SJSU Awarded Inaugural Postsecondary Success Recognition at the U.S. Department of Education
San José State will receive national recognition by the U.S. Department of Education on January 14. Commencement photo by Robert C. Bain.
On Tuesday, January 14, San José State University President Cynthia Teniente-Matson will join five other leaders in higher education at the U.S. Department of Education in Washington, D.C. to celebrate SJSU’s inclusion in the inaugural Postsecondary Success Recognition Program (PSRP). The honor recognizes San José State’s exceptional work in promoting equitable access, success and post-college outcomes, especially for underserved students.
Teniente-Matson will join the U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona, Under Secretary James Kvaal and Special Assistant Stephen Lamb, alongside the other honorees, at a special event that will honor the Department of Education’s achievements during the Biden-Harris Administration.
“This recognition from the U.S. Department of Education highlights San José State University’s dedication to helping our students achieve success, including reducing time to degree and fostering a strong sense of belonging across our campus,” says Teniente-Matson. “As Silicon Valley’s public university, we take pride in the efforts of our faculty, staff, leadership and community members, whose collective commitment to our students’ success drives these outcomes. We are honored to be among the inaugural winners of the Postsecondary Success Recognition Program and look forward to celebrating this achievement in Washington, D.C.”
In spring 2024, the Department of Education identified 200 institutions as initially eligible to apply for the recognition — 100 predominantly bachelor’s-granting institutions and 100 predominantly associate or certificate-granting institutions. The application gathered quantitative data and qualitative information about how institutions use data and evidence-based practices as part of an intentional, campus-wide strategy to ensure all students (including underrepresented students) are earning credentials of value.
Over 120 institutions applied and the Department recruited a panel of nearly 50 peer reviewers, including leading experts, researchers and practitioners from the field, to score applications. The top 20 institutions from the application round then participated in a scored interview round conducted by RTI International, and the top six institutions from the interview round were named as the winners of the inaugural year of the recognition program.
SJSU serves a diverse student body with 40% underserved students of color and 36% of students receiving Pell Grants. At SJSU, 75% of students graduate within eight years, and on average, SJSU students earn 2.3 times more than high school graduates in the state after college. Building on the California State University System’s Graduation Initiative 2025, SJSU has made student success an institution-wide priority by setting and making steady progress toward its goal to improve graduation rates and close graduation gaps. San José State has put a particular focus on ensuring the success of transfer students on campus, partially by addressing gaps in transfer rules to make it more seamless for students to transition their credits and reduce their time to degree.
“Imagine a world where schools with the most Pell Grant recipients are ranked highest, where ‘prestige’ is defined by preparing graduates well to enter the workforce and lead fulfilling lives and careers—sometimes right in their own communities. Imagine universities that are raising the bar for access and equity becoming household names. This award envisions a world where that is possible,” says Secretary Cardona. “Instead of giving schools high marks for the number of students they turn down, we want to recognize schools doing the most to lift students up.”
The six colleges and universities honored as winners represent a cross-section of institutions serving diverse student populations, communities and missions. Located in rural, suburban and urban areas across the country, these schools demonstrate excellence in advancing student success while supporting equitable outcomes for all of their students. Other PSRP winners include: CUNY Hostos Community College in New York; Miami Dade College in Florida; Salish Kootenai College in Montana; University of South Carolina – Upstate in South Carolina; and the University of Texas at Arlington.
Learn more about the PSRP program at the U.S. Department of Education.
