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Best Large Universities in the US

Large universities offer breadth small colleges can't — hundreds of majors, robust research infrastructure, D1 athletics, study-abroad programs, and alumni networks that cross every industry. The tradeoff is anonymity in lower-division classes and more bureaucracy. This list ranks the largest US universities by four-year graduation rate.

Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard

  1. 1

    University of Virginia-Main Campus

    Virginia · Public

    95%
    4-year grad rate
  2. 2

    Cornell University

    New York · Private nonprofit

    95%
    4-year grad rate
  3. 3

    University of Michigan-Ann Arbor

    Michigan · Public

    93%
    4-year grad rate
  4. 4

    Georgia Institute of Technology-Main Campus

    Georgia · Public

    93%
    4-year grad rate
  5. 5

    University of California-Berkeley

    California · Public

    93%
    4-year grad rate
  6. 6

    University of California-Los Angeles

    California · Public

    93%
    4-year grad rate
  7. 7

    University of Southern California

    California · Private nonprofit

    92%
    4-year grad rate
  8. 8

    University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

    North Carolina · Public

    92%
    4-year grad rate
  9. 9

    University of Florida

    Florida · Public

    91%
    4-year grad rate
  10. 10

    Northeastern University

    Massachusetts · Private nonprofit

    90%
    4-year grad rate
  11. 11

    University of Wisconsin-Madison

    Wisconsin · Public

    89%
    4-year grad rate
  12. 12

    Boston University

    Massachusetts · Private nonprofit

    89%
    4-year grad rate
  13. 13

    University of Georgia

    Georgia · Public

    89%
    4-year grad rate
  14. 14

    University of Maryland-College Park

    Maryland · Public

    89%
    4-year grad rate
  15. 15

    The University of Texas at Austin

    Texas · Public

    88%
    4-year grad rate
  16. 16

    New York University

    New York · Private nonprofit

    88%
    4-year grad rate
  17. 17
    O

    Ohio State University-Main Campus

    Ohio · Public

    88%
    4-year grad rate
  18. 18

    Clemson University

    South Carolina · Public

    87%
    4-year grad rate
  19. 19

    University of California-San Diego

    California · Public

    87%
    4-year grad rate
  20. 20

    University of California-Irvine

    California · Public

    86%
    4-year grad rate
  21. 21
    V

    Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University

    Virginia · Public

    86%
    4-year grad rate
  22. 22
    P

    Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus

    Pennsylvania · Public

    86%
    4-year grad rate
  23. 23

    California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo

    California · Public

    86%
    4-year grad rate
  24. 24

    University of California-Davis

    California · Public

    85%
    4-year grad rate
  25. 25

    University of Minnesota-Twin Cities

    Minnesota · Public

    85%
    4-year grad rate

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