Top Public Schools National Universities

Top Public Schools Methodology

Public colleges and universities are typically operated under the supervision of state governments and are funded, in part, by tax dollars and subsidies from the state. As a result, these universities often offer free or discounted tuition to students considered residents of the state. Public schools run the gamut from small liberal arts colleges to large research institutions. These are the highest ranked public colleges and universities in the 2013 Best Colleges rankings, listed according to their ranking category.

Save Rank School
#1 University of California–​Berkeley

Berkeley, CA

#2 University of California–​Los Angeles

Los Angeles, CA

#2 University of Virginia

Charlottesville, VA

#4 University of Michigan–​Ann Arbor

Ann Arbor, MI

#5 University of North Carolina–​Chapel Hill

Chapel Hill, NC

#6 College of William and Mary

Williamsburg, VA

#7 Georgia Institute of Technology

Atlanta, GA

#8 University of California–​Davis

Davis, CA

#8 University of California–​San Diego

La Jolla, CA

#10 University of California–​Santa Barbara

Santa Barbara, CA

#10 University of Wisconsin–​Madison

Madison, WI

#12 University of California–​Irvine

Irvine, CA

#13 Pennsylvania State University–​University Park

University Park, PA

#13 University of Illinois–​Urbana-​Champaign

Champaign, IL

#13 University of Texas–​Austin

Austin, TX

#13 University of Washington

Seattle, WA

#17 University of Florida

Gainesville, FL

#18 Ohio State University–​Columbus

Columbus, OH

#19 University of Maryland–​College Park

College Park, MD

#19 University of Pittsburgh

Pittsburgh, PA

#21 University of Connecticut

Storrs, CT

#21 University of Georgia

Athens, GA

#23 Purdue University–​West Lafayette

West Lafayette, IN

#23 Texas A&M University–​College Station

College Station, TX

#25 Clemson University

Clemson, SC

#25 Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey–​New Brunswick

Piscataway, NJ

#25 University of Minnesota–​Twin Cities

Minneapolis, MN

#28 Michigan State University

East Lansing, MI

#28 University of Iowa

Iowa City, IA

#28 Virginia Tech

Blacksburg, VA

#31 University of Delaware

Newark, DE

#32 Colorado School of Mines

Golden, CO

#32 SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry

Syracuse, NY

#32 University of Alabama

Tuscaloosa, AL

#32 University of California–​Santa Cruz

Santa Cruz, CA

#36 Indiana University–​Bloomington

Bloomington, IN

#37 Auburn University

Auburn University, AL

#37 Binghamton University–​SUNY

Binghamton, NY

#37 Miami University–​Oxford

Oxford, OH

#40 Stony Brook University–​SUNY

Stony Brook, NY

#40 University of Vermont

Burlington, VT

#42 Florida State University

Tallahassee, FL

#42 University of Colorado–​Boulder

Boulder, CO

#42 University of Massachusetts–​Amherst

Amherst, MA

#42 University of Missouri

Columbia, MO

#46 Iowa State University

Ames, IA

#46 University of California–​Riverside

Riverside, CA

#46 University of Nebraska–​Lincoln

Lincoln, NE

#46 University of Oklahoma

Norman, OK

#46 University of Tennessee

Knoxville, TN

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