2021 Best Public Colleges Rankings
Public Colleges Ranking Overview
University of California-Los Angeles ranked first and University of California-Berkeley ranked second in Public Colleges rankings. The 2020 average tuition & fees of the schools is $9,964 for state residents and $22,087 for out-of-state students. The average number of student population is 15,139 and the average student to faculty ratio is 17 to 1. Below statements are summarizing average statistics of tuition, admission, and more academic factors for Public Colleges. For the statistics, we include top 20 schools out of total 100 Public Colleges.
- The average undergraduate tuition & fees is $22,087 and University of Michigan-Ann Arbor has the highest tuition & fees of $54,097 and University of North Dakota has the lowest tuition & fees of $14,546.
- The average graduate tuition & fees is $20,550 and University of Michigan-Ann Arbor has the highest tuition & fees of $49,548 and The College of New Jersey has the lowest tuition & fees of $15,883.
- The average student population is 15,139 and Texas A & M University-College Station has the most students of 68,679 and University of New Hampshire at Manchester has the fewest students of 750.
- The average graduation rate is 54.41% and University of Virginia-Main Campus has the highest rate of 95% and University of Alaska Fairbanks has the lowest rate of 35%.
Read our ranking methodology and know how to rank.
Best Public Colleges Comparison Table
| Rank | College Name | Undergraduate Tuition & Fees | Graduate Tuition & Fees | SAT Score | Acceptance Rate | Population | Graduation Rate | Student to Faculty Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | University of California-Los Angeles Los Angeles, CA | $43,003 | $28,131 | 1,415 | 12% | 44,537 | 92% | 18 to 1 |
| 2 | University of California-Berkeley Berkeley, CA | $44,066 | $29,347 | 1,430 | 16% | 42,501 | 93% | 20 to 1 |
| 3 | United States Naval Academy Annapolis, MD | - | - | 1,350 | 8% | 4,512 | 92% | 8 to 1 |
| 4 | University of Virginia-Main Campus Charlottesville, VA | $53,627 | $32,394 | 1,430 | 24% | 24,639 | 95% | 15 to 1 |
| 5 | University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Chapel Hill, NC | $36,159 | $30,248 | 1,405 | 23% | 30,011 | 91% | 13 to 1 |
| 6 | University of Michigan-Ann Arbor Ann Arbor, MI | $54,097 | $49,548 | 1,435 | 23% | 46,716 | 93% | 11 to 1 |
| 7 | Georgia Institute of Technology-Main Campus Atlanta, GA | $33,964 | $31,334 | 1,405 | 21% | 32,723 | 90% | 18 to 1 |
| 8 | United States Military Academy West Point, NY | - | - | 1,270 | 12% | 4,589 | 85% | 7 to 1 |
| 9 | University of California-San Diego La Jolla, CA | $44,402 | $28,631 | 1,370 | 31% | 37,887 | 87% | 19 to 1 |
| 10 | New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology Socorro, NM | $24,190 | $25,602 | 1,275 | 80% | 1,895 | 50% | 8 to 1 |
| 11 | United States Air Force Academy USAF Academy, CO | - | - | 1,335 | 11% | 4,336 | 85% | 8 to 1 |
| 12 | University of California-Santa Barbara Santa Barbara, CA | $44,160 | $28,670 | 1,355 | 30% | 25,976 | 83% | 22 to 1 |
| 13 | University of California-Irvine Irvine, CA | $43,507 | $28,456 | 1,295 | 27% | 36,032 | 84% | 18 to 1 |
| 14 | University of Florida Gainesville, FL | $28,659 | $30,130 | 1,390 | 37% | 52,218 | 88% | 18 to 1 |
