Dominican Ranks Among Top Universities In West By U.S. News & World Report

Dominican University of California has been named among the top 20 regional universities in the west by U.S. News & World Report in its annual ranking of universities and colleges in the United States.

The San Francisco Bay Area-based university has jumped five spots to number 18 in the Best Regional Universities (West) category of the U.S. News & World Report 2022-2023 Best Colleges guide. The ranking reflects Dominican’s strength in several categories, including graduation and retention rates, student selectivity, and alumni giving.

This is the first time the university has cracked the top 20 spot in the western region, which includes California, Oregon, Washington, Texas, Utah, Colorado, Idaho, Hawaii, Arizona, Nevada, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Alaska. Regional universities provide a full range of undergraduate and master's programs.

In addition, Dominican came out tops in many U.S. News & World Report individual lists, including:

• Number two in the Western Universities region for A+ Schools for B Students.
• Number six in the Western Universities region for Ethnic Diversity.
• Number 21 in the Western Universities region for Best Value. 

Strong graduation and retention rates, combined with Dominican’s small class sizes and the academic strength of incoming students class – almost 50 percent of last year’s first-year class graduated in the top 25 percent of their high school class – all contributed to this year’s ranking.

Elevating student success and enhancing collaboration across campus is at the heart of the Dominican Experience. The Dominican Experience ensures that all undergraduates have access to:
 

• One-on-one attention and coaching from a network of mentors across campus.
• Real-world experiences, including internships, service-learning, clinicals, or global learning programs. 
• Signature work projects, ranging from a capstone thesis developed with a faculty advisor, undergraduate research in the lab or the field, an art project, a choreographed dance, or publication in a journal.
• Job readiness and interview skills through career coaching, resume and LinkedIn workshops, and interview preparation.

Student success as defined by graduation rates has improved by more than 70 percent since 2011. The four-year graduation rate is 72 percent and six-year is 74 percent, well above the national average of 41 and 60 percent. In this same time period, the percentage of students identifying as ethnically diverse has increased by nearly 30 percent. Last fall, student retention between first-to-second year was at 87.5 percent — the highest in the last decade.

Today, more than 70 percent of Dominican’s undergraduate students identify as ethnically diverse. Earlier this year, Dominican was designated a Minority Service Institution, specifically both a Hispanic Serving Institution (HIS) and an Asian American Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institution (AANAPISI). 

Nearly 99 percent of Dominican undergraduate students receive financial aid, making the Dominican Experience and its tangible results a reality for students and their families. Dominican awards more than $23 million in scholarships each year to ensure equitable access to a top-quality education.