Largest Colleges and Universities in the U.S.
Editor & Writer
Editor & Writer
Editor & Writer
Editor & Writer
Data Summary
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The college campus with the largest enrollment is Texas A&M University.[1] -
The largest university in the U.S. by total enrollment is Western Governors University, a fully online college.[2] -
All of the top-25 largest college campuses by enrollment are public universities, except two: New York University and the University of Southern California. -
DePaul University is the largest Catholic university in the U.S. -
Five of the country's top 50 largest colleges serve students exclusively online. -
Two of the country's top 50 largest colleges are two-year colleges. -
Texas is home to 9 of the 50 largest colleges in the U.S.
Colleges and universities range widely in size, from tight-knit campuses of 2,000 students or fewer to massive institutions serving tens of thousands. And as online learning becomes increasingly popular, schools' student bodies can stretch around the world.
Find the biggest colleges in the country in our lists below. Plus, find the top 15 largest private and Catholic universities.
Table of Contents
Largest Colleges in the U.S.
The largest college campus in the U.S. by student enrollment is Texas A&M University. Nearly 75,000 students attend school at the College Station campus.
Most of the country's largest colleges are public schools, with two exceptions: New York University and the University of Southern California.
Did you know...
Which state has the biggest colleges?
- Nine of the 50 largest colleges and universities in the U.S. are in Texas.
- Seven are in Florida, three of which are in the top 10.
- Five of the 50 biggest colleges are in Arizona.
Get to Know the Top 10 Largest Colleges and Universities in the U.S.
1. Texas A&M University
- Undergraduate Format: 99% in-person or hybrid
- Avg. In-State Undergraduate Tuition & Fees: $13,239
- Avg. Out-of-State Undergraduate Tuition & Fees: $40,139
- Acceptance Rate: 63%
- Total Student Enrollment: 74,829
Since 1876, Texas A&M's campus has been located in College Station — one of the best college towns in Texas. Its nearly 75,000 students have access to over 140 undergraduate and more than 270 graduate programs.
In Texas, college football is larger than life, and the Aggies have a stadium to prove it. Kyle Field is the largest stadium in the Southeastern Conference.
Recently, Texas A&M made the news for announcing a joint engineering academy with Tyler Junior College. The university partners with eight other community colleges to combat an engineering shortage in the state.
2. University of Central Florida
- Undergraduate Format: 83% in-person or hybrid
- Avg. In-State Undergraduate Tuition & Fees: $6,368
- Avg. Out-of-State Undergraduate Tuition & Fees: $22,467
- Acceptance Rate: 41%
- Total Student Enrollment: 68,442
Located in Orlando, UCF is one of Florida's 12 public colleges, offering 104 bachelor's degrees, 97 master's, and 36 doctorates. Over 12,000 students live on campus or university-affiliated housing.
One of the more affordable colleges among the largest universities in the U.S., the majority of UCF students (62%) graduate without any debt.
3. Ohio State University
- Undergraduate Format: 93% in-person or hybrid
- Avg. In-State Undergraduate Tuition & Fees: $12,485
- Avg. Out-of-State Undergraduate Tuition & Fees: $36,722
- Acceptance Rate: 53%
- Total Student Enrollment: 61,677
Roughly 46,000 undergraduates and 14,540 graduate students attend Ohio State's main campus in Columbus — Ohio's largest city and the fastest-growing metropolitan area in the Midwest. Students are generally required to live on campus for at least two years.
The 150-year-old institution boasts an alumni network of over 580,000 and a powerful Buckeye
spirit fueled by Welcome Weeks and a homecoming parade.
4. New York University
- Undergraduate Format: 99% in-person or hybrid
- Avg. In-State Undergraduate Tuition & Fees: $58,168
- Avg. Out-of-State Undergraduate Tuition & Fees: $58,168
- Acceptance Rate: 12%
- Total Student Enrollment: 59,144
It doesn't get much bigger than the Big Apple, where over 60,000 NYU students are enrolled across over 400 programs. NYU is the only private school among the top 10 largest colleges in the U.S. and the most selective.
About 11,000 NYU students live in university housing in New York's Greenwich Village or Brooklyn Heights. Students can find their community in the big city at the NYU Center for Student Life or among the 300 student clubs and organizations.
