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 undergraduate enrollment over 15,000. Leading the list for 2027 is Duke University. Learn how the Best Large Colleges rankings are calculated on our ranking methodology page.
California Polytechnic State University San Luis Obispo
- Public 4 Year
- San Luis Obispo, CA
-
4.7 | 3 reviews
- Nov 30 application deadline
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
- Jan 1 application deadline
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
- Jan 1 application deadline
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
Saint Louis University
- Private 4 Year
- Saint Louis, MO
-
| 0 reviews
SLU is a private Jesuit university known for undergraduate health sciences, nursing, and aviation. The urban campus sits in Midtown St. Louis.
- SAT Range 1200-1410
- Avg GPA 3.95
- Acceptance Rate 75%
- Net Price $27,749
Baylor University
- Private 4 Year
- Waco, TX
-
4.2 | 14 reviews
- Feb 1 application deadline
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
- Jan 15 application deadline
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
Rochester Institute of Technology
- Private 4 Year
- Rochester, NY
-
5.0 | 2 reviews
- Jan 15 application deadline
RIT is a private university known for undergraduate engineering, computing, and photography. The suburban campus near Rochester includes the National Technical Institute for the Deaf.
- SAT Range 1300-1460
- Avg GPA 3.7
- Acceptance Rate 67%
- Net Price $39,534
Florida State University
- Public 4 Year
- Tallahassee, FL
-
5.0 | 6 reviews
- Mar 1 application deadline
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
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
- Feb 1 application deadline
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
- Jan 15 application deadline
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
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
Loyola University Chicago
- Private 4 Year
- Chicago, IL
-
4.3 | 6 reviews
Loyola Chicago is a private Jesuit university known for undergraduate nursing, business, and communications. The urban campus sits along Lake Michigan on Chicago's North Side.
- SAT Range 1170-1360
- Avg GPA 3.71
- Acceptance Rate 82%
- Net Price $39,147
University of Illinois Chicago
- Public 4 Year
- Chicago, IL
-
4.5 | 2 reviews
- Feb 1 application deadline
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
University of South Carolina Columbia
- Public 4 Year
- Columbia, SC
-
5.0 | 1 reviews
- Dec 1 application deadline
South Carolina is a large public university known for undergraduate international business and hospitality management. The historic Horseshoe anchors the campus in downtown Columbia.
- SAT Range 1180-1360
- Predicted Avg GPA 3.69
- Acceptance Rate 60%
- Net Price $24,488
University at Albany
- Public 4 Year
- Albany, NY
-
4.5 | 2 reviews
- Feb 1 application deadline
University at Albany is a large public university known for undergraduate criminal justice, public policy, and atmospheric science. The campus is in New York's capital, with many programs oriented toward state government.
- SAT Range 1120-1320
- Avg GPA 3.3
- Acceptance Rate 69%
- Net Price $17,949
The University of Tennessee Knoxville
- Public 4 Year
- Knoxville, TN
-
4.8 | 5 reviews
Tennessee is a large public university known for undergraduate supply chain management, business, and nuclear engineering. The campus borders the Tennessee River in Knoxville.
- SAT Range 1200-1370
- Predicted Avg GPA 3.66
- Acceptance Rate 42%
- Net Price $21,648
University of Iowa
- Public 4 Year
- Iowa City, IA
-
3.0 | 3 reviews
- May 1 application deadline
Iowa is a large public university known for undergraduate creative writing and journalism. The campus sits in the college town of Iowa City along the Iowa River.
- SAT Range 1130-1330
- Avg GPA 3.81
- Acceptance Rate 84%
- Net Price $21,765