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.
University of Massachusetts Boston
- Public 4 Year
- Boston, MA
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| 0 reviews
- Feb 15 application deadline
UMass Boston is a large public university known for undergraduate nursing, business, and environmental science. The urban waterfront campus sits on Columbia Point along Boston Harbor.
- SAT Range 1070-1290
- Avg GPA 3.35
- Acceptance Rate 84%
- Net Price $17,768
State University of New York at Oswego
- Public 4 Year
- Oswego, NY
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| 0 reviews
- Jan 15 application deadline
SUNY Oswego is a public university known for undergraduate meteorology, broadcasting, and education. The campus sits on the southern shore of Lake Ontario.
- SAT Range 1070-1270
- Avg GPA 3.49
- Acceptance Rate 81%
- Net Price $15,853
University of North Carolina Asheville
- Public 4 Year
- Asheville, NC
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| 0 reviews
- Aug 1 application deadline
UNC Asheville is a public liberal arts university known for undergraduate environmental studies and the arts. The campus sits in the mountain city of Asheville in the Blue Ridge.
- SAT Range 1170-1360
- Avg GPA 3.49
- Acceptance Rate 92%
- Net Price $13,798
Texas Tech University
- Public 4 Year
- Lubbock, TX
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3.9 | 10 reviews
Texas Tech is a large public university known for undergraduate engineering, agriculture, and business. The Lubbock campus is marked by Spanish Renaissance architecture on the South Plains of West Texas.
- SAT Range 1090-1280
- Avg GPA 3.76
- Acceptance Rate 73%
- Net Price $16,919
University of Houston
- Public 4 Year
- Houston, TX
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4.0 | 7 reviews
- May 31 application deadline
University of Houston is a large public university known for undergraduate hospitality management, business, and engineering. The urban campus sits in southeast Houston.
- SAT Range 1160-1340
- Avg GPA 3.46
- Acceptance Rate 74%
- Net Price $14,309
University of Arkansas
- Public 4 Year
- Fayetteville, AR
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| 0 reviews
- Aug 1 application deadline
Arkansas is a large public university known for undergraduate business and architecture. The campus sits in the college town of Fayetteville in the Ozark Mountains.
- SAT Range 1030-1220
- Avg GPA 3.74
- Acceptance Rate 74%
- Net Price $18,408
University of Michigan Dearborn
- Public 4 Year
- Dearborn, MI
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5.0 | 1 reviews
- Apr 1 application deadline
Michigan-Dearborn is a public university known for undergraduate engineering and computer science. The suburban campus sits in Dearborn in the Detroit metro area.
- SAT Range 990-1255
- Avg GPA 3.66
- Acceptance Rate 56%
- Net Price $11,521
Farmingdale State College
- Public 4 Year
- Farmingdale, NY
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| 0 reviews
- May 1 application deadline
Farmingdale State is a public college of technology known for undergraduate aviation, engineering technology, and applied sciences. The suburban campus sits on Long Island.
- SAT Range 1040-1240
- Avg GPA 3.26
- Acceptance Rate 63%
- Net Price $9,655
Grand Valley State University
- Public 4 Year
- Allendale, MI
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3.7 | 3 reviews
- May 1 application deadline
Grand Valley State is a large public university known for undergraduate nursing, health sciences, and business. The Allendale campus sits west of Grand Rapids along the Grand River.
- SAT Range 940-1190
- Avg GPA 3.65
- Acceptance Rate 83%
- Net Price $17,198
SUNY College of Technology at Alfred
- Public 4 Year
- Alfred, NY
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| 0 reviews
Alfred State is a public college of technology known for undergraduate architecture, engineering technology, and construction management. The rural campus sits in the small college town of Alfred in western New York.
- SAT Range 990-1200
- Avg GPA 3.1
- Acceptance Rate 76%
- Net Price $15,283
Virginia Commonwealth University
- Public 4 Year
- Richmond, VA
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3.0 | 1 reviews
- Jan 18 application deadline
VCU is a large public university known for undergraduate fine arts, design, and health professions. The urban campus stretches across downtown Richmond.
- SAT Range 1010-1270
- Avg GPA 3.75
- Acceptance Rate 93%
- Net Price $26,836
State University of New York at Plattsburgh
- Public 4 Year
- Plattsburgh, NY
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| 0 reviews
SUNY Plattsburgh is a public university known for undergraduate education, business, and Canadian studies. The campus sits beside Lake Champlain in northern New York near the Adirondacks.
- SAT Range 1080-1250
- Avg GPA 3.11
- Acceptance Rate 78%
- Net Price $15,412
University of Alabama in Huntsville
- Public 4 Year
- Huntsville, AL
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| 0 reviews
UAH is a public university known for undergraduate aerospace engineering, engineering, and the sciences. The Huntsville campus sits near NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center and a major aerospace industry hub.
- SAT Range 1210-1410
- Avg GPA 3.81
- Acceptance Rate 69%
- Net Price $19,396
University of Illinois Springfield
- Public 4 Year
- Springfield, IL
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| 0 reviews
UIS is a public university known for undergraduate public affairs, political science, and computer science. The campus is in Springfield, Illinois's state capital.
- SAT Range 940-1200
- Avg GPA 3.46
- Acceptance Rate 86%
- Net Price $10,809
Old Dominion University
- Public 4 Year
- Norfolk, VA
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4.5 | 2 reviews
- Feb 1 application deadline
Old Dominion is a large public university known for undergraduate oceanography, engineering, and nursing. The urban campus sits in the coastal city of Norfolk.
- SAT Range 1100-1280
- Avg GPA 3.3
- Acceptance Rate 90%
- Net Price $16,419
University of Northern Iowa
- Public 4 Year
- Cedar Falls, IA
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3.5 | 4 reviews
UNI is a public university known for undergraduate teacher education and business. The residential campus sits in the college town of Cedar Falls.
- SAT Range 1020-1280
- Avg GPA 3.61
- Acceptance Rate 93%
- Net Price $16,437
University of Massachusetts Dartmouth
- Public 4 Year
- North Dartmouth, MA
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5.0 | 1 reviews
UMass Dartmouth is a public university known for undergraduate engineering, nursing, and visual design. The suburban campus features distinctive modernist architecture in southeastern Massachusetts.
- SAT Range 1050-1270
- Avg GPA 3.37
- Acceptance Rate 91%
- Net Price $21,094
Mississippi State University
- Public 4 Year
- Mississippi State, MS
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| 0 reviews
- Aug 1 application deadline
Mississippi State is a large public university known for undergraduate agriculture, engineering, and architecture. Starkville is a college town centered on the campus.
- SAT Range 1100-1350
- Avg GPA 3.58
- Acceptance Rate 78%
- Net Price $18,478