There are a lot of myths when it comes to colleges, especially about signs of quality. Whatever preconceived beliefs people have, these incredible state colleges bust right through and prove that they’re academic powerhouses.
For this list, we’ve included state-funded colleges of all shapes, sizes, and kinds. It’s important to note that we did not include any federally-funded schools, so US military academies are excluded.
Check out the very best of the state colleges below!
Top 25 Best State Colleges
Thomas Jefferson founded The University of Virginia. The school had a Board of Visitors that included Jefferson, James Monroe, and James Madison. Well known for its secret societies, the school is also known for their sporting accomplishments. The Cavaliers, who wear orange and blue, have 21 championship wins. Over 25,000 students are currently attending.
Location
Charlottesville, VA
Institution Type
Public
Student Enrollment
25,012
The University of California in Los Angeles is a very large school with over 44,000 students. A public land-grant research university, it’s the second-oldest branch of the school system. Its motto is Fiat lux, or “Let there be Light.” Famous alumni have included Sean Astin, Francis Ford Coppola, Michael Morhaime, Jim Morrison, and Troy Aikman. It has an acceptance rate of 12%.
Location
Los Angeles, CA
Institution Type
Public
Student Enrollment
44,371
A fairly large school, the University of Michigan has over 48,000 students attending, which includes about 31,300 undergraduate students. The two most commonly chosen majors are Computer and Information Sciences and Business Administration. However, economics, mechanical engineering, and experimental psychology are also popular.
Location
Ann Arbor, MI
Institution Type
Public
Student Enrollment
48,090
The University of California – Berkeley has over 43,000 students, with over 31,000 undergraduates and just under 12,000 graduates. It was the state’s first land-grant university and the first campus in the school system. The California Golden Bears, competing in the Pac-12 conference, have won over 100 national championships.
Location
Berkeley, CA
Institution Type
Public
Student Enrollment
43,185
The University of North at Chapel Hill goes by several different names including UNC, Chapel Hill, and Carolina. It’s a public research university and the flagship of the school system. Enrolling students in 1795, it’s one of the oldest public schools in the country. UNC became coeducational in 1877 and began admitting African-American graduate students in 1951.
Location
Chapel Hill, NC
Institution Type
Public
Student Enrollment
29,877
The second-oldest institution of higher education in the United States, King William III and Queen Mary II founded the aptly named College of William & Mary in 1693. A public research university, alumni have included Thomas Jefferson, James Monroe, John Tyler, James Comey, and Jon Stewart. The mascot is the Griffin.
Location
Williamsburg, VA
Institution Type
Public
Student Enrollment
8,773
The University of Maryland at College Park is a larger school with over 30,000 undergraduates and over 10,000 graduates. A majority of incoming students attending are from Maryland, New York, and New Jersey. It’s often called a “Public Ivy,” because of its comparable education to Ivy League schools, and has extremely high research activity. Computer Science is the most popular major.
Location
College Park, MD
Institution Type
Public
Student Enrollment
40,743
A very large school, the University of Florida has over 52,000 students, with about 35,400 undergraduates and 17,000 graduates. Part of the Southeastern Conference, they offer a wide variety of sports from football to gymnastics and have over 500 athletes. The team members are known as the Gators and wear orange and blue uniforms.
Location
Gainesville, FL
Institution Type
Public
Student Enrollment
52,407
Also referred to as Georgia Tech, this public research university was founded in 1885 as part of the Reconstruction plans post Civil War. At first, it only offered degrees in Mechanical Engineering. In 1901, it would also offer Chemical, Civil, and Electrical engineering. Today, the top two majors are Computer and Information Sciences and Mechanical Engineering.
Location
Atlanta, GA
Institution Type
Public
Student Enrollment
36,302
Also known as UT Austin, UT, or Texas, the University of Texas at Austin was founded in 1883, but the first mention of it can be traced back to 1827. Famous alumni include Wes Anderson, James Baker, Matthew McConaughey, and Neil deGrasse Tyson. The two most popular majors at UT are Biological Sciences and Economics.
Location
Austin, TX
Institution Type
Public
Student Enrollment
51,090
The southernmost campus of the University of California system, it is located close to the Pacific Ocean. The school covers over 200 undergraduate programs, 19 organized research units, and boasts the region’s only academic Health System. The school has a 93% first year retention rate. Some alumni of the San Diego school include Angela Davis, Mike Judge, and David J. Peterson.
Location
San Diego, CA
Institution Type
Public
Student Enrollment
38,736
The University of Georgia has an acceptance rate of just over 45% and many students will go on to major in Finance, Psychology, and Biology. It’s one of the oldest public schools in the United States (founded in 1785). This Public Ivy university has quite a few famous alumni graduates including state governors, football players, scientists, Pulitzer Prize winners, and more.
Location
Athens, GA
Institution Type
Public
Student Enrollment
38,920
Also known as UCI or UC Irvine, this public land-grant research university offers 87 undergraduate degrees and 129 graduate and professional degrees. The UC Irvine Anteaters are part of the Big West Conference. 53 alumni have gone on to compete in the Olympics. Biology is the most commonly chosen major at the school.
