2026 Best Public Universities

Name: 2026 Best Public Universities (Kollegio college rankings)
Creator: Kollegio
License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

554 U.S. schools ranked in Kollegio's 2026 Best Public Universities ranking, based on U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard data.

Showing 1–25 of 554 colleges · How we rank colleges

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Cost of attendance after aid

ⓘ

$77,180

Institution type

2 Year4 Year5 Year

Field of study

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Campus Detail

Institution setting

AllCitySuburbanRural

Undergraduate enrollment

ⓘ

268763

Financial

Alumni starting salary

Tuition cost

ⓘ

$67,000

In-state tuition

ⓘ

Proportion of need based aid received

ⓘ

100%Clear Filter

International students received aid

ⓘ

100%

Average aid package

ⓘ

$82,308

Application fee

ⓘ

$150

Academics

Mean GPA

ⓘ

Mean SAT

ⓘ

1200

Mean ACT

ⓘ

#1 Best Public Universities

University of Florida

Gainesville

Acceptance rate

24.0%

Institution type

UNIV

Total Tuition Cost

$4,477

Avg. Cost after Aid

$10,000

#2 Best Public Universities

United States Merchant Marine Academy

Kings Point

Acceptance rate

32.5%

Institution type

COMP

Total Tuition Cost

N/A

Avg. Cost after Aid

$4,000

#3 Best Public Universities

Georgia Institute of Technology

Atlanta

Acceptance rate

16.5%

Institution type

UNIV

Total Tuition Cost

$10,258

Avg. Cost after Aid

$17,000

#4 Best Public Universities

University of California - San Diego

La Jolla

Acceptance rate

26.8%

Institution type

UNIV

Total Tuition Cost

$11,442

Avg. Cost after Aid

$16,000

#5 Best Public Universities

University of Florida-Online

Gainesville

Acceptance rate

64.4%

Institution type

UNIV

Total Tuition Cost

$4,380

Avg. Cost after Aid

$4,702

#6 Best Public Universities

University of California - Irvine

Irvine

Acceptance rate

28.8%

Institution type

UNIV

Total Tuition Cost

$19,268

Avg. Cost after Aid

$12,000

#7 Best Public Universities

University of California - Los Angeles

Los Angeles

Acceptance rate

9.0%

Institution type

UNIV

Total Tuition Cost

$11,442

Avg. Cost after Aid

$13,000

#8 Best Public Universities

University of California - Berkeley

Berkeley

Acceptance rate

11.0%

Institution type

UNIV

Total Tuition Cost

$11,442

Avg. Cost after Aid

$18,000

#9 Best Public Universities

Baruch College of the City University of New York

New York

Acceptance rate

50.5%

Institution type

UNIV

Total Tuition Cost

$6,930

Avg. Cost after Aid

$4,991

#10 Best Public Universities

University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

Ann Arbor

Acceptance rate

15.6%

Institution type

UNIV

Total Tuition Cost

$16,404

Avg. Cost after Aid

$19,000

#11 Best Public Universities

University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill

Chapel Hill

Acceptance rate

15.3%

Institution type

UNIV

Total Tuition Cost

$7,019

Avg. Cost after Aid

$12,000

#12 Best Public Universities

University of Washington

Seattle

Acceptance rate

39.1%

Institution type

UNIV

Total Tuition Cost

$10,927

Avg. Cost after Aid

$9,000

#13 Best Public Universities

California Polytechnic State University--San Luis Obispo

San Luis Obispo

Acceptance rate

31.2%

Institution type

COMP

Total Tuition Cost

$5,742

Avg. Cost after Aid

$21,000

#14 Best Public Universities

University of Maryland - College Park

College Park

Acceptance rate

44.8%

Institution type

UNIV

Total Tuition Cost

$9,000

Avg. Cost after Aid

$17,000

#15 Best Public Universities

University of California - Santa Barbara

Santa Barbara

Acceptance rate

33.0%

Institution type

COMP

Total Tuition Cost

$11,442

Avg. Cost after Aid

$17,000

#16 Best Public Universities

University of Illinois - Urbana-Champaign

Champaign

Acceptance rate

42.4%

Institution type

UNIV

Total Tuition Cost

$12,254

Avg. Cost after Aid

$14,000

#17 Best Public Universities

University of California - Davis

Davis

Acceptance rate

41.8%

Institution type

UNIV

Total Tuition Cost

$11,442

Avg. Cost after Aid

$17,000

#18 Best Public Universities

University of Georgia

Athens

Acceptance rate

37.2%

Institution type

UNIV

Total Tuition Cost

$9,790

Avg. Cost after Aid

$17,000

#19 Best Public Universities

Purdue University - Purdue Polytechnic Vincennes

Vincennes

Acceptance rate

84.0%

Institution type

UNIV

Total Tuition Cost

$6,860.56

Avg. Cost after Aid

N/A

#20 Best Public Universities

University of Washington Bothell

Bothell

Acceptance rate

90.6%

Institution type

COMP

Total Tuition Cost

$10,927

Avg. Cost after Aid

$8,000

#21 Best Public Universities

Florida State University

Tallahassee

Acceptance rate

25.4%

Institution type

UNIV

Total Tuition Cost

$4,640

Avg. Cost after Aid

$13,000

#22 Best Public Universities

University of Wisconsin - Madison

Madison

Acceptance rate

45.2%

Institution type

UNIV

Total Tuition Cost

$9,273

Avg. Cost after Aid

$17,234

#23 Best Public Universities

California State Polytechnic University--Pomona

Pomona

Acceptance rate

73.7%

Institution type

4YEAR

Total Tuition Cost

$5,742

Avg. Cost after Aid

$13,000

#24 Best Public Universities

Florida International University

Miami

Acceptance rate

58.8%

Institution type

UNIV

Total Tuition Cost

$4,721

Avg. Cost after Aid

$9,000

#25 Best Public Universities

New Jersey Institute of Technology

Newark

Acceptance rate

66.9%

Institution type

UNIV

Total Tuition Cost

$14,790

Avg. Cost after Aid

$17,000

Best Public Universities by state

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