| 15 | University of California-Davis Davis, CA | $44,351 | $28,700 | 1,290 | 39% | 38,167 | 87% | 20 to 1 |
| 16 | University of Maryland-College Park College Park, MD | $36,891 | $30,885 | 1,375 | 44% | 41,200 | 87% | 18 to 1 |
| 17 | University of Wisconsin-Madison Madison, WI | $38,630 | $25,523 | 1,390 | 54% | 43,463 | 88% | 17 to 1 |
| 18 | University of Washington-Seattle Campus Seattle, WA | $39,114 | $30,294 | 1,345 | 52% | 47,400 | 84% | 19 to 1 |
| 19 | University of Georgia Athens, GA | $31,120 | $27,476 | 1,330 | 45% | 38,652 | 87% | 17 to 1 |
| 20 | William & Mary Williamsburg, VA | $46,854 | $34,800 | 1,415 | 38% | 8,817 | 90% | 11 to 1 |
| 21 | University of New Hampshire at Manchester Manchester, NH | $33,088 | $16,018 | 1,105 | 91% | 750 | 48% | 10 to 1 |
| 22 | University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Champaign, IL | $36,720 | $30,083 | 1,340 | 59% | 49,702 | 85% | 20 to 1 |
| 23 | Purdue University-Main Campus West Lafayette, IN | $28,794 | $28,794 | 1,315 | 60% | 44,474 | 82% | 13 to 1 |
| 24 | Florida State University Tallahassee, FL | $21,683 | $26,707 | 1,270 | 36% | 41,005 | 83% | 21 to 1 |
| 25 | The University of Texas at Austin Austin, TX | $40,032 | $22,886 | 1,355 | 32% | 51,832 | 86% | 18 to 1 |
| 26 | Ohio State University-Main Campus Columbus, OH | $33,502 | $37,141 | 1,355 | 54% | 61,170 | 86% | 19 to 1 |
| 27 | University of Delaware Newark, DE | $36,090 | $35,192 | 1,255 | 71% | 24,120 | 81% | 15 to 1 |
| 28 | University of California-Santa Cruz Santa Cruz, CA | $43,779 | $28,952 | 1,290 | 51% | 19,700 | 75% | 19 to 1 |
| 29 | Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University Blacksburg, VA | $32,893 | $30,547 | 1,285 | 70% | 34,683 | 86% | 14 to 1 |
| 30 | North Carolina State University at Raleigh Raleigh, NC | $29,220 | $28,999 | 1,335 | 45% | 35,479 | 82% | 14 to 1 |
| 31 | Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus University Park, PA | $35,514 | $38,728 | 1,190 | 76% | 46,810 | 71% | 14 to 1 |
| 32 | California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo San Luis Obispo, CA | $25,971 | $21,009 | 1,340 | 28% | 22,013 | 82% | 21 to 1 |
| 33 | University of Connecticut Storrs, CT | $40,502 | $41,576 | 1,305 | 49% | 27,412 | 84% | 16 to 1 |
| 34 | Texas A & M University-College Station College Station, TX | $40,526 | $22,743 | 1,275 | 58% | 68,679 | 82% | 20 to 1 |
| 35 | Arizona State University-Tempe Tempe, AZ | $29,428 | $27,048 | 1,240 | 86% | 51,585 | 63% | 19 to 1 |
| 36 | University of Pittsburgh-Pittsburgh Campus Pittsburgh, PA | $33,706 | $40,836 | 1,350 | 57% | 28,673 | 83% | 14 to 1 |
| 37 | The University of Texas at Dallas Richardson, TX | $38,970 | $28,610 | 1,350 | 79% | 28,755 | 70% | 25 to 1 |
| 38 | The University of Tennessee-Knoxville Knoxville, TN | $30,684 | $31,798 | 1,240 | 79% | 28,894 | 72% | 17 to 1 |
| 39 | Rutgers University-New Brunswick New Brunswick, NJ | $31,785 | $32,132 | 1,320 | 61% | 50,254 | 84% | 16 to 1 |
| 40 | University of South Florida-Sarasota-Manatee Sarasota, FL | $16,502 | $20,737 | 1,225 | 24% | 2,069 | 47% | 12 to 1 |
| 41 | University of Central Florida Orlando, FL | $22,467 | $28,657 | 1,255 | 44% | 68,475 | 72% | 30 to 1 |
| 42 | Colorado School of Mines Golden, CO | $39,800 | $39,800 | 1,310 | 53% | 6,325 | 83% | 15 to 1 |
