Public Colleges of Distinction

Public Colleges of Distinction badge

Public colleges and universities are usually perceived to have larger class sizes, less attention, and less prestige than private colleges. Don’t let these labels fool you! Each institution offers a unique college experience, ranging from small liberal arts colleges to research institutions.

Rather than looking at college rankings to choose where you will study for the next four years, take a more immersive approach to your college search. Explore college campuses, sift through your top college majors, and find the college experience that you want.

Colleges of Distinction has hand-picked a selection of the best colleges in the United States that cater to students’ interests to help you with your college search. Take a look below to see our list of this year’s Public Colleges of Distinction to help you find the right college for you.

Alabama

Alabama State University
Auburn University
The University of Alabama
University of Montevallo

Arizona

University of Arizona

Arkansas

University of Arkansas
University of Arkansas - Fort Smith

California

California Polytechnic State University
California State University, Fullerton
California State University, Long Beach
San Diego State University
San Francisco State University
San José State University
University of California, Davis
University of California, Irvine
University of California, San Diego
University of California, Santa Barbara

Colorado

Colorado School of Mines
University of Colorado Boulder

Connecticut

Eastern Connecticut State University
Southern Connecticut State University
University of Connecticut

Delaware

Delaware State University
University of Delaware

District of Columbia

Howard University

Florida

Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University
Florida Gulf Coast University
Florida State University
University of Florida
University of West Florida

Georgia

Georgia College
Georgia Institute of Technology
Georgia State University
University of Georgia
University of North Georgia

Illinois

Illinois State University
Northern Illinois University
The University of Illinois Chicago
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

Indiana

Indiana University Bloomington
Purdue University
Purdue University Northwest

Iowa

University of Iowa

Kansas

Emporia State University
University of Kansas

Kentucky

Murray State University
University of Kentucky
University of Louisville

Louisiana

Louisiana State University
Louisiana Tech University
University of Louisiana at Lafayette

Maine

University of Maine

Maryland

Morgan State University
Salisbury University
St. Mary's College of Maryland
University of Maryland

Massachusetts

Framingham State University
University of Massachusetts Amherst
University of Massachusetts Lowell
Westfield State University

Michigan

Michigan State University
University of Michigan
University of Michigan-Flint

Minnesota

Southwest Minnesota State University
St. Cloud State University
University of Minnesota Duluth
University of Minnesota Morris
University of Minnesota Rochester
University of Minnesota Twin Cities

Mississippi

Mississippi State University
The University of Mississippi

Missouri

Truman State University
University of Missouri
University of Missouri, Kansas City

Nebraska

University of Nebraska–Lincoln
Wayne State College

New Hampshire

University Of New Hampshire

New Jersey

Kean University
Ramapo College of New Jersey
Rowan University
Rutgers University-Newark
The College of New Jersey

New York

Baruch College
Binghamton University
Hunter College
SUNY Brockport
SUNY Geneseo
SUNY New Paltz
SUNY Oneonta
SUNY Oswego
Stony Brook University
University at Buffalo

North Carolina

Appalachian State University
North Carolina A&T State University
North Carolina State University
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

North Dakota

University of North Dakota
Valley City State University

Ohio

Miami University—Oxford
The Ohio State University
University of Cincinnati

Oklahoma

University of Oklahoma
University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma

Oregon

Eastern Oregon University
University of Oregon

Pennsylvania

Commonwealth University
Pennsylvania State University
Slippery Rock University
University of Pittsburgh
University of Pittsburgh at Bradford
West Chester University of Pennsylvania

Rhode Island

Rhode Island College
University of Rhode Island

South Carolina

Clemson University
Coastal Carolina University
College of Charleston
University of South Carolina
University of South Carolina Aiken

South Dakota

South Dakota School of Mines & Technology
University of South Dakota

Tennessee

Middle Tennessee State University
Tennessee Technological University