The ranking marks an increase from the No. 12 spot HSU was given in 2009.
Humboldt State is also listed as the No. 37 school, up from No. 38 last year, in the broader category that includes both public and private master’s level institutions in the West.
U.S. News, which published the rankings in its annual America’s Best Colleges report, bases its report on 15 indicators of academic excellence, including graduation rate, alumni giving, financial resources and student selectivity for entering classes.
The report defines master’s degree institutions as those universities granting baccalaureate and master’s degrees but with no or few doctoral programs. The rankings are further broken down by region, North, West, South and Midwest.
For more information, visit http://colleges.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/best-colleges