Best public colleges in America

Bryan Pollard // Shutterstock Earning a college degree is an investment with far-reaching benefits. Adults who hold degrees earn an average of $36,000 more per year than those who hold a high school diploma. This increased income can mean a big difference in quality of life, from being able to afford a home to lower instances of poverty, and even longer life expectancy. While those statistics are all good reasons to go to college, education often comes with a hefty price tag. Over the last 10 years, tuition rates for both public and private colleges have increased by more than 25% and student loan debt has increased alongside it. According to the Education Data Initiative, the disparity in cost between private and public college tuition has grown yearly over the past decade, reaching the point where a single year at a private college costs nearly as much as an entire 4-year degree at a public school. For the 2020-2021 academic year, the average annual tuition at a 4-year private nonprofit college was $35,852, whereas the price of an in-state public college was $9,375. Private college is, on average, 282.4% more expensive. As a result, many students are choosing to attend a public university, where they can potentially get less expensive tuition and better value for their money. Public colleges and universities, which receive funding from state and local government sources, mainly in the form of dedicated tax revenue, are usually less expensive than their private counterparts primarily because they do not have to rely solely on tuition fees to stay solvent. And while there is a long-standing assumption that a private school education is somehow “better” than a state university, state schools often provide the same types of degrees as private schools, and depending on the student, can sometimes provide a better fit for their education. Stacker compiled a list of the best public colleges in America using data from Niche, which was released in 2023. Niche ranks schools based on a variety of factors including academics, admissions, cost, and student life. Niche’s methodology can be found here. Take a look at some of the best public schools in the country. You may also like: Best boarding schools in America #100. University of Wisconsin – La Crosse Ken Wolter // Shutterstock – Location: La Crosse, WI – Students: 8,863 – Students to faculty ratio: 18:1 – Graduation rate: 71% – Median earnings six years after graduation: $48,000 – Employment rate two years after graduation: 96% The University of Wisconsin at La Crosse has as its motto “mens corpusque” or “mind and body.” Here’s some evidence that students embrace it: 87% participate in recreational sports while maintaining an average 3.2 GPA. The university offers more than 130 degree programs in arts, business, education, health and science, and the humanities and social sciences for all levels of students, undergraduate to doctoral. Ninety-one percent of its classes have fewer than 50 students. #99. University of North Carolina School of the Arts