442 in research, but in the past year, the university says over $70 million in grants and contracts was awarded to support research. The school says their commitment was highlighted in 2022 after earning an R2 designation as a “Doctoral University – High Research Activity” by the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to YourCentralValley.com | KSEE24 and CBS47.