Cal Poly Pomona claimed the No. 2 ranking in 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: (No. 2), (No. 3), (No. 4), Best Colleges for Veterans (No. 2) and (No. 10, tie). In the national rankings, the College of Engineering tied for among undergraduate programs where a doctorate is not offered and 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 on September 23, 2025.