| 43 | CUNY Bernard M Baruch College New York, NY | $15,412 | $20,880 | 1,260 | 43% | 18,029 | 70% | 18 to 1 |
| 44 | University of Massachusetts-Lowell Lowell, MA | $33,624 | $26,990 | 1,235 | 73% | 18,242 | 66% | 17 to 1 |
| 45 | University of Minnesota-Twin Cities Minneapolis, MN | $33,325 | $28,845 | 1,370 | 57% | 50,734 | 83% | 17 to 1 |
| 46 | Missouri University of Science and Technology Rolla, MO | $30,051 | $30,943 | 1,325 | 79% | 8,601 | 66% | 18 to 1 |
| 47 | Michigan State University East Lansing, MI | $40,384 | $37,056 | 1,210 | 71% | 50,351 | 81% | 16 to 1 |
| 48 | University of Hawaii at Manoa Honolulu, HI | $34,218 | $34,550 | 1,170 | 58% | 17,710 | 61% | 12 to 1 |
| 49 | San Diego State University San Diego, CA | $19,600 | $18,658 | 1,215 | 34% | 35,303 | 73% | 27 to 1 |
| 50 | Florida International University Miami, FL | $18,963 | $24,211 | 1,195 | 58% | 57,942 | 63% | 26 to 1 |
| 51 | University of South Florida-Main Campus Tampa, FL | $17,324 | $21,126 | 1,250 | 48% | 43,846 | 75% | 22 to 1 |
| 52 | University of Massachusetts-Amherst Amherst, MA | $36,427 | $32,341 | 1,290 | 64% | 30,593 | 82% | 17 to 1 |
| 53 | Clemson University Clemson, SC | $38,550 | $23,246 | 1,315 | 51% | 24,951 | 84% | 16 to 1 |
| 54 | University of Nebraska-Lincoln Lincoln, NE | $26,692 | $19,513 | 1,240 | 78% | 25,820 | 66% | 18 to 1 |
| 55 | University of New Hampshire-Main Campus Durham, NH | $36,278 | $29,970 | 1,170 | 84% | 15,298 | 76% | 19 to 1 |
| 56 | University of Nevada-Reno Reno, NV | $24,348 | $21,971 | 1,180 | 88% | 21,463 | 61% | 19 to 1 |
| 57 | Texas State University San Marcos, TX | $22,307 | $17,040 | 1,095 | 81% | 38,644 | 54% | 22 to 1 |
| 58 | University of California-Riverside Riverside, CA | $43,613 | $28,686 | 1,230 | 57% | 23,922 | 76% | 23 to 1 |
| 59 | University of Oklahoma-Norman Campus Norman, OK | $24,444 | $23,236 | 1,210 | 80% | 28,564 | 70% | 18 to 1 |
| 60 | University of South Carolina-Columbia Columbia, SC | $33,928 | $30,160 | 1,275 | 69% | 34,795 | 77% | 17 to 1 |
| 61 | University of Washington-Bothell Campus Bothell, WA | $39,018 | $30,198 | 1,140 | 74% | 5,970 | 69% | 20 to 1 |
| 62 | California State University-Long Beach Long Beach, CA | $18,726 | $17,784 | 1,145 | 39% | 37,466 | 74% | 23 to 1 |
| 63 | University of Louisiana at Lafayette Lafayette, LA | $24,086 | $23,865 | 1,144 | 68% | 17,123 | 51% | 19 to 1 |
| 64 | Stony Brook University Stony Brook, NY | $27,761 | $25,583 | 1,335 | 44% | 26,256 | 76% | 18 to 1 |
| 65 | Virginia Military Institute Lexington, VA | $47,220 | - | 1,180 | 60% | 1,685 | 79% | 10 to 1 |
| 66 | The College of New Jersey Ewing, NJ | $28,007 | $15,883 | 1,260 | 49% | 7,686 | 86% | 13 to 1 |
| 67 | University of Nevada-Las Vegas Las Vegas, NV | $24,116 | $21,962 | 1,140 | 81% | 30,457 | 45% | 20 to 1 |
| 68 | University of Arkansas Fayetteville, AR | $25,872 | $22,121 | 1,210 | 77% | 27,778 | 66% | 18 to 1 |
| 69 | Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College Baton Rouge, LA | $28,639 | $29,970 | 1,195 | 75% | 30,983 | 68% | 20 to 1 |
| 70 | University of Washington-Tacoma Campus Tacoma, WA | $39,258 | $30,438 | 1,085 | 87% | 5,354 | 56% | 16 to 1 |
| 71 | University of Utah Salt Lake City, UT | $27,220 | $24,695 | 1,262 | 62% | 33,023 | 70% | 17 to 1 |
