Wall Street Journal Ranks SJSU the #4 Public School in the Country
A new academic year is underway, and good news is already rolling in for San José State University. In the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) and College Pulse’s 2025 Best Colleges in the U.S. rankings, released Thursday, SJSU ranked as the #4 best public university in the nation and #16 overall.
The rankings, which rate the top 500 universities in the country, measure how well each college sets graduates up for financial success, how much a school improves students’ chances of graduating and their future earnings and balances these outcomes with feedback from students on college life. SJSU vaulted 157 spots from last year’s overall rankings.
“San José State is a premier public university in the country, and we are thrilled this ranking highlights what many Spartans already know — SJSU prepares students to succeed as graduates and transform their lives,” said President Cynthia Teniente-Matson. “We are the anchor institution of the Epicenter of the Future here in Silicon Valley, and our tremendous students, faculty, staff, alumni and community deserve the credit for making this university a world-class institution.”
In additional rankings, SJSU ranked #5 among public universities, and #17 overall, for Best Salaries, which according to WSJ, “lists schools in order of their impact on graduates’ salaries and how this relates to the cost of attending the college.” The university also ranked #28 for social mobility and #42 for best value in the nation.
SJSU is no stranger to strong rankings from WSJ. Last year, SJSU earned several top rankings among public universities for salaries for graduates:
- #1 in accounting
- #2 in marketing
- #4 in data science
- #5 in engineering
- #6 in software development
