Cal Poly Pomona has earned recognition again as the highest-ranking polytechnic university in the nation on the “2020 Social Mobility Index” for propelling low-income students to financial success by graduating them into good-paying careers. 

In addition to leading all polytechnic institutions, Cal Poly Pomona ranked No. 6 among all colleges and universities nationwide, climbing up from No. 10 in 2019. The university is one of only a handful of schools to reach the top 10 in each of the seven years the Social Mobility Index (SMI) has been published. 

The SMI, published by CollegeNet, measures several variables but emphasizes access to higher education (via tuition price and students’ economic background) and outcomes (graduation rates and early-career salaries) in compiling their listing.

The goal of the index is to celebrate schools transforming lives and to focus attention on those universities working to solve the urgent problems of declining economic mobility and income inequality in the United States.

At Cal Poly Pomona, nearly 75 percent of students receive financial aid. For the 2019-2020 academic year, the university processed more than $305 million in financial aid, a new record.

For President Soraya M. Coley, recognition of the university’s efforts supporting student success is welcome.

“Cal Poly Pomona is a national leader in promoting social mobility because we provide students an education that is rigorous and relevant and built on a university-wide commitment to diversity, inclusion and fostering opportunity,” said Coley. “This recognition validates, once again, our deliberate and comprehensive efforts to prepare students for a lifetime of success.”

The California State University system again dominated the SMI ranking with 14 campuses represented among the top 20. The CSU is a leader in the national conversation around social mobility.