5. Arizona State University Campus Immersion, Tempe
- Undergraduate Format: 94% in-person or hybrid
- Avg. In-State Undergraduate Tuition & Fees: $11,618
- Avg. Out-of-State Undergraduate Tuition & Fees: $30,592
- Acceptance Rate: 90%
- Total Student Enrollment: 57,588
In Tempe, Arizona, ASU serves roughly 64,700 undergraduates and 13,200 graduate students, mostly on campus. Students can access nearby metropolitan Phoenix via a 20-minute drive or an hour-long trip on the public light rail.
All first-year undergraduates are expected to live on campus, where students select housing assignments based on their major. Academic programs available at Tempe include the W. P. Carey School of Business, the Herberger Institute for Design and the Arts, the Honors College, the School of Sustainability, and many more.
6. University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign
- Undergraduate Format: 96% in-person or hybrid
- Avg. In-State Undergraduate Tuition & Fees: $15,714
- Avg. Out-of-State Undergraduate Tuition & Fees: $33,686
- Acceptance Rate: 45%
- Total Student Enrollment: 56,194
About halfway from Chicago to St. Louis lies the neighboring cities of Urbana and Champaign, Illinois — colloquially called Chambana.
Together, the cities' population is around 200,000, or only four times the size of U of I's student body.
In addition to having a mega student enrollment, the University boasts a long history of innovative research, including groundbreaking discoveries that led to the development of LEDs, disabilities resources and education, and the medical MRI. It counts 11 Nobel laureates and 25 Pulitzer prize winners among its alumni.
7. Florida International University
- Undergraduate Format: 73% in-person or hybrid
- Avg. In-State Undergraduate Tuition & Fees: $6,565
- Avg. Out-of-State Undergraduate Tuition & Fees: $18,963
- Acceptance Rate: 64%
- Total Student Enrollment: 55,687
FIU's Modesto A. Maidique campus in Miami is home to several institutes and research centers, such as the Center for Diversity in Engineering, the Southeast Environmental Research Center, the Landon Undergraduate School of Business, and South Florida's only public law school. FIU students can choose from over 190 degree options.
While the majority of FIU's student body attends in person, the school has a large number of affordable online programs as well. In fact, it tops our list of the most affordable online health programs.
8. University of Florida
- Undergraduate Format: 95% in-person or hybrid
- Avg. In-State Undergraduate Tuition & Fees: $6,381
- Avg. Out-of-State Undergraduate Tuition & Fees: $28,659
- Acceptance Rate: 23%
- Total Student Enrollment: 55,430
Located in Northern Florida, UF's student body represents over 95 different countries around the world. But just because enrollment is massive, it doesn't mean you'll get lost in your lecture halls. The teacher-student ratio is 17-to-1. Plus, UF tops our list of the best colleges in Florida.
The University offers over 300 undergraduate degree programs across 16 institutes and research centers, such as the Warrington College of Business, the Herbert Wertheim College of Engineering, and the Levin College of Law.
UF's campus housing is impressive, with some residences offering unique amenities, like swimming pools, community grills, and even a butterfly garden.
9. University of Minnesota, Twin Cities
- Undergraduate Format: 99% in-person or hybrid
- Avg. In-State Undergraduate Tuition & Fees: $15,859
- Avg. Out-of-State Undergraduate Tuition & Fees: $35,099
- Acceptance Rate: 75%
- Total Student Enrollment: 54,955
Nearly 31,000 undergraduates and over 15,000 graduate and professional students attend the University of Minnesota in the twin cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul. The school boasts more than 200 graduate and professional studies programs and 900 student organizations.
Students can enroll in one of the University's 17 colleges and schools, like the College of Food, Agricultural, and Natural Resource Sciences, the Carlson School of Management, the Humphrey School of Public Affairs, or the College of Veterinary Medicine —the only veterinary college in Minnesota.
Want to get around campus fast? It so happens that Minneapolis is one of the country's most bikeable cities.
