Strategic Communication and Brand Management

CSUN Rankings and Pride Points

CSUN Rankings and Pride Points are high-level accolades compiled by the Strategic Communication and Brand Management team.

New Accolades

Awarded Gold status as a 2026–2027 Military Friendly® School and also named a 2026–2027 Military Spouse Friendly® School. [March, 25 2026]
CSUN’s David Nazarian College of Business and Economics ranked #18 on LA Times Studios’ 2026 list of Top MBA Programs in Southern California. [March, 25 2026]

Rankings

#1 for the economic diversity of students out of public colleges nationwide, according to The New York Times.
- CSUN was also the #12 public college for economic mobility and #23 for low net price. [Updated Nov. 2023]
#1 master’s university based on contributions to the public good in access, affordability, outcomes and promoting public service. — Washington Monthly. [Aug. 25, 2025]
- CSUN was also Washington Monthly’s #2 Best Bang for the Buck College in the West; #3 Best Colleges for Your Tuition (and Tax) Dollars; and #14 America’s Best Hispanic-Serving Colleges. [Aug. 25, 2025]
#1 across the CSU for overall AASHE STARS score, and #1 master’s institution for Building & Grounds in the AASHE Sustainable Campus Index. — AASHE Sustainable Campus Index 2025. [Sept. 9, 2025]
- CSUN was also the #4 Top Performer overall and tied #6 in Research among master’s institutions globally. — AASHE Sustainable Campus Index 2025. [Sept. 9, 2025]
#1 largest Jewish population in California and #20 nationally, per Hillel. [2025]
#3 for bachelor’s degrees granted to Hispanic/Latino students, per Hispanic Outlook on Education Magazine. [Oct. 2024]
#3 in the nation for awarding bachelor’s degrees in regional, ethnic, cultural and gender studies, and in communication and journalism, per The Chronicle of Higher Education. [Sept. 2, 2025]
#3 for awarding bachelor’s degrees to Latinx/a/o/Hispanic students nationally, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. [2022 data]
CSUN earned three top 10 placements from Online Masters Degrees, ranking #6 in California for its online Master of Social Work and #7 for its online Master of Education and Master of Public Health. [Feb. 25, 2026]
#6 among Most Transformative Colleges in the nation, per Money. [Nov. 2020]
#8 for social mobility in the nation. — Wall Street Journal/College Pulse 2026 Best Colleges in the U.S. [Sept. 30, 2025]
#9 in the California Mobility Index for advancing economic and social mobility, per the College Futures Foundation. [Feb. 20, 2025]
#9 in California for illustration programs, also ranked #10 on the West Coast and #14 nationally among public schools and colleges, per Animation Career Review’s 2025 Illustration School Rankings. [September 9, 2025]
#10 in Top Public Schools among regional universities in the West, #16 in Top Performers on Social Mobility among regional universities in the West, and #20 in Regional Universities West per U.S. News & World Report. [Sept. 24, 2025]
#11 on the national Social Mobility Index by CollegeNET. [Sept. 2024]
#11 Best Colleges for Accounting and Finance in California. — Niche. [Aug. 25, 2025]
- CSUN also ranked #12 Best Colleges for Communications; #13 Best College Campuses; #14 Best College Food, Top Public Universities and Best Big Colleges; #15 Best Greek Life Colleges; #19 Best College Athletics; and #20 Best Colleges for Political Science and Best Colleges for Education — all in California by Niche. [Aug. 25, 2025]
#12 among the 20 Best Music Schools in the World, per The Hollywood Reporter. [Nov. 25, 2025]
#13 for graduates who go on to earn research degrees among similar institutions (Carnegie Master's Colleges and Universities), per the National Science Foundation.
#15 nationally among schools offering an animation-related B.A., and recognized among the top programs in California and the West, per Animation Career Review. [March 25, 2025]
CSUN’s Department of Cinema and Television Arts is included among:
- CSUN’s Department of Cinema and Television Arts named to TheWrap’s Top 50 Film Schools. — TheWrap. [Oct. 30, 2025]
- The Hollywood Reporter’s Best Film Schools in the U.S., at #21. [Aug. 1, 2025]
- Variety’s Top Film Schools in North America. [April 2024]
#18 among the 20 Best Music Schools in the World, per The Hollywood Reporter. [Nov. 22, 2024]
CSUN’s Music Industry Studies program earned a spot on Billboard’s 2025 Top Music Business Schools list. — Billboard. [Oct. 27, 2025]
The David Nazarian College of Business and Economics celebrated 26 alumni honored in the Los Angeles Business Journal’s Top 100 Accountants of 2025. [Nov. 14, 2025]

Pride Points

CSUN has been designated as a California Black Serving Institution (BSI), a statewide recognition for advancing Black and African American student success.
Recognized with the 2026 Carnegie Community Engagement Classification, an elective designation by the American Council on Education and the Carnegie Foundation honoring CSUN’s commitment to community engagement. [Jan. 14, 2026]
Awarded the prestigious Seal of Excelencia, by Excelencia in Education. [Sept. 2023]
Money's Best Colleges — 4.5 stars. [June 2025]
Named among the 20 colleges that enroll the most transfer students by U.S. News and World Report, with 4,335 new transfer students enrolled in fall 2024. [Jan. 5, 2026]
A Fulbright HSI Leader, for the fourth straight year, per the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. [Nov. 3, 2024]
An official Tree Campus USA, per the Arbor Day Foundation. [Updated June 2024]
Recognized by The Princeton Review as one of the nation’s most environmentally responsible colleges in the Guide to Green Colleges: 2026 Edition. [Oct. 21, 2025]
A Movement Maker, per the Association of College and University Educators, for demonstrating an enduring commitment to the success of all students. [June 2023]
The largest enrollment of students who are Deaf and Hard of Hearing among mainstream universities in the nation.
Sierra magazine Cool School. [2021]
An official Bee Campus USA Affiliate. [Certified 2018]
An Equity Champion for Higher Education, per the Campaign for College Opportunity. [2021]
The long-running Assistive Technology Conference, sponsored by our Center on Disabilities, is the premier event in the field of technology for persons with disabilities.
Ranked Tier One by CEO Magazine, the David Nazarian College of Business and Economics MBA program is among the best in the 2025 Global MBA rankings. [March 24, 2025]
Recognized for Higher Access, Medium Earnings in the 2025 Student Access and Earnings Classification by the American Council on Education and the Carnegie Foundation, honoring CSUN’s student access and earnings impact. [April 24, 2025]
Awarded Gold status as a 2025–2026 Military Friendly® School and also named a 2025–2026 Military Spouse Friendly® School. [April 7, 2025]
One of just six universities in California—and 194 worldwide—to earn dual AACSB accreditation in business and accounting. [Feb. 5, 2025]