Chico State is making waves and gaining national recognition for being a high-ranked university.

Forbes Magazine placed Chico State as the 89th ranked university out of 300 on their list of America’s Best Value Colleges for 2018.

Forbes listed the Wildcats ahead of the University of Notre Dame, the University of Southern California, University of Oregon and many other colleges.

According to Forbes magazine; net price, net debt, alumni earnings, timely graduation, school quality and access for low-income students were taken into account.

Money Magazine also ranked Chico State 62nd out of 727 schools on their list of Best Colleges for Your Money and 37th out of the 50 Best Public Colleges.

For schools to be considered by Money Magazine they needed to meet certain criteria, such as a student population of at least 500, not being in financial distress and a graduation rate at or above the median for its institutional category (public, private or historically black).

Educational quality, affordability and alumni success were the three main categories behind their rankings.

Chico State’s Media Relations Coordinator Sean Murphy said the rankings are a direct reflection of the quality education and resources the campus has to offer.

“All the resources for students; academics, financial, personal and cultural make such a difference,” said Murphy. “It helps students find their way and discover their passions. Chico State is the whole package.”

Although these rankings are vital to attracting prospective college students, they also hold significance to current Wildcats.

Child Development major and third-year student Melonnie Lopez, said she was surprised to hear about the Money Magazine rankings on Twitter.

“In all honesty I was shocked when I first saw how high Chico (State) was ranked,” Lopez said. “I always had appreciation for the school, but seeing how well we stack up against other colleges made me feel more proud for choosing to come here.”

Chico State’s current Money Magazine ranking is a significant improvement from the year prior, which listed the school at 174.

“It’s hard to say what moved us up because the method for judging can change for different publications,” Murphy said. “Chico State does a lot of things very well and we are always working to find things that work and make them even better for our students.”

Murphy credited Chico State’s faculty for reaching out to students and making them feel welcome in ways that go beyond the traditional classroom setting.

“Something that is very important to us, is letting our students feel welcome. It opens doors for success,” Murphy said.

Kathryn Sykes can be reached at [email protected] or at katesykes_orion on Twitter