10. University of Texas, Austin
- Undergraduate Format: 99% in-person or hybrid
- Avg. In-State Undergraduate Tuition & Fees: $11,698
- Avg. Out-of-State Undergraduate Tuition & Fees: $41,070
- Acceptance Rate: 31%
- Total Student Enrollment: 52,384
The student body at UT Austin includes more than 41,000 undergraduate and 11,000 graduate students, representing all 50 states and 132 countries.
Students at UT Austin get to participate in any of the more than 1,000 student organizations, 70 sororities and fraternities, hundreds of intramural sports leagues, and the largest student-run newspaper in the country.
Behind the Numbers
To find information about program format, tuition and fees, and acceptance rates for the top 10 largest colleges in the country, we turned to the most recently reported data by the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES).Note Reference [1]
For 2022-2023 enrollment figures and more facts about student life and academics, we listed information from each school's website.
Largest University in Every State
In the map, find the largest four-year college campuses by enrollment in every state. This map does not include two-year colleges or universities where the majority of students attend exclusively online.
Largest Colleges and Online Colleges by Total Enrollment
In 2020, the largest university in the U.S. by total student enrollment was Western Governors University, a fully-online college based in Utah, which served nearly 150,000 students, including about 108,000 undergraduates.Note Reference [1]
Below, find the 50 largest colleges and university systems by total enrollment, including two-year colleges, multi-campus university systems, and schools primarily serving students online.
| Rank | Institution Name | State | Classification | Type | 2020 Enrollment | Percent of Enrollment Fully Online (2021) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Western Governors University | UT | Private Nonprofit | 4-year | 147,866 | 100% |
| 2 | Southern New Hampshire University | NH | Private Nonprofit | 4-year | 134,345 | 95% |
| 3 | Grand Canyon University | AZ | Private For-Profit | 4-year | 103,427 | 78% |
| 4 | Liberty University | VA | Private Nonprofit | 4-year | 93,349 | 84% |
| 5 | Pennsylvania State University | PA | Public | 4-year | 89,816 | 18% |
| 6 | University of Phoenix, Arizona | AZ | Private For-Profit | 4-year | 89,763 | 100% |
| 7 | Arizona State University Campus Immersion | AZ | Public | 4-year | 74,795 | 5% |
| 8 | Dallas College | TX | Public | 4-year | 74,781 | 47% |
| 9 | University of Central Florida | FL | Public | 4-year | 71,881 | 20% |
| 10 | Texas A&M University | TX | Public | 4-year | 70,418 | 5% |
| 11 | Lone Star College System | TX | Public | 4-year | 70,109 | 42% |
| 12 | Ivy Tech Community College | IN | Public | 2-year | 63,809 | 16% |
| 13 | Ohio State University | OH | Public | 4-year | 61,369 | 9% |
| 14 | Florida International University | FL | Public | 4-year | 58,836 | 30% |
| 15 | University of Maryland Global Campus | MD | Public | 4-year | 58,526 | 86% |
| 16 | Arizona State University Digital Immersion | AZ | Public | 4-year | 53,993 | 100% |
| 17 | University of Florida | FL | Public | 4-year | 53,372 | 17% |
| 18 | Northern Virginia Community College | VA | Public | 2-year | 52,873 | 35% |
| 19 | New York University | NY | Private Nonprofit | 4-year | 52,775 | 8% |
| 20 | University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign | IL | Public | 4-year | 52,679 | 21% |
| 21 | University of Minnesota, Twin Cities | MN | Public | 4-year | 52,017 | 4% |
| 22 | University of South Florida | FL | Public | 4-year | 50,626 | 20% |
| 23 | The University of Texas at Austin | TX | Public | 4-year | 50,476 | 1% |
| 24 | Rutgers University | NJ | Public | 4-year | 50,411 | 14% |
| 25 | American Public University System | WV | Private For-Profit | 4-year | 50,047 | 100% |
| 26 | Michigan State University | MI | Public | 4-year | 49,695 | 9% |
