Though it failed to crack the nation’s top 300 colleges in the U.S. News and World Report’s annual rankings, Cleveland State University did distinguish itself in an important category: It is the top-ranked university in the state of Ohio for social mobility, meaning that it does more than any other college in the state to help students from economically disadvantaged backgrounds graduate and start careers.
CSU earned the top spot among public Ohio colleges last year in the same category, but this year bested all other public and private institutions.
In a press release highlighting the achievement, CSU said that it continues to be a national leader in providing tailored programs and coaching to those most in need.
“While it’s always gratifying to be recognized in these rankings for providing a high-quality, affordable and accessible education, what is truly meaningful is the impact we’re making on the lives of our students,” said CSU President Laura Bloomberg, in the release. “A CSU education can be life changing for our graduates and their families lifting them up economically and socially. That’s our mission as an urban, public university.”
CSU was founded in 1964 and these days has a total enrollment of roughly 16,000 (~10,600 undergraduate). In-state tuition and fees are only $12,000, far below the sky-high tuitions of private universities, and 76% of full-time undergraduates receive some form of need-based financial aid. According to the rankings, the average need-based award at CSU is $8,542.
Another Northeast Ohio institution, Case Western Reserve University, remains the state’s top overall college. Case slotted in at #44 in the annual rankings, which focus on academic quality and emphasizes outcomes like graduation rates, graduate indebtedness and social mobility. Princeton University, in Princeton, New Jersey, was once again the nation’s top-ranked university. Princeton made headlines in recent weeks for offering free rides to any student whose family makes less than $100,000 per year.
***
Sign up for Scene’s weekly newsletters to get the latest on Cleveland news, things to do and places to eat delivered right to your inbox.
This article appears in Sep 7-20, 2022.
