Cal State Monterey Bay is one of the most racially diverse schools in its category, according to U.S. News & World Report in the 2011 edition of America’s Best Colleges.

CSUMB is tied with Amherst College at No. 11 on the magazine’s “diversity index” among national liberal arts colleges – schools that award at least half their degrees in the fields of liberal arts. Approximately 265 colleges and universities are in the category. The “diversity index” factors in the total proportion of minority students and the overall mix of groups. The information is drawn from each school’s 2009-10 student body.

CSUMB also was a leader in the U.S. News category of least debt owed by students. Members of the class of 2009 who borrowed money had an average debt of $15,254.

Washington Monthly magazine rated CSUMB highly, as well.

The university ranked second among the nation’s public liberal arts colleges in its contribution to the public good, according to the magazine’s 2010 College Guide.

The Washington Monthly rates schools based on: recruitment and graduation of low-income students; cutting-edge scholarship and Ph.D.s; and students who give back to their communities.