HighSchoolOS Best Public Universities
Public universities offer in-state tuition and enormous range. These are the strongest by graduation rate and selectivity, the ones worth a look whether or not you live in the state.
Explore this ranking interactively| # | School | Location | Acceptance | SAT avg | Net price | Grad rate | Undergrads |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | University of Michigan-Ann Arbor | Ann Arbor, MI | 15.6% | 1,465 | $13,138 | 93% | 34,177 |
| 2 | University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill | Chapel Hill, NC | 15.3% | 1,439 | $11,655 | 91% | 20,752 |
| 3 | University of Virginia-Main Campus | Charlottesville, VA | 16.8% | 1,480 | $21,565 | 96% | 17,597 |
| 4 | University of Florida | Gainesville, FL | 24% | 1,403 | $6,541 | 91% | 35,629 |
| 5 | The University of Texas at Austin | Austin, TX | 27% | 1,395 | $19,857 | 89% | 42,855 |
| 6 | Georgia Institute of Technology-Main Campus | Atlanta, GA | 14.1% | 1,480 | $12,116 | 94% | 18,785 |
| 7 | University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign | Champaign, IL | 42% | 1,440 | $14,355 | 85% | 36,258 |
| 8 | University of Wisconsin-Madison | Madison, WI | 45% | 1,427 | $17,354 | 90% | 36,902 |
| 9 | Ohio State University-Main Campus | Columbus, OH | 61% | 1,387 | $17,339 | 88% | 45,638 |
| 10 | Purdue University-Main Campus | West Lafayette, IN | 50% | 1,364 | $14,600 | 83% | 44,503 |
| 11 | Texas A&M University-College Station | College Station, TX | 57% | 1,280 | $21,315 | 84% | 59,615 |
| 12 | Florida State University | Tallahassee, FL | 24% | 1,361 | $11,297 | 86% | 32,212 |
| 13 | University of Connecticut | Storrs, CT | 52% | 1,348 | $25,097 | 83% | 19,835 |
| 14 | Michigan State University | East Lansing, MI | 85% | 1,269 | $19,680 | 81% | 40,922 |
| 15 | University of Massachusetts-Amherst | Amherst, MA | 60% | 1,423 | $22,383 | 83% | 23,671 |
| 16 | University of Minnesota-Twin Cities | Minneapolis, MN | 80% | 1,362 | $16,778 | 85% | 31,855 |
| 17 | Indiana University-Bloomington | Bloomington, IN | 78% | 1,313 | $16,264 | 80% | 37,806 |
| 18 | Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus | University Park, PA | 61% | 1,337 | $32,875 | 86% | 42,284 |
| 19 | Miami University-Oxford | Oxford, OH | 75% | 1,317 | $28,384 | 80% | 16,656 |
| 20 | Clemson University | Clemson, SC | 38% | 1,353 | $22,253 | 87% | 23,300 |
| 21 | University of Iowa | Iowa City, IA | 84% | 1,200 | $22,531 | 75% | 22,264 |
| 22 | The University of Alabama | Tuscaloosa, AL | 77% | 1,285 | $22,420 | 73% | 33,227 |
| 23 | Arizona State University Campus Immersion | Tempe, AZ | 90% | n/a | $14,967 | 68% | 64,674 |
| 24 | University of Colorado Boulder | Boulder, CO | 78% | 1,357 | $25,346 | 74% | 31,939 |
| 25 | Iowa State University | Ames, IA | 89% | 1,204 | $18,589 | 75% | 25,367 |
| 26 | University of Mississippi | University, MS | 97% | 1,184 | $13,314 | 72% | 21,473 |
| 27 | University of New Hampshire-Main Campus | Durham, NH | 88% | 1,218 | $23,805 | 76% | 11,261 |
| 28 | University of Vermont | Burlington, VT | 65% | 1,374 | $19,343 | 79% | 11,743 |
| 29 | Illinois State University | Normal, IL | 88% | 1,113 | $19,398 | 65% | 19,057 |
| 30 | Northern Illinois University | Dekalb, IL | 70% | n/a | $13,391 | 49% | 11,301 |
| 31 | University of Georgia | Athens, GA | 38% | 1,397 | $13,936 | 90% | 32,137 |
| 32 | William & Mary | Williamsburg, VA | 34% | 1,473 | $19,096 | 89% | 7,055 |
| 33 | University of Maryland-College Park | College Park, MD | 45% | 1,473 | $15,678 | 89% | 30,760 |
| 34 | United States Air Force Academy | USAF Academy, CO | 14.1% | 1,350 | n/a | 88% | 4,114 |
| 35 | Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University | Blacksburg, VA | 55% | 1,364 | $24,953 | 86% | 30,923 |
| 36 | The College of New Jersey | Ewing, NJ | 62% | 1,246 | $27,646 | 86% | 7,105 |
| 37 | University of Pittsburgh-Pittsburgh Campus | Pittsburgh, PA | 58% | 1,370 | $30,434 | 86% | 20,370 |
| 38 | University of Washington-Seattle Campus | Seattle, WA | 39% | n/a | $14,091 | 85% | 31,942 |
| 39 | North Carolina State University at Raleigh | Raleigh, NC | 42% | 1,376 | $17,303 | 85% | 27,371 |
| 40 | Rutgers University-New Brunswick | New Brunswick, NJ | 58% | 1,410 | $24,406 | 84% | 37,751 |
| 41 | Auburn University | Auburn, AL | 46% | 1,345 | $24,323 | 82% | 26,816 |
| 42 | Colorado School of Mines | Golden, CO | 61% | 1,412 | $28,690 | 82% | 6,155 |
| 43 | Binghamton University | Vestal, NY | 39% | 1,415 | $21,620 | 82% | 14,655 |
| 44 | University of Delaware | Newark, DE | 71% | 1,292 | $17,799 | 81% | 19,071 |
| 45 | James Madison University | Harrisonburg, VA | 72% | 1,256 | $23,322 | 80% | 20,888 |
| 46 | University of South Carolina-Columbia | Columbia, SC | 60% | 1,297 | $22,811 | 79% | 29,820 |
| 47 | University of Central Florida | Orlando, FL | 40% | 1,269 | $10,411 | 78% | 59,146 |
| 48 | University of South Florida | Tampa, FL | 43% | 1,227 | $9,812 | 77% | 37,207 |
| 49 | Virginia Military Institute | Lexington, VA | 71% | 1,244 | $17,113 | 76% | 1,527 |
| 50 | The University of Texas at Dallas | Richardson, TX | 65% | 1,286 | $18,267 | 76% | 21,751 |
Acceptance rate, net price (average cost after aid), and graduation rate are from the most recent federal data; test ranges and deadlines are verified against each school for the 2025-2026 cycle. Click any school for its full profile, deadlines, and supplemental essay prompts.