Cal Poly Pomona was the highest-ranking polytechnic university in the nation on the 2022 Social Mobility Index for helping low-income students achieve financial success. The university was also No. 17 among all U.S. universities on the list — one of the few schools to enjoy the distinction of reaching the Top 20 in all nine years that CollegeNET has published the Social Mobility Index (SMI).
The SMI measured variables such as cost of tuition, enrollment of students from low-income backgrounds and graduating those students into good jobs. This year’s SMI also incorporated a new metric: how schools applied their promotional messaging to address the country’s income inequality gap and declining economic mobility. The 2022 SMI includes 1,414 four-year institutions.
Cal Poly Pomona has more than 27,000 students. During the 2020-21 academic year, the university awarded an estimated $235 million in financial aid through grants, loans, federal work study and scholarships. In that academic year, 75 percent of students received financial aid and 43 percent were Pell Grant recipients.
Cal Poly Pomona’s SMI ranking is the latest accolade recognizing its leadership in social mobility, education innovation and as a provider of quality education.
U.S. News & World Report placed the university in top spots in its 2023 Best Colleges Ranking, listing it as No. 2 Top Public Schools in the West, No. 4 Most Innovative Schools West, No. 6 Best Undergraduate Teaching West (tie), and No. 6 Top Performers on Social Mobility West (tie).
The 2022 Diverse Issues in Education “Top 100 Degrees Conferred” list ranked Cal Poly Pomona No. 20 in the nation for the most bachelor’s degrees earned by minority students. Money Magazine listed the university at No. 28 on its “Best Colleges in America, Ranked by Value 2022,” based on quality, affordability and alumni outcomes.
Cal Poly Pomona is one of the nation’s most diverse polytechnic universities, with 57 percent of its students self-identifying as first generation and 55 percent identifying as members of ethnic minorities.