Best Public Universities in the US
Public universities are funded in part by state taxpayers, which means dramatically lower tuition for in-state students — often a quarter of private-school sticker prices. Out-of-state students pay more but typically still less than a private. For high-achieving in-state students, a flagship public university's honors college is often the highest-ROI college choice available.
Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard
- 1
University of Virginia-Main Campus
Virginia · Public
95%4-year grad rate - 2
University of Michigan-Ann Arbor
Michigan · Public
93%4-year grad rate - 3
Georgia Institute of Technology-Main Campus
Georgia · Public
93%4-year grad rate - 4
University of California-Berkeley
California · Public
93%4-year grad rate - 5
University of California-Los Angeles
California · Public
93%4-year grad rate - 6
United States Naval Academy
Maryland · Public
92%4-year grad rate - 7
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
North Carolina · Public
92%4-year grad rate - 8
University of Florida
Florida · Public
91%4-year grad rate - 9
United States Coast Guard Academy
Connecticut · Public
90%4-year grad rate - 10
William & Mary
Virginia · Public
90%4-year grad rate - 11
University of Wisconsin-Madison
Wisconsin · Public
89%4-year grad rate - 12
University of Georgia
Georgia · Public
89%4-year grad rate - 13
University of Maryland-College Park
Maryland · Public
89%4-year grad rate - 14
The University of Texas at Austin
Texas · Public
88%4-year grad rate - 15
University of Virginia
Virginia · Public
88%4-year grad rate - 16
United States Air Force Academy
Colorado · Public
88%4-year grad rate - 17O
Ohio State University-Main Campus
Ohio · Public
88%4-year grad rate - 18
Clemson University
South Carolina · Public
87%4-year grad rate - 19
University of California-San Diego
California · Public
87%4-year grad rate - 20
University of California-Irvine
California · Public
86%4-year grad rate - 21V
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
Virginia · Public
86%4-year grad rate - 22
United States Military Academy
New York · Public
86%4-year grad rate - 23P
Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus
Pennsylvania · Public
86%4-year grad rate - 24
California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo
California · Public
86%4-year grad rate - 25T
The College of New Jersey
New Jersey · Public
86%4-year grad rate
Want this ranking, but for YOU?
One metric only tells part of the story. Take our 5-minute quiz and we’ll rank every school by how well it fits your specific profile — academics, cost, social life, outcomes, and environment.
Take the quiz