A California “cowboy college” known for its top agriculture and engineering programs landed on TIME magazine’s America’s Best Colleges list of 2026-2027.

Located on the Central Coast, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo is number 10 for public universities across the country and 38th overall in the new ranking.

The scores were calculated by looking at the learning environment, student outcomes and its attractiveness to students. 

The school scored a 95.11% for student outcomes, the ranking’s most heavily weighted category, with 75% of an institution’s overall score, according to the school’s website.

The learning environment, with 23.84 % accounted for 15% of the score, while attractiveness to prospective students, at 91.67%, accounts for 10% of the total score.

The public university was founded in 1901 and has a current enrollment of around 20,000 students who attend school on the picturesque campus.

At the school’s College of Agriculture, Food and Environmental Sciences students learn about everything from avocados to the anatomy of a cow, according to the school’s website.

The college’s rodeo team hosts an annual Beach Break A Wave rodeo, with it right on Avila Beach. Images on social media show all the action set against the gorgeous view of the Pacific Ocean.

The school’s engineering department is the most popular “major on campus and features aerospace, computer and biomedical engineering programs where students follow the school’s motto, ‘Learn by Doing,'” according to the website. 

In total the university offers nearly 30 degrees.

Cal Poly President Jeffrey D. Armstrong said the national recognition reflects the value of the school’s education and the extraordinary commitment of the staff and faculty to helping students succeed.

“Cal Poly’s Learn by Doing approach prepares students not only to earn a degree but also to make meaningful contributions from day one on the job,” Armstrong said.

“Students and their families are making important investments of time and resources in a college education, and they rightly expect a strong return.”

Cal Poly came in fourth in the state in public schools, followed by UC San Diego and UC Berkeley, with Stanford University the first place overall winner in the list, KSBY reported.

For the ranking, TIME partnered with Statista, analyzing the federal data from the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) and the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, according to the school.

It is the latest ranking showing universities in the Golden State are finding ways to compete against historic prominent colleges on the East Coast.

Five California universities recently made this year’s list of top 40 institutions in the US in LinkedIn’s Top Colleges 2026.

Stanford ranked 10th overall in the list that analyzes undergraduate schools across the country that best prepare graduates for long-term career success.

Four other institutions –– University of California, Berkeley, California Institute of Technology, University of Southern California and Claremont McKenna College –– represented the state in this year’s top 40.

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