Fresno Pacific University has been called a “hidden gem” among California universities.
College Gazette, a website specializing in higher education, put FPU at number 10 on its list, published January 7, 2020. See the full article at: collegegazette.com/the-10-best-hidden-gem-universities-in-california/.
While the Golden State is well known as home to UCLA, Stanford University, University of Southern California and the California Institute of Technology, College Gazette states California many colleges and universities that are among the finest institutions throughout the United States. “Some of these schools deserve significantly more national recognition, having graduated Fortune 500 CEOs, state senators, groundbreaking tech entrepreneurs, and more,” according to the article.
In honoring FPU, College Gazette notes its:
- Four-year graduation rate of 53% (highest in California’s Central Valley).
- Four-year graduation guarantee. (A two-year guarantee is offered to qualified transfer and degree completion students.)
- Commitment to helping students of all economic backgrounds.
- Fresno Pacific Biblical Seminary’s reputation as “a premiere school for religious studies.”
- Dedicated schools for business, education, natural sciences and humanities, religion and social sciences.
To qualify as a College Gazette “hidden gem,” a school must:
- Demonstrate significant accomplishment over the last two decades in the form of campus/curricular expansion, student satisfaction, employment outlook and similar metrics.
- Not be classified in the top 180 National Universities category of U.S. News & World Report rankings.
U.S. News classifies FPU as a Regional University—West, and ranks it number four in its category for the social mobility of its graduates, as well as number 31 among best schools and 35 among best values. Washington Monthly also includes FPU on its regional social mobility and best value lists and in its national ranking for top 100 four-year schools for adult students. Money lists FPU number 11 nationally for best colleges for transfer students—its highest ranking for a Christian university.
“Many of these schools are well-known in certain regions of California,” College Gazette says of FPU and other California “hidden gems,” going on to call all schools on the list “rising institutions gaining more and more notice throughout the country for their excellence.”
More on College Gazette at collegegazette.com/