United States Public Colleges Ranked by Largest Enrollment

Below is a ranking of the 1538 public colleges in the United States with the largest enrollment of full and part time students. Ivy Tech Community College leads the list with a population of 110,710 students.

Enrollment is a measure of the size of the student body. Larger schools are more likely to offer a wider range of programs and services while smaller schools may have a more intimate and personalized experience.

List of United States Public Colleges Ranked by Largest Enrollment
College Enrollment

Glendale, California

 12,075

Brookings, South Dakota

 12,056

Edison, New Jersey

 12,044

Orono, Maine

 12,029

Greenville, South Carolina

 11,999

Huntington, West Virginia

 11,958

Fargo, North Dakota

 11,952

Charleston, South Carolina

 11,926

Moreno Valley, California

 11,920

Orange, California

 11,897

Edwardsville, Illinois

 11,893

Detroit, Michigan

 11,887

Tyler, Texas

 11,885

Ruston, Louisiana

 11,873

Green Bay, Wisconsin

 11,826

Carbondale, Illinois

 11,790

Chattanooga, Tennessee

 11,775

Fayetteville, North Carolina

 11,755
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This list is updated annually based on the latest data from the National Center for Education Statistics.
Last updated: August 2026

Data source: IPEDS 2025 survey for academic year 2024/2025 - National Center for Education Statistics.