Cal Poly Pomona claimed the No. 2 ranking in Top Public School in the western region in the 2026 U.S. News & World Report “Best Colleges” ranking and was among the top 10 in several other regional categories: Most Innovative (No. 2), Regional Universities - West (No. 3),  Best Undergraduate Teaching (No. 4), Best Colleges for Veterans (No. 2) and Social Mobility (No. 10, tie). In the national rankings, the College of Engineering tied for No. 9 among undergraduate programs where a doctorate is not offered and five of its programs were individually recognized: aerospace engineering (No. 3, tie), computer engineering (No. 3), civil engineering (No. 4), electrical engineering (No. 5) and mechanical engineering (No. 6, tie). 

The '2026 Best College' rankings was published by U.S. News & World Report on September 23, 2025.