Best Public Universities

Ohio State University (OSU) has the distinction of being the largest university in the U.S. Founded in 1870, OSU consistently ranks among the top 20 public universities in the country. It has strong schools of business and law, and its political science department is particularly well respected. The school has a chapter of Phi Beta Kappa, and its research strengths earned it membership in the Association of American Universities.

• Location: Columbus, Ohio
• Enrollment: 52,568 (39,209 undergraduates)
• Athletics: NCAA Division I Big Ten Conference
• Explore the Campus: Ohio State Photo Tour
• For acceptance rates, test scores and other admissions data, see the Ohio State profile
• GPA, SAT and ACT graph for OSU

Penn State in University Park is the flagship campus of the 24 campuses that make up the state university system in Pennsylvania. Penn State's 13 specialized colleges and roughly 160 majors provide a wealth of academic opportunities for students with diverse interests. The undergraduate programs in engineering and business are noteworthy, and general strengths in the liberal arts and sciences won the school a chapter of Phi Beta Kappa. Research strengths earned PSU membership in the Association of American Universities.

• Location: University Park, Pennsylvania
• Enrollment: 43,252 (36,815 undergraduates)
• Athletics: NCAA Division I Big Ten Conference
• For acceptance rates, test scores and other admissions data, see the Penn State profile
• GPA, SAT and ACT graph for Penn State

The 132-acre campus of the University of Pittsburgh is easily recognized by the towering Cathedral of Learning, the tallest educational building in the U.S. On the academic front, Pitt has wide-ranging strengths including Philosophy, Medicine, Engineering and Business. Like several schools on this list, Pitt has a chapter of the prestigious Phi Beta Kappa Honor Society, and its research strengths earned it membership in the Association of American Universities.

• Location: Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
• Enrollment: 27,020 (17,208 undergraduates)
• Athletics: NCAA Division I Big East Conference
• For acceptance rates, test scores and other admissions data, see the Pitt profile
• GPA, SAT and ACT graph for Pitt

Purdue University in West Lafayette is the main campus of the Purdue University System in Indiana. As the home to over 40,000 students, the campus is a city unto itself that offers over 200 academic programs for undergraduates. Purdue has a chapter of the Phi Beta Kappa Honor Society, and its strong research programs earned it membership in the Association of American Universities.

• Location: West Lafayette, Indiana
• Enrollment: 40,534 (32,610 undergraduates)
• Athletics: NCAA Division I Big Ten Conference
• For acceptance rates, test scores and other admissions data, see the Purdue profile
• GPA, SAT and ACT graph for Purdue

Located between New York City and Philadelphia, Rutgers gives its students easy train access to two major metropolitan centers. Rutgers, like many of the best public universities, has a chapter of the Phi Beta Kappa Honor Society for its strengths in the liberal arts and sciences, and the school was granted membership in the Association of American Universities for its strengths in research.

• Location: New Brunswick, New Jersey
• Enrollment: 34,804 (26,829 undergraduates)
• Athletics: NCAA Division I Big East Conference
• For acceptance rates, test scores and other admissions data, see the Rutgers profile
• GPA, SAT and ACT graph for Rutgers

Academically, UT Austin frequently ranks as one of the top public universities in the U.S., and the McCombs School of Business is especially strong. Other strengths include education, engineering and law. Strong research earned the University of Texas membership in the Association of American Universities, and its excellent programs in the liberal arts and sciences earned the school a chapter of Phi Beta Kappa.

• Location: Austin, Texas
• Enrollment: 49,697 (37,037 undergraduates)
• Athletics: NCAA Division I Big 12 Conference
• For acceptance rates, test scores and other admissions data, see the UT Austin profile
• GPA, SAT and ACT graph for Texas

Texas A&M is far more than an agricultural and mechanical college these days. It is a huge, comprehensive university where business, humanities, engineering, social science and the sciences are all extremely popular with undergraduates. The university can boast of a chapter of Phi Beta Kappa for its strengths in the liberal arts and sciences, and it is a member of the Association of American Universities for its research strengths.

• Location: College Station, Texas
• Enrollment: 46,542 (37,357 undergraduates)
• Athletics: NCAA Division I Big 12 Conference
• For acceptance rates, test scores and other admissions data, see the Texas A&M profile
• GPA, SAT and ACT graph for Texas A&M

Like so many of the top-ranked public universities, the University of California at Davis has a chapter of Phi Beta Kappa for its strengths in the liberal arts and sciences, and it is a member of the Association of American Universities for its research strengths. The school's 5,300-acre campus, located west of Sacramento, is the largest in the UC system. UC Davis offers over 100 undergraduate majors.

• Location: Davis, California
• Enrollment: 29,796 (23,478 undergraduates)
• Athletics: NCAA Division I Big West Conference
• For acceptance rates, test scores and other admissions data, see the UC Davis profile
• GPA, SAT and ACT graph for UC Davis

The University of California at Irvine is located in the heart of Orange County. The 1,500-acre campus has an interesting circular design with Aldrich Park in the center. The park features a network of paths running through the gardens and trees. Like the other top University of California schools, Davis has a chapter of Phi Beta Kappa and membership in the Association of American Universities.

• Location: Irvine, California
• Enrollment: 26,483 (21,696 undergraduates)
• Athletics: NCAA Division I Big West Conference
• Explore the Campus: UC Irvine photo tour
• For acceptance rates, test scores and other admissions data, see the UC Irvine profile
• GPA, SAT and ACT graph for UC Irvine

UCSB has wide ranging strengths in the sciences, social sciences, humanities, and engineering that have earned it membership in the selective Association of American Universities and a chapter of Phi Beta Kappa. The 1,000 acre campus is also a draw for many students, for the university has miles of beach-front property on the California coast.

• Location: Santa Barbara, California
• Enrollment: 21,410 (18,415 undergraduates)
• Athletics: NCAA Division I Big West Conference
• For acceptance rates, test scores and other admissions data, see the UCSB profile
• GPA, SAT and ACT graph for UCSB

Established in 1872 as a military institute, Virginia Tech still maintains a corps of cadets and is classified as a senior military college. Virginia Tech's engineering programs typically rank in the top 10 among public universities, and the university also gets high marks for its business and architecture programs. Strengths in the liberal arts and sciences earned the school a chapter of Phi Beta Kappa.

• Location: Blacksburg, Virginia
• Enrollment: 29,898 (23,041 undergraduates)
• Athletics: NCAA Division I Atlantic Coast Conference
• Explore the Campus: Virginia Tech Photo Tour
• For acceptance rates, test scores and other admissions data, see the Virginia Tech profile

The University of Washington's attractive campus looks off to Portage and Union Bays in one direction and Mount Rainier in another. With over 40,000 students, Washington is the largest university on the West Coast. Washington earned membership in the Association of American Universities for its research strengths, and like most universities on this list, it was awarded a chapter of Phi Beta Kappa for strong liberal arts and sciences.

• Location: Seattle, Washington
• Enrollment: 40,218 (28,570 undergraduates)
• Athletics: NCAA Division I Pac 10 Conference
• For acceptance rates, test scores and other admissions data, see the Washington profile