Cal State San Bernardino earned the No. 2 spot in the nation for social mobility in The Wall Street Journal/College Pulse Social Mobility ranking, a recognition of the university’s commitment to student success and its role in helping students define their futures.

“We are honored that The Wall Street Journal has recognized Cal State San Bernardino as No. 2 in the nation for social mobility. This ranking affirms the deep commitment of our faculty and staff to transforming lives of our students through education,” said university President Tomás D. Morales. “At CSUSB, many of our students are the first in their families to pursue a college degree, and we remain dedicated to ensuring that they not only graduate, but also succeed after graduation. The WSJ/College Pulse Social Mobility ranking highlights what makes our mission so vital — providing access, opportunity and upward mobility while keeping higher education affordable and impactful.”

This marks the second consecutive year the university has been highly ranked for social mobility by the publication. In 2025, The Wall Street Journal listed the university at No. 3 in the nation.

The WSJ/College Pulse Social Mobility ranking lists colleges in order of how much they enhance their students’ social mobility, rewarding universities that take in the highest proportion of students coming from lower-income families, while maintaining high graduation rates, and having a positive impact on graduate salaries and minimizing the costs of attending the college. The ranking was developed and executed in collaboration with The Wall Street Journal’s research partners College Pulse and Statista.

California’s public universities, especially those in the California State University system, continue to be well-represented in The WSJ/College Pulse Social Mobility ranking: Cal State Los Angeles was placed at No. 1, followed by CSUSB at No. 2, UC Merced at No. 3, Cal State Stanislaus at No. 4 and Cal State Fresno at No. 5. Also rounding out the top 10 were Cal State Northridge (No. 8), Cal State Sacramento (No. 9) and Cal State Fullerton (No. 10).

CSUSB was also listed at No. 17 in the nation in The WSJ/College Pulse Rankings Best Value category, which looks at how quickly the difference between one school’s graduates’ salaries and those of comparable high-school graduates pays back the average net price of four years of study – what the publication calls “Years to pay off net price.” Baruch College, CUNY was No. 1 on this list; the top CSU campus was Cal State Los Angeles at No. 10.

In the overall 2026 Best Colleges in the U.S. list, CSUSB was placed at No. 45 among 584 universities the ranking examined, taking into account student outcomes, learning environment and diversity. Stanford University was No. 1 on this list; the top CSU campus in this category was San José State at No. 17.

And the publication included CSUSB in its Student Experience category, ranking it at No. 77. The ranking is based on independent surveys of college students and recent graduates in the U.S. on their college experience. The surveys looked at campus facilities, community and social life and diversity. Scripps College in Claremont was No. 1 and the top CSU campus on the list was Cal State Northridge at No. 25.