| 27 | Walden University | MN | Private For-Profit | 4-year | 49,695 | 100% |
| 28 | Houston Community College | TX | Public | 2-year | 48,329 | 49% |
| 29 | University of Washington | WA | Public | 4-year | 48,149 | 2% |
| 30 | The University of Texas at Arlington | TX | Public | 4-year | 48,072 | 38% |
| 31 | University of Michigan, Ann Arbor | MI | Public | 4-year | 47,907 | 3% |
| 32 | University of Houston | TX | Public | 4-year | 47,090 | 13% |
| 33 | Purdue University | IN | Public | 4-year | 46,655 | 9% |
| 34 | Miami Dade College | FL | Public | 4-year | 46,523 | 44% |
| 35 | University of Southern California | CA | Private Nonprofit | 4-year | 46,287 | 15% |
| 36 | Valencia College | FL | Public | 4-year | 45,949 | 61% |
| 37 | University of Arizona | AZ | Public | 4-year | 45,601 | 18% |
| 38 | University of Wisconsin, Madison | WI | Public | 4-year | 44,640 | 3% |
| 39 | University of California, Los Angeles | CA | Public | 4-year | 44,589 | 12% |
| 40 | Brigham Young University, Idaho | ID | Private Nonprofit | 4-year | 44,481 | 52% |
| 41 | Purdue University Global | IN | Public | 4-year | 43,927 | 99% |
| 42 | Florida State University | FL | Public | 4-year | 43,569 | 13% |
| 43 | Indiana University, Bloomington | IN | Public | 4-year | 43,064 | 9% |
| 44 | Tarrant County College District | TX | Public | 2-year | 43,000 | 18% |
| 45 | University of California, Berkeley | CA | Public | 4-year | 42,327 | 10% |
| 46 | California State University, Fullerton | CA | Public | 4-year | 42,051 | 16% |
| 47 | Kennesaw State University | GA | Public | 4-year | 41,181 | 20% |
| 48 | University of North Texas | TX | Public | 4-year | 40,953 | 15% |
| 49 | Utah Valley University | UT | Public | 4-year | 40,936 | 20% |
| 50 | University of Cincinnati | OH | Public | 4-year | 40,826 | 22% |
Largest Private Universities in the U.S.
- Nine of the 15 largest private universities in the U.S. are nonprofit institutions.
- Six are for-profit colleges.
- At each of the top five largest private colleges in the U.S., more than 75% of students are enrolled in online courses only.
| Rank | Institution Name | Classification | Enrollment |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Western Governors University | Nonprofit | 147,866 |
| 2 | Southern New Hampshire University | Nonprofit | 134,345 |
| 3 | Grand Canyon University | For-Profit | 103,427 |
| 4 | Liberty University | Nonprofit | 93,349 |
| 5 | University of Phoenix, Arizona | For-Profit | 89,763 |
| 6 | New York University | Nonprofit | 52,775 |
| 7 | American Public University System | For-Profit | 50,047 |
| 8 | Walden University | For-Profit | 49,695 |
| 9 | University of Southern California | Nonprofit | 46,287 |
| 10 | Brigham Young University, Idaho | Nonprofit | 44,481 |
| 11 | Capella University | For-Profit | 38,930 |
| 12 | Brigham Young University | Nonprofit | 36,461 |
| 13 | Boston University | Nonprofit | 32,718 |
| 14 | Ashford University | For-Profit | 31,115 |
| 15 | Harvard University | Nonprofit | 30,391 |
Largest Catholic Universities in the U.S.
The largest Catholic university in the U.S. is DePaul University, located in Chicago.
Even the largest Catholic colleges tend to be smaller than the country's largest universities.
| Rank | Institution Name | State | Total Enrollment |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | DePaul University | IL | 21,670 |
| 2 | Georgetown University | DC | 20,935 |
| 3 | St. John's University, New York | NY | 19,658 |
| 4 | Loyola University Chicago | IL | 17,498 |
| 5 | Fordham University | NY | 16,986 |
| 6 | Boston College | MA | 15,577 |
| 7 | Saint Louis University | MO | 13,474 |
| 8 | University of Notre Dame | IN | 13,139 |
| 9 | University of Dayton | OH | 11,971 |
| 10 | Marquette University | WI | 11,320 |
| 11 | Villanova University | PA | 10,870 |
| 12 | Loyola Marymount University | CA | 10,184 |
| 13 | University of San Francisco | CA | 10,034 |
| 14 | Seton Hall University | NJ | 9,881 |
| 15 | Sacred Heart University | CT | 9,785 |
