Two students working together on laptops at King Library

With student achievement improving, SJSU ranked 10th in the West overall, and seventh for engineering (photos by Elena Polanco).

Contact: Pat Lopes Harris, 408-656-6999

SAN JOSE, Calif., — Once again, San Jose State University has excelled in the U.S. News & World Report college rankings. The 2012 edition of “America’s Best Colleges,” available now online, shows SJSU at 10th overall among the West’s top public universities offering bachelor’s and master’s degrees.

“As our overall score and peer assessment indicate, we have experienced at least a slight increase in average freshmen retention rates, average graduation rates, and SAT/ACT test scores,” President Mohammad Qayoumi said. “At the same time, we have more classes with less than 20 students, and fewer with more than 50. I congratulate our students for their achievements, and our faculty and staff for their contributions.”

San Jose State’s Charles W. Davidson College of Engineering received top marks, ranking seventh in the nation among public engineering programs offering bachelor’s and master’s degrees, excluding service academies.

SJSU also ranked third among regional universities in the West for least student debt at graduation, meaning San Jose State students graduate with less debt than nearly all institutions in our region.

Read more from U.S. News & World Report.

San Jose State — Silicon Valley’s largest institution of higher learning with 28,000 students and 3,190 employees — is part of the California State University system. SJSU’s 154-acre downtown campus anchors the nation’s 10th largest city.