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.
West Virginia University
- Public 4 Year
- Morgantown, WV
-
4.0 | 4 reviews
- 23,643 total enrollment
WVU is a large public university known for undergraduate forensic science, engineering, and journalism. The campus spreads across a hilly college town in Morgantown along the Monongahela River.
- SAT Range 1010-1220
- Avg GPA 3.45
- Acceptance Rate 89%
- Net Price $15,169
East Carolina University
- Public 4 Year
- Greenville, NC
-
4.2 | 4 reviews
- 26,940 total enrollment
East Carolina is a large public university known for undergraduate nursing, health sciences, and education. The main campus is in Greenville, a college town in eastern North Carolina.
- SAT Range 1070-1240
- Avg GPA 3.33
- Acceptance Rate 89%
- Net Price $13,755
California State Polytechnic University Pomona
- Public 4 Year
- Pomona, CA
-
5.0 | 1 reviews
- 27,636 total enrollment
Cal Poly Pomona is a public polytechnic university known for undergraduate engineering, architecture, and agriculture. The hillside campus includes working farm facilities and an Arabian horse center.
- SAT Range 1010-1250
- Avg GPA 3.69
- Acceptance Rate 75%
- Net Price $11,940
Florida International University
- Public 4 Year
- Miami, FL
-
4.1 | 7 reviews
- 54,723 total enrollment
FIU is a large public university known for undergraduate hospitality management and international business. The urban campus in Miami has a large Hispanic student population and strong Latin American ties.
- SAT Range 1070-1260
- Avg GPA 4.0
- Acceptance Rate 55%
- Net Price $11,178
San Jose State University
- Public 4 Year
- San Jose, CA
-
5.0 | 3 reviews
- 37,661 total enrollment
San Jose State is a large public university known for undergraduate engineering, computer science, and business. The urban campus sits in downtown San Jose in the heart of Silicon Valley.
- SAT Range 1010-1240
- Predicted Avg GPA 3.35
- Acceptance Rate 85%
- Net Price $13,892
Appalachian State University
- Public 4 Year
- Boone, NC
-
4.3 | 10 reviews
- 21,570 total enrollment
Appalachian State is a large public university known for undergraduate teacher education, business, and sustainable development. Boone is a mountain college town in North Carolina's Blue Ridge range.
- SAT Range 1120-1280
- Avg GPA 3.96
- Acceptance Rate 90%
- Net Price $14,978
University of Nevada Las Vegas
- Public 4 Year
- Las Vegas, NV
-
4.0 | 3 reviews
- 32,911 total enrollment
UNLV is a large public university known for undergraduate hospitality and hotel management. The urban campus sits near the Las Vegas Strip.
- SAT Range 1010-1240
- Avg GPA 3.4
- Acceptance Rate 96%
- Net Price $11,553
Ball State University
- Public 4 Year
- Muncie, IN
-
4.6 | 5 reviews
- 21,089 total enrollment
Ball State is a public university known for undergraduate architecture, education, and telecommunications. The college-town campus is in Muncie.
- SAT Range 1080-1260
- Avg GPA 3.52
- Acceptance Rate 85%
- Net Price $13,599
Montclair State University
- Public 4 Year
- Montclair, NJ
-
4.0 | 1 reviews
- 23,375 total enrollment
Montclair State is a large public university known for undergraduate education and the performing arts. The suburban campus sits in northern New Jersey near New York City.
- SAT Range 910-1210
- Avg GPA 3.3
- Acceptance Rate 88%
- Net Price $17,669
Florida Atlantic University
- Public 4 Year
- Boca Raton, FL
-
4.2 | 4 reviews
- 31,607 total enrollment
FAU is a large public university known for undergraduate ocean engineering and marine science. The Boca Raton campus sits near the Atlantic coast in South Florida.
- SAT Range 1040-1200
- Avg GPA 3.74
- Acceptance Rate 66%
- Net Price $10,225
Middle Tennessee State University
- Public 4 Year
- Murfreesboro, TN
-
4.5 | 2 reviews
- 20,488 total enrollment
MTSU is a large public university known for undergraduate recording industry, aerospace, and music business programs. The campus is in Murfreesboro, a growing city about a half hour southeast of Nashville.
- SAT Range 1010-1230
- Avg GPA 3.64
- Acceptance Rate 69%
- Net Price $13,859
University of North Texas
- Public 4 Year
- Denton, TX
-
4.3 | 3 reviews
- 46,864 total enrollment
UNT is a large public university known for undergraduate music and jazz studies. Denton is a college town north of the Dallas-Fort Worth area.
- SAT Range 980-1230
- Predicted Avg GPA 3.46
- Acceptance Rate 72%
- Net Price $15,965
University of New Mexico Main Campus
- Public 4 Year
- Albuquerque, NM
-
| 0 reviews
- 23,124 total enrollment
UNM is a large public university known for undergraduate Latin American studies, anthropology, and photography. The urban Albuquerque campus features Pueblo Revival architecture.
- SAT Range 890-1170
- Avg GPA 3.42
- Acceptance Rate 95%
- Net Price $6,347
The University of Texas at Arlington
- Public 4 Year
- Arlington, TX
-
4.7 | 3 reviews
- 44,956 total enrollment
UT Arlington is a large public university known for undergraduate nursing, engineering, and architecture. The suburban campus sits in the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex between the two cities.
- SAT Range 1010-1240
- Predicted Avg GPA 3.43
- Acceptance Rate 80%
- Net Price $13,755
Missouri State University Springfield
- Public 4 Year
- Springfield, MO
-
4.0 | 3 reviews
- 24,360 total enrollment
Missouri State is a large public university known for undergraduate business, education, and health professions. The Springfield campus lies in the Ozarks region of southwest Missouri.
- SAT Range 1020-1270
- Avg GPA 3.73
- Acceptance Rate 91%
- Net Price $17,181
Texas State University
- Public 4 Year
- San Marcos, TX
-
3.8 | 9 reviews
- 40,674 total enrollment
Texas State is a large public university known for undergraduate geography, education, and mass communication. The campus in the college town of San Marcos sits along the spring-fed San Marcos River.
- SAT Range 980-1200
- Predicted Avg GPA 3.38
- Acceptance Rate 89%
- Net Price $15,716
Georgia State University
- Public 4 Year
- Atlanta, GA
-
5.0 | 2 reviews
- 34,944 total enrollment
Georgia State is a large public university known for undergraduate business, public health, and public policy. The urban campus sits in downtown Atlanta.
- SAT Range 940-1180
- Avg GPA 3.54
- Acceptance Rate 55%
- Net Price $16,854
San Francisco State University
- Public 4 Year
- San Francisco, CA
-
5.0 | 1 reviews
- 22,563 total enrollment
SF State is a large public university known for undergraduate ethnic studies, cinema, and creative writing. The urban campus borders Lake Merced in southwestern San Francisco.
- SAT Range 930-1130
- Avg GPA 3.31
- Acceptance Rate 96%
- Net Price $13,168