Top Rated U.S. Public Colleges
These are the top ranked public four-year colleges in the United States as ranked by CollegeSimply. Leading the rankings for 2027 as the best public college in America is University of Michigan Ann Arbor. Learn how the Best Colleges rankings are calculated on our ranking methodology page.
Oakland University
- Public 4 Year
- Rochester Hills, MI
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| 0 reviews
Oakland University is a public university known for undergraduate nursing, business, and engineering. The suburban campus sits in Rochester Hills northeast of Detroit.
- SAT Range 1030-1230
- Avg GPA 3.51
- Acceptance Rate 88%
- Net Price $12,208
Dickinson State University
- Public 4 Year
- Dickinson, ND
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| 0 reviews
Dickinson State is a small public university known for undergraduate teacher education and nursing. The campus is in the small city of Dickinson in western North Dakota.
- SAT Range 875-1130
- Avg GPA 3.11
- Acceptance Rate 37%
- Net Price $14,698
University of Wisconsin River Falls
- Public 4 Year
- River Falls, WI
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5.0 | 2 reviews
UW-River Falls is a public university known for undergraduate agriculture, animal science, and teacher education. The campus is in the small city of River Falls near the Twin Cities.
- SAT Range -
- Avg GPA 3.44
- Acceptance Rate 82%
- Net Price $14,769
Keene State College
- Public 4 Year
- Keene, NH
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| 0 reviews
- Dec 1 application deadline
Keene State is a public liberal arts college known for undergraduate teacher education and occupational safety studies. The compact campus sits in the small city of Keene in southwestern New Hampshire.
- SAT Range 970-1170
- Avg GPA 3.1
- Acceptance Rate 90%
- Net Price $19,997
University of South Alabama
- Public 4 Year
- Mobile, AL
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4.0 | 1 reviews
- Jul 15 application deadline
South Alabama is a public university known for undergraduate nursing and health sciences. The campus is in the coastal city of Mobile near Mobile Bay.
- SAT Range 970-1190
- Avg GPA 3.69
- Acceptance Rate 71%
- Net Price $16,074
Ferris State University
- Public 4 Year
- Big Rapids, MI
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4.0 | 2 reviews
Ferris State is a public university known for undergraduate pharmacy, optometry, and applied technology programs. The main campus is in the small city of Big Rapids in western Michigan.
- SAT Range 890-1120
- Avg GPA 3.3
- Acceptance Rate 91%
- Net Price $10,825
CUNY Medgar Evers College
- Public 4 Year
- Brooklyn, NY
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5.0 | 1 reviews
Medgar Evers is a public CUNY college known for undergraduate nursing, education, and business. The urban campus is located in Brooklyn's Crown Heights neighborhood.
- SAT Range 850-1020
- Avg GPA NA
- Acceptance Rate 86%
- Net Price $6,273
University of Arkansas at Little Rock
- Public 4 Year
- Little Rock, AR
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4.0 | 1 reviews
- Aug 17 application deadline
UA Little Rock is a public university known for undergraduate business, nursing, and criminal justice. The urban campus is located in Arkansas's capital city.
- SAT Range 960-1210
- Avg GPA 3.42
- Acceptance Rate 59%
- Net Price $12,033
San Francisco State University
- Public 4 Year
- San Francisco, CA
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5.0 | 1 reviews
- Nov 30 application deadline
SF State is a large public university known for undergraduate ethnic studies, cinema, and creative writing. The urban campus borders Lake Merced in southwestern San Francisco.
- SAT Range 930-1130
- Avg GPA 3.31
- Acceptance Rate 96%
- Net Price $13,168
Salem State University
- Public 4 Year
- Salem, MA
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| 0 reviews
- Jun 1 application deadline
Salem State is a public university known for undergraduate nursing, education, and social work. The campus sits in the historic coastal city of Salem north of Boston.
- SAT Range 990-1160
- Avg GPA 3.17
- Acceptance Rate 96%
- Net Price $17,541
Eastern Michigan University
- Public 4 Year
- Ypsilanti, MI
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4.8 | 4 reviews
EMU is a public university known for undergraduate teacher education and business. The campus is in Ypsilanti, just east of Ann Arbor.
- SAT Range 920-1170
- Avg GPA 3.37
- Acceptance Rate 80%
- Net Price $15,742
Central Michigan University
- Public 4 Year
- Mount Pleasant, MI
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5.0 | 3 reviews
Central Michigan is a public university known for undergraduate education, business, and health professions. Most students live on a residential campus in the college town of Mount Pleasant.
- SAT Range 960-1200
- Avg GPA 3.47
- Acceptance Rate 90%
- Net Price $17,575
Cleveland State University
- Public 4 Year
- Cleveland, OH
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| 0 reviews
- Aug 15 application deadline
Cleveland State is a public university known for undergraduate urban affairs, engineering, and business. The urban campus sits in downtown Cleveland.
- SAT Range 880-1130
- Predicted Avg GPA 3.31
- Acceptance Rate 91%
- Net Price $16,230
University of New Orleans
- Public 4 Year
- New Orleans, LA
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3.5 | 2 reviews
- Aug 1 application deadline
UNO is a public university known for undergraduate naval architecture, marine engineering, and hospitality. The urban campus sits on the south shore of Lake Pontchartrain.
- SAT Range 935-1241
- Avg GPA 3.21
- Acceptance Rate 74%
- Net Price $12,258
California State Polytechnic University Humboldt
- Public 4 Year
- Arcata, CA
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| 0 reviews
- Apr 30 application deadline
Cal Poly Humboldt is a public polytechnic university known for undergraduate environmental science, forestry, and marine biology. The campus is set among coastal redwoods in far northern California.
- SAT Range 970-1190
- Avg GPA 3.33
- Acceptance Rate 98%
- Net Price $14,090
New Mexico State University Main Campus
- Public 4 Year
- Las Cruces, NM
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| 0 reviews
New Mexico State is a large public university known for undergraduate agriculture and engineering. The main campus lies in Las Cruces near the Organ Mountains.
- SAT Range 870-1110
- Avg GPA 3.55
- Acceptance Rate 89%
- Net Price $10,719
Minnesota State University Mankato
- Public 4 Year
- Mankato, MN
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3.7 | 3 reviews
Minnesota State Mankato is a public university known for undergraduate nursing, education, and business. The campus sits on a bluff overlooking the Minnesota River valley in southern Minnesota.
- SAT Range -
- Avg GPA 3.37
- Acceptance Rate 88%
- Net Price $18,861
The University of Tennessee Chattanooga
- Public 4 Year
- Chattanooga, TN
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5.0 | 1 reviews
- May 1 application deadline
UTC is a public university known for undergraduate engineering, business, and nursing. The urban campus borders the Tennessee River in downtown Chattanooga.
- SAT Range 1013-1210
- Avg GPA 3.61
- Acceptance Rate 81%
- Net Price $15,347