Cal Poly earns top honors in newest college categories.

For the fourth year in a row, U.S. News and World Report ranked Cal Poly as the best overall for both public and private master’s-level universities in the West, according to a Cal Poly press release.

The western region is made up of 15 states, where Cal Poly claimed its 34th consecutive year as the top public institution.

Additionally, the university earned the No. 1 spot for best colleges for veterans for the seventh consecutive year and received the top spot in a new category: best value for in-state students.

“Cal Poly’s continued recognition in these and other rankings reflects the dedication of our students, faculty and staff in pairing rigorous academics with hands-on learning, resulting in graduates who are ready to address the pressing problems of California, the nation and the world,” Cal Poly President Jeffrey Armstrong wrote in the release.

The emphasis on real world practice is something students experience every day in the classroom, according to Scarlett Bligh, a biomedical engineering sophomore.

“My engineering classes, they’re all very hands-on, lab focused, so you get a lot of experience working with circuits or developing a project,” Bligh said. “We’re working on a project all semester, so we’re going through the whole design process and seeing what that would look like.”

The 2027 best colleges rankings also highlighted several individual engineering disciplines, placing computer engineering and electrical engineering programs in first, tying civil engineering for first and placing mechanical engineering and aerospace programs in second.

The announcement follows recognition from TIME Magazine’s inaugural America’s best colleges list, which ranked Cal Poly 10th among public universities and 38th overall out of 500 institutions evaluated nationwide.

“I remember specifically the TIME article,” said Colton Moore, an environmental management and protection freshman. “Articles like that definitely influenced my decision.”