Photo: David Schmitz

Media Contacts:
Pat Lopes Harris, 408-924-1748, pat.harris@sjsu.edu
Robin McElhatton, 408-924-1749, robin.mcelhatton@sjsu.edu

SAN JOSE, CA – San Jose State University is among the nation’s top universities for granting degrees to minority students, according to the publication Diverse Issues in Higher Education.

“San Jose State University is proud of its role in providing all students with the opportunity to earn a college degree,” President Mary A. Papazian said. “SJSU is among Silicon Valley’s greatest educational assets, sending more than 9,000 graduates annually into the workforce and on to advanced degrees.”

The August 2018 issue of Diverse Issues provides the following details on San Jose State’s national rankings in terms of number of degrees granted in 2016-17 in comparison to other institutions:

  • Sixth for bachelor’s degrees awarded to Asian American students
  • 31st for bachelor’s degrees awarded to Hispanic students
  • 14th for bachelor’s degrees awarded to minority students
  • Eighth for master’s degrees awarded to Asian American students
  • 32nd for master’s degrees awarded to Hispanic students
  • 24th for master’s degrees awarded to minority students

The recognition comes on the heels of MONEY magazine’s ranking of San Jose State as the fourth most transformative university in the nation.

Supporting All Students

Studying national figures, Diverse Issues found that the total number of degrees awarded to minority students increased two percent over the previous year. However, “minorities as a group are still underrepresented relative to their share in the U.S. population,” the magazine said.

San Jose State University data shows 73 percent of bachelor’s degrees and 66 percent of graduate degrees were awarded in 2016-17 to students who identified as Native American, Black, Asian, Asian American, Pacific Islander or Hispanic, including those who specified two or more races.

According to the 2010 U.S. Census, 58 percent of San Jose residents identify as a member of one of these groups, other races, or two or more races. (The SJSU and U.S. Census figures incorporate international students under the ethnicities they report, and the SJSU graduate data encompasses master’s and doctoral degrees.)

The data source for the Diverse Issues analysis is the Collections Survey of the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) collected by U.S. Department of Education’s National Center for Education Statistics.


About San Jose State University

The founding campus of the 23-campus California State University system, San Jose State provides a comprehensive university education, granting bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees in 250 areas of study – offered through its eight colleges.

With more than 35,000 students and nearly 4,370 employees, San Jose State University continues to be an essential partner in the economic, cultural and social development of Silicon Valley and the state, annually contributing 10,000 graduates to the workforce.

The university is immensely proud of the accomplishments of its more than 260,000 alumni, 60 percent of whom live and work in the Bay Area.