For the 18th year, Cal State San Bernardino has been recognized as one of the top colleges in the West by The Princeton Review.

CSUSB is one of 126 colleges in the “Best Western” section in The Princeton Review’s 2022 Best Colleges: Region by Region list.

“Being listed as one of the best universities in the West is always a proud moment,” said CSUSB President Tomás D. Morales. “It shows the value of a CSUSB degree and highlights the efforts of our campus community to ensure that all of our students receive an excellent education and are well-prepared for their future.”

In its annual list, The Princeton Review named 654 schools in five zones – the Northeast, Southeast, Midwest, West and International – that they recommend as “regional bests.” The schools in each region are listed in alphabetical order by school name and are not ranked.

“These 654 colleges are a select group, indeed,” said The Princeton Review in an email announcing the list. “They constitute just 23% of the nation’s four-year colleges. From hundreds of institutions we considered in each region, we selected these schools primarily for their excellent academics. We also weighed what students attending the schools reported to us about their campus experiences.”

“We chose Cal State San Bernardino and the other outstanding institutions on this list primarily for their academics,” said Robert Franek, The Princeton Review’s editor-in-chief. He noted that the company considered data from its survey of administrators at several hundred colleges in each region, information from staff visits to schools over the years, and the opinions of college counselors and advisors whose perspectives the company solicits. “We also consider what students enrolled at the schools reported to us on our student survey about their campus experiences,” Franek added.

The Princeton Review survey asked students to rate their colleges on dozens of issues and to answer questions about themselves, their fellow students and their campus life. Comments from surveyed students are quoted in the school profiles on The Princeton Review website.

According to its profile on CSUSB, one psychology major explained, “We have great diversity, which provides a great mixture of beliefs and ideas. There [are] young and old students, local and international students, and this allows people to share their different points of view and everyone can bring something to the table.” 

Additionally, professors at CSUSB received high marks. Described as “passionate” and “knowledgeable,” teachers strive to “make sure the material is understood.” Students are also grateful for “the enthusiasm they bring to every lecture.” A CSUSB junior said, “My professors bring a sense of humor to the classroom, which allows them to be a lot more approachable. They allow me to have fun while I am learning.”

The 126 colleges that The Princeton Review chose for its Best in the West 2022 list are located in 15 states: Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Oregon, Texas, Utah, Washington and Wyoming.

The Princeton Review is an education services company known for its tutoring, test-prep, books and other student resources. Headquartered in New York, NY, it is not affiliated with Princeton University.

To view all the regional lists, visit The Princeton Review’s 2022 Best Colleges: Region by Region website.