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.
University of Cincinnati Main Campus
- Public 4 Year
- Cincinnati, OH
-
4.7 | 3 reviews
- 45,026 total enrollment
University of Cincinnati is a large public university known for undergraduate architecture, design, and music. The urban campus occupies a hillside site in Cincinnati's Uptown area.
- SAT Range 1160-1370
- Avg GPA 3.69
- Acceptance Rate 85%
- Net Price $24,696
Nova Southeastern University
- Private 4 Year
- Fort Lauderdale, FL
-
4.5 | 2 reviews
- 20,910 total enrollment
Nova Southeastern is a private university known for undergraduate marine science, health sciences, and psychology. The suburban campus sits in the Fort Lauderdale area of South Florida.
- SAT Range 1030-1300
- Avg GPA 3.99
- Acceptance Rate 73%
- Net Price $31,858
Oklahoma State University Main Campus
- Public 4 Year
- Stillwater, OK
-
3.0 | 1 reviews
- 27,278 total enrollment
Oklahoma State is a large public university known for undergraduate agriculture, engineering, and business. Stillwater is a classic college town built around the campus.
- SAT Range 1040-1250
- Avg GPA 3.63
- Acceptance Rate 75%
- Net Price $19,561
University of Kentucky
- Public 4 Year
- Lexington, KY
-
4.5 | 2 reviews
- 34,709 total enrollment
Kentucky is a large public university known for undergraduate agriculture, engineering, and business. Lexington is a midsize city in the state's Bluegrass horse country.
- SAT Range 1070-1290
- Avg GPA 3.59
- Acceptance Rate 93%
- Net Price $21,958
Texas Tech University
- Public 4 Year
- Lubbock, TX
-
3.9 | 10 reviews
- 40,757 total enrollment
Texas Tech is a large public university known for undergraduate engineering, agriculture, and business. The Lubbock campus is marked by Spanish Renaissance architecture on the South Plains of West Texas.
- SAT Range 1090-1280
- Avg GPA 3.76
- Acceptance Rate 73%
- Net Price $16,919
University of Houston
- Public 4 Year
- Houston, TX
-
4.0 | 7 reviews
- 47,980 total enrollment
University of Houston is a large public university known for undergraduate hospitality management, business, and engineering. The urban campus sits in southeast Houston.
- SAT Range 1160-1340
- Avg GPA 3.46
- Acceptance Rate 74%
- Net Price $14,309
University of Arkansas
- Public 4 Year
- Fayetteville, AR
-
| 0 reviews
- 33,610 total enrollment
Arkansas is a large public university known for undergraduate business and architecture. The campus sits in the college town of Fayetteville in the Ozark Mountains.
- SAT Range 1030-1220
- Avg GPA 3.74
- Acceptance Rate 74%
- Net Price $18,408
Grand Valley State University
- Public 4 Year
- Allendale, MI
-
3.7 | 3 reviews
- 22,011 total enrollment
Grand Valley State is a large public university known for undergraduate nursing, health sciences, and business. The Allendale campus sits west of Grand Rapids along the Grand River.
- SAT Range 940-1190
- Avg GPA 3.65
- Acceptance Rate 83%
- Net Price $17,198
Virginia Commonwealth University
- Public 4 Year
- Richmond, VA
-
3.0 | 1 reviews
- 28,464 total enrollment
VCU is a large public university known for undergraduate fine arts, design, and health professions. The urban campus stretches across downtown Richmond.
- SAT Range 1010-1270
- Avg GPA 3.75
- Acceptance Rate 93%
- Net Price $26,836
Old Dominion University
- Public 4 Year
- Norfolk, VA
-
4.5 | 2 reviews
- 23,743 total enrollment
Old Dominion is a large public university known for undergraduate oceanography, engineering, and nursing. The urban campus sits in the coastal city of Norfolk.
- SAT Range 1100-1280
- Avg GPA 3.3
- Acceptance Rate 90%
- Net Price $16,419
Mississippi State University
- Public 4 Year
- Mississippi State, MS
-
| 0 reviews
- 23,150 total enrollment
Mississippi State is a large public university known for undergraduate agriculture, engineering, and architecture. Starkville is a college town centered on the campus.
- SAT Range 1100-1350
- Avg GPA 3.58
- Acceptance Rate 78%
- Net Price $18,478
Utah State University
- Public 4 Year
- Logan, UT
-
5.0 | 2 reviews
- 28,904 total enrollment
Utah State is a large public university known for undergraduate agriculture, natural resources, and engineering. Logan is a college town in northern Utah's Cache Valley.
- SAT Range 1070-1290
- Avg GPA 3.63
- Acceptance Rate 92%
- Net Price $15,788
Illinois State University
- Public 4 Year
- Normal, IL
-
4.8 | 4 reviews
- 21,546 total enrollment
Illinois State is a large public university known for undergraduate teacher education, nursing, and business. The residential campus sits in the college town of Normal, next to Bloomington.
- SAT Range 990-1210
- Avg GPA 3.41
- Acceptance Rate 88%
- Net Price $21,369
Kansas State University
- Public 4 Year
- Manhattan, KS
-
| 0 reviews
- 20,295 total enrollment
Kansas State is a large public university known for undergraduate agriculture, animal sciences, and architecture. The residential campus anchors the college town of Manhattan in the Flint Hills.
- SAT Range 1060-1260
- Avg GPA 3.77
- Acceptance Rate 82%
- Net Price $20,527
Ohio University Main Campus
- Public 4 Year
- Athens, OH
-
4.5 | 4 reviews
- 26,323 total enrollment
Ohio University is a large public university known for undergraduate journalism and communications. Athens is a classic college town built around the residential campus.
- SAT Range 1090-1290
- Avg GPA 3.59
- Acceptance Rate 85%
- Net Price $21,907
California State University Long Beach
- Public 4 Year
- Long Beach, CA
-
5.0 | 1 reviews
- 42,003 total enrollment
Cal State Long Beach is a large public university known for undergraduate art and design, nursing, and business. The campus sits near the Pacific coast in the Los Angeles metro area.
- SAT Range 1020-1240
- Avg GPA 3.7
- Acceptance Rate 46%
- Net Price $10,607
University of North Carolina at Charlotte
- Public 4 Year
- Charlotte, NC
-
| 0 reviews
- 31,091 total enrollment
UNC Charlotte is a large public university known for undergraduate business, engineering, and architecture. The suburban campus sits in North Carolina's largest city.
- SAT Range 1140-1330
- Avg GPA 3.57
- Acceptance Rate 80%
- Net Price $15,045
Wayne State University
- Public 4 Year
- Detroit, MI
-
4.2 | 4 reviews
- 23,803 total enrollment
Wayne State is a large public university known for undergraduate nursing, pharmacy, and business. The urban campus is in Midtown Detroit near the city's cultural district.
- SAT Range 1060-1270
- Avg GPA 3.42
- Acceptance Rate 81%
- Net Price $14,416