Location
Irvine, CA
Institution Type
Public
Student Enrollment
36,908
The University of Wisconsin - Madison was the first public university in the state as it was founded when Wisconsin received statehood in 1848. Their motto is “Numen Lumen” or “Divine Light.” It’s also the largest employer in the state as it has over 21,600 faculty and staff. There are 136 undergraduate majors with Economics, Computer and Information Sciences, and Biology being the most popular.
Location
Madison, WI
Institution Type
Public
Student Enrollment
44,257
Part of the University of California system, the Santa Barbara campus is located on the Campus Point State Marine Conservation Area. Econometrics and Quantitative Economics and Sociology are by far the most commonly chosen majors, but Experimental Psychology, Communication, and Biology are also top choices.
Location
Santa Barbara, CA
Institution Type
Public
Student Enrollment
26,314
The University of Illinois at Urbana – Champaign is a public land-grant research university. It was one of 37 universities that came out of the Morrill Land-Grant Act. When the school opened, there were only 77 students and 2 faculty members. Today, over 50,000 students attend, including over 34,000 undergraduates.
Location
Champaign, IL
Institution Type
Public
Student Enrollment
51,605
The University of Connecticut campus is 4,400 acres and just 90 minutes from Boston. It was founded in 1881 and originally known as the Storrs Agricultural School. They accept just under 50% of applicants. UConn is also considered a Public Ivy and has produced famous scholars, actors, authors, inventors, and entrepreneurs.
Location
Storrs, CT
Institution Type
Public
Student Enrollment
27,280
A land-grant research university, Ohio State is known as a Public Ivy. Getting its start in 1870, it was originally known as the Ohio Agriculture and Mechanical College. The Buckeyes take part in the Big Ten Conference and are well known for their football program. With over 1,000 athletes, other popular sports at the school include track, baseball, ice hockey, and fencing.
Location
Columbus, OH
Institution Type
Public
Student Enrollment
61,391
New Brunswick is one of the regional campuses of Rutgers University, and the oldest of the three. The school has 19 undergraduate, graduate, and professional schools, with a high number of undergraduates majoring in Psychology, Computer and Information Sciences, Biology, and Human Resources Management. They have a 67% acceptance rate.
Location
New Brunswick, NJ
Institution Type
Public
Student Enrollment
50,173
Part of the State University of New York (SUNY) system, Binghamton University sees most of their incoming students come from the home state, though many will also come from New Jersey. The Bearcats compete in sports such as soccer, lacrosse, swimming, and track. Baxter the Bearcat is their mascot.
Location
East Vestal, NY
Institution Type
Public
Student Enrollment
18,124
The University of Minnesota – Twin Cities’ campus is actually made up of two locations, 3 miles apart: Minneapolis and Falcon Heights. Also known as U of M or Minnesota, their motto is “Commune vinculum omnibus artibus” or “A common bond for all the arts.” It’s the largest and oldest school in the University of Minnesota system and actually got its start in 1851, before Minnesota was even a state.
Location
Minneapolis, MN
Institution Type
Public
Student Enrollment
51,327
The programs offered at Colorado School of Mines are all focused on energy and environment. All major degrees are in STEM fields (except for economics). The Orediggers are led on by their mascots Marvin the Miner and Blaster the Burro. Wearing blue and silver, they compete in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference of the NCAA Division II.
Location
Golden, CO
Institution Type
Public
Student Enrollment
6,628
“Ense petit placidam sub libertate quietem”, or “By the sword we seek peace by peace only under liberty” is the motto of the University of Massachusetts – Amherst. Also known as UMass Amherst, it is the largest of the school system and got its start as an agricultural college in 1863. Sam the Minuteman is the school mascot.
Location
Amherst, MA
Institution Type
Public
Student Enrollment
31,350
A large school, the University of Washington – Seattle has over 47,000 students and a 20 to 1 student to faculty ratio. Many freshmen come from Washington, but others come from Oregon, California, Texas, and Colorado. About 95% will stay on after their first year. Speech Communication and Rhetoric is the most popular major.
Location
Amherst, MA
Institution Type
Public
Student Enrollment
47,576
The College of New Jersey, founded in 1855, was originally located in Trenton. It moved to Ewing Township in the 1930s and has gone under several name changes, finally arriving at its current one in 1996. The college has a 49% acceptance rate and a first year retention rate of 93%. Part of the New Jersey Athletic Conference, the school has athletes in football, lacrosse, soccer, and more.
Location
Ewing, NJ
Institution Type
Public
Student Enrollment
7,821
Interested in any of these schools? Check out College Raptor’s free match tool to see if they’re a good fit for you!
Methodology
Colleges are ranked based on a combination of factors, including graduation rates, campus diversity, endowment per student, and other data as reported via the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) for the most recently-available enrollment year. Some colleges may have been excluded from rankings based on certain criteria, including specialization and classification. Learn about our full methodology.