| 72 | University of Vermont Burlington, VT | $43,950 | $33,326 | 1,270 | 67% | 13,395 | 77% | 16 to 1 |
| 73 | California State University-Bakersfield Bakersfield, CA | $19,379 | $18,437 | - | 81% | 10,816 | 43% | 24 to 1 |
| 74 | University at Buffalo Buffalo, NY | $28,196 | $26,028 | 1,250 | 61% | 31,503 | 75% | 13 to 1 |
| 75 | University of Kentucky Lexington, KY | $31,294 | $33,216 | 1,195 | 96% | 29,182 | 66% | 16 to 1 |
| 76 | University of Missouri-Columbia Columbia, MO | $29,005 | $27,193 | 1,230 | 81% | 29,843 | 71% | 17 to 1 |
| 77 | Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Erie-Behrend College Erie, PA | $24,916 | $29,710 | 1,165 | 89% | 4,312 | 71% | 13 to 1 |
| 78 | CUNY Hunter College New York, NY | $15,332 | $20,828 | 1,260 | 35% | 23,202 | 57% | 13 to 1 |
| 79 | Rutgers University-Newark Newark, NJ | $31,284 | $32,112 | 1,110 | 72% | 13,451 | 69% | 16 to 1 |
| 80 | University of Houston Houston, TX | $21,673 | $18,689 | 1,225 | 65% | 46,324 | 61% | 22 to 1 |
| 81 | University of Arizona Tucson, AZ | $34,667 | $33,399 | 1,235 | 85% | 44,097 | 65% | 15 to 1 |
| 82 | Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University Tallahassee, FL | $17,725 | $24,669 | 1,095 | 36% | 10,021 | 53% | 16 to 1 |
| 83 | James Madison University Harrisonburg, VA | $29,230 | $29,544 | 1,205 | 77% | 21,751 | 84% | 16 to 1 |
| 84 | Western Washington University Bellingham, WA | $25,266 | $24,105 | 1,170 | 90% | 16,121 | 68% | 18 to 1 |
| 85 | University of North Dakota Grand Forks, ND | $14,546 | $18,326 | 1,130 | 81% | 13,847 | 61% | 18 to 1 |
| 86 | Texas Tech University Lubbock, TX | $23,870 | $17,530 | 1,165 | 69% | 38,209 | 61% | 20 to 1 |
| 87 | Miami University-Oxford Oxford, OH | $35,448 | $31,697 | 1,290 | 80% | 19,934 | 81% | 13 to 1 |
| 88 | Binghamton University Vestal, NY | $27,604 | $25,290 | 1,360 | 41% | 17,768 | 82% | 19 to 1 |
| 89 | Ramapo College of New Jersey Mahwah, NJ | $24,695 | $19,085 | 1,130 | 66% | 6,174 | 72% | 16 to 1 |
| 90 | Washington State University Pullman, WA | $27,113 | $27,561 | 1,125 | 76% | 31,478 | 60% | 15 to 1 |
| 91 | Iowa State University Ames, IA | $24,504 | $25,948 | 1,220 | 92% | 34,992 | 74% | 19 to 1 |
| 92 | University of South Florida-St Petersburg St. Petersburg, FL | $16,736 | $20,924 | 1,208 | 27% | 4,727 | 44% | 18 to 1 |
| 93 | Mississippi State University Mississippi State, MS | $23,950 | $23,950 | 1,175 | 54% | 21,974 | 61% | 17 to 1 |
| 94 | Auburn University Auburn, AL | $31,956 | $31,956 | 1,235 | 81% | 30,440 | 79% | 19 to 1 |
| 95 | Indiana University-Bloomington Bloomington, IN | $37,600 | $33,338 | 1,255 | 78% | 43,503 | 79% | 16 to 1 |
| 96 | University of Missouri-Kansas City Kansas City, MO | $26,886 | $26,699 | 1,155 | 61% | 16,375 | 50% | 15 to 1 |
| 97 | University of Alaska Fairbanks Fairbanks, AK | $25,838 | $24,287 | 1,155 | 76% | 7,404 | 35% | 11 to 1 |
| 98 | The University of West Florida Pensacola, FL | $18,658 | $24,894 | 1,170 | 31% | 12,847 | 46% | 21 to 1 |
| 99 | Arizona State University-West Glendale, AZ | $27,988 | $24,432 | 1,155 | 82% | 4,445 | 48% | 12 to 1 |
| 100 | University of Rhode Island Kingston, RI | $32,578 | $29,082 | 1,145 | 75% | 17,777 | 69% | 16 to 1 |
| Average | $22,087 | $20,550 | 1,123 | 72% | 15,139 | 54% | 17 to 1 |