The Best Big Colleges
These are the top ranked large, public and private, four-year colleges in the United States as ranked by CollegeSimply. These schools all have total enrollment of 20,000 or more. Leading the list for 2027 is Harvard University. Learn how the Best Large Colleges rankings are calculated on our ranking methodology page.
Ohio State University Main Campus
- Public 4 Year
- Columbus, OH
-
5.0 | 6 reviews
- 61,443 total enrollment
Ohio State is a large public university known for undergraduate business, engineering, and education. The urban campus stretches across Columbus, the state capital.
- SAT Range 1310-1480
- Predicted Avg GPA 3.76
- Acceptance Rate 61%
- Net Price $19,783
University of Georgia
- Public 4 Year
- Athens, GA
-
5.0 | 3 reviews
- 43,146 total enrollment
UGA is a large public university known for undergraduate journalism, business, and agricultural sciences. The historic campus anchors the college town of Athens.
- SAT Range 1270-1480
- Avg GPA 4.0
- Acceptance Rate 38%
- Net Price $16,662
University of Pittsburgh Pittsburgh Campus
- Public 4 Year
- Pittsburgh, PA
-
3.8 | 5 reviews
- 35,724 total enrollment
Pitt is a large public university known for undergraduate nursing, health sciences, and philosophy. The urban campus in Pittsburgh's Oakland neighborhood centers on the Cathedral of Learning.
- SAT Range 1280-1460
- Predicted Avg GPA 3.79
- Acceptance Rate 58%
- Net Price $25,223
Georgia Institute of Technology Main Campus
- Public 4 Year
- Atlanta, GA
-
| 0 reviews
- 53,363 total enrollment
Georgia Tech is a highly selective public university known for undergraduate engineering, computer science, and the sciences. The urban campus sits in midtown Atlanta.
- SAT Range 1370-1540
- Predicted Avg GPA 3.85
- Acceptance Rate 14%
- Net Price $15,918
Stony Brook University
- Public 4 Year
- Stony Brook, NY
-
4.5 | 2 reviews
- 26,689 total enrollment
Stony Brook is a large public university known for undergraduate physics, mathematics, and marine science. The suburban campus sits on Long Island's North Shore.
- SAT Range 1330-1500
- Avg GPA 3.94
- Acceptance Rate 49%
- Net Price $20,992
Virginia Tech
- Public 4 Year
- Blacksburg, VA
-
5.0 | 3 reviews
- 38,857 total enrollment
Virginia Tech is a large public university known for undergraduate engineering and architecture. The campus sits in the college town of Blacksburg in Virginia's Blue Ridge region.
- SAT Range 1280-1450
- Avg GPA 3.97
- Acceptance Rate 55%
- Net Price $24,912
University of Delaware
- Public 4 Year
- Newark, DE
-
| 0 reviews
- 24,412 total enrollment
Delaware is a large public university known for undergraduate chemical engineering, business, and fashion studies. The campus is set in the college town of Newark.
- SAT Range 1190-1370
- Avg GPA 3.94
- Acceptance Rate 71%
- Net Price $19,139
California Polytechnic State University San Luis Obispo
- Public 4 Year
- San Luis Obispo, CA
-
4.7 | 3 reviews
- 23,069 total enrollment
Cal Poly is a public polytechnic university known for undergraduate engineering, architecture, and agriculture. Students study on a Central Coast campus in the college town of San Luis Obispo.
- SAT Range 1220-1410
- Avg GPA 4.0
- Acceptance Rate 31%
- Net Price $17,453
Syracuse University
- Private 4 Year
- Syracuse, NY
-
4.0 | 3 reviews
- 22,589 total enrollment
Syracuse is a private university known for undergraduate communications, journalism, and architecture. The residential campus sits on a hill overlooking the city of Syracuse.
- SAT Range 1270-1440
- Avg GPA 3.69
- Acceptance Rate 46%
- Net Price $48,215
University of Minnesota Twin Cities
- Public 4 Year
- Minneapolis, MN
-
5.0 | 1 reviews
- 56,666 total enrollment
Minnesota is a large public university known for undergraduate engineering, business, and biological sciences. The Twin Cities campus spans Minneapolis and St. Paul along the Mississippi River.
- SAT Range 1300-1500
- Predicted Avg GPA 3.75
- Acceptance Rate 80%
- Net Price $17,209
Baylor University
- Private 4 Year
- Waco, TX
-
4.2 | 14 reviews
- 20,626 total enrollment
Baylor is a private Baptist university known for undergraduate business, nursing, and prehealth programs. The residential campus sits along the Brazos River in Waco.
- SAT Range 1200-1400
- Predicted Avg GPA 3.74
- Acceptance Rate 51%
- Net Price $47,001
University of Massachusetts Amherst
- Public 4 Year
- Amherst, MA
-
5.0 | 1 reviews
- 31,726 total enrollment
UMass Amherst is a large public university known for undergraduate computer science, business, and engineering. Students can cross-register at nearby colleges through the Five College Consortium in the Pioneer Valley.
- SAT Range 1310-1500
- Avg GPA 3.99
- Acceptance Rate 60%
- Net Price $22,948
Florida State University
- Public 4 Year
- Tallahassee, FL
-
5.0 | 6 reviews
- 43,889 total enrollment
FSU is a large public university known for undergraduate film, criminology, and music. The campus is in Tallahassee, Florida's capital city.
- SAT Range 1270-1410
- Predicted Avg GPA 3.7
- Acceptance Rate 24%
- Net Price $15,815
Penn State Main Campus
- Public 4 Year
- University Park, PA
-
4.2 | 12 reviews
- 50,737 total enrollment
Penn State is a large public university known for undergraduate engineering, business, and communications. The University Park campus anchors the college town of State College in central Pennsylvania.
- SAT Range 1240-1420
- Avg GPA NA
- Acceptance Rate 61%
- Net Price $27,889
CUNY Bernard M Baruch College
- Public 4 Year
- New York, NY
-
5.0 | 1 reviews
- 20,081 total enrollment
Baruch is a public CUNY college known for undergraduate business, finance, and accounting. The compact urban campus sits in Midtown Manhattan.
- SAT Range 1100-1400
- Avg GPA 3.7
- Acceptance Rate 48%
- Net Price $4,326
University of Colorado Boulder
- Public 4 Year
- Boulder, CO
-
4.0 | 6 reviews
- 38,799 total enrollment
CU Boulder is a large public university known for undergraduate aerospace engineering, environmental sciences, and physics. The campus sits against the Flatirons in the college town of Boulder.
- SAT Range 1240-1430
- Avg GPA 3.68
- Acceptance Rate 78%
- Net Price $26,231
Indiana University Bloomington
- Public 4 Year
- Bloomington, IN
-
5.0 | 2 reviews
- 48,424 total enrollment
IU is a large public university known for undergraduate business, music, and media. Bloomington is a classic college town built around a historic limestone campus.
- SAT Range 1170-1400
- Avg GPA 3.74
- Acceptance Rate 78%
- Net Price $17,270
University of Illinois Chicago
- Public 4 Year
- Chicago, IL
-
4.5 | 2 reviews
- 33,906 total enrollment
UIC is a large public university known for undergraduate nursing, architecture, and engineering. The urban campus sits on Chicago's Near West Side near the Illinois Medical District.
- SAT Range 1130-1350
- Avg GPA 3.41
- Acceptance Rate 77%
- Net Price $10,852