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
5,242

Compton, California

5,225
5,218

Montgomery, Alabama

5,217

Thatcher, Arizona

5,213

Seattle, Washington

5,210
5,205

Saint Paul, Minnesota

5,198
5,186

Shippensburg, Pennsylvania

5,161

Durham, North Carolina

5,157

Grambling, Louisiana

5,150

Greenwood, South Carolina

5,143

Fulton, Mississippi

5,139

Dalton, Georgia

5,135

Texas City, Texas

5,127

Waterloo, Iowa

5,120

Hutchinson, Kansas

5,119

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.