When you’re deciding what colleges to apply to, there are a few big ‘buckets’ when it comes to types of schools. Among those buckets, the three best known are small liberal art schools, private universities, and public universities. For many students, it isn’t a matter of picking one type of school to apply to, but each type does offer unique attributes and opportunities. Most notably, perhaps, is that attending a public university in the state in which you live can save you tens of thousands of dollars each year on tuition.
There doesn’t have to be a trade-off, either, as accessing a discounted education doesn’t necessarily mean attending a less respected school. The term “Public Ivy” is often used to describe public colleges with prestigious reputations. While most of the people who use the term “Public Ivy” are in the university marketing department or are current students ascribing status to their institution, there are many public colleges that offer an elite education with top-tier professors, research opportunities, and professional development channels.
There are dozens of great public colleges, but here are nine of our favorites (in no particular order).
University of California, Berkeley — Berkeley, CA
The University of California, Berkeley — most often simply called ‘Berkeley’ — is an iconic home for aspiring thinkers, philosophers, writers, and creatives. People go to Berkeley to be around other big thinkers, to challenge their assumptions, and to explore new ideas. The overall acceptance rate is around 11%.
University of California, Los Angeles — Los Angeles, CA
UCLA is one of the most popular public schools in the country, and is known for a diverse and creative student body. The acceptance rate is a mere 9%, and that’s overall: the out-of-state acceptance rate is much lower.
It should be said that the whole University of California university program is immensely impressive, and if we highlighted every top-tier UC school in this post it would be 80% California.
The University of Texas at Austin — Austin, TX
UT Austin is a deeply respected public university that attracts many aspiring developers, engineers, and entrepreneurs. Austin is a hotbed of up-and-coming tech companies and start-ups, so students have great job prospects just down the street from their computer engineering classes. The acceptance rate is around 30%, and there is a pipeline for admission for the top high school students in Texas. Demand is extremely high, though, so simply being a great student doesn’t mean you’re a shoe-in.
University of Michigan — Ann Arbor, MI
Public universities offer nearly any major you could imagine, but many have become well-known for their STEM and business offerings — the University of Michigan, in particular. The overall acceptance rate is about 20%, and the median GPA of accepted students is 3.9.
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill — Chapel Hill, NC
UNC-Chapel Hill has a 16.8% overall acceptance rate, but 43% for students from North Carolina. Only 8% of out-of-state applicants are accepted, and due to NC law, no more than 18% of first years can be from out-of-state. The top five intended majors are Biology, Business, Psychology and Neuroscience, Computer Science, and Political Science. Only 5% of accepted students select “undecided” as their prospective major, underlining why we advise students to never pick “undecided” on their applications.
University of Virginia — Charlottesville, VA
UVA is comprised of 12 schools in Charlottesville, Virginia, and College at Wise in Southwest Virginia. It is consistently ranked as one of the top 4 public universities in the country by publications and educational leaders. UVA is especially popular for students looking to go into medicine, and the acceptance rate is 18.66%.
University of Wisconsin — Madison, WI
The University of Wisconsin in Madison is a massive research university with a reputation to match. They have more than $1 billion allocated to research annually, and as a student you could be part of it. The overall acceptance rate is about 55%, and tuition is covered for Wisconsin students whose family incomes fall below a threshold.
William & Mary — Williamsburg, VA
In the world of public colleges, William & Mary is an outlier. It’s not as big as most public schools and is known for having a studious and focused community. There isn’t a strong athletic culture, which is generally seen as a positive by the students, and feels much more like a small liberal arts college than a public school. The admission rate is a bout 42%.
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign — Champaign, IL
The University of Illinois is a great example of a stellar public university where what you want to study really matters when it comes to getting in. The overall acceptance rate is 44.8%, but only 23% of applicants to the College of Engineering were accepted, while the College of Education accepted 51.7% of applicants. The acceptance rate for Computer Science is a mere 6.7%.
If putting your college list together feels overwhelming, send us an email. We help students like you find their perfect fit.