UC Riverside is among the top 100 public colleges in the U.S. in an academic ranking published this month by Business First.

The campus ranked No. 69 in the list, climbing almost 30 spots from the previous year, when it came in at No. 98. The publication also ranked institutions by region, with UC Riverside placing No. 14 for public colleges in the West.

Business First, which publishes 43 business weeklies across the country, used a 22-part formula to come up with its rankings of 505 colleges. Its ranking is aimed at identifying colleges and universities that offer the best educational experiences to their students.

“The highest scores went to schools with highly selective admissions processes, strong retention and graduation rates, impressive earnings by alumni, generous resources, affordable tuitions and housing costs, diverse faculties and student bodies, and economically robust communities,” according to the publication.