San Jose State University

California's oldest public institution of higher education, SJSU is located in downtown San Jose, in the heart of Silicon Valley – an advantage for students interested in exploring professional opportunities or internships at one of the many tech companies and startups in the area. Apple, Intuit, Salesforce, PayPal and IBM are among the companies that have hired SJSU students, and alumni in the tech sector include Intel's Gordon Moore, Dolby Labs' Ray Dolby, and Oracle's Ed Oates. SJSU students have likewise excelled in other areas: look no further than singer Stevie Nicks, writer Amy Tan, and the late gorilla researcher and advocate Dian Fossey. The average annual cost is relatively inexpensive, around $15,000, and approximately 42% of the undergraduate population receives income-based Pell Grants. There are more than 450 student organizations on campus, including 40 fraternities or sororities, multiple cultural and religious groups, and around 40 club sports. The cultural center on campus, MOSAIC, hosts conferences and events supporting social justice issues for marginalized groups. The school is remarkably diverse. Less than one-fifth of the student body is white, Hispanic students make up 29% of the population, and Asians comprise 36%. At 72%, its graduation rate is 11% higher than expected of universities with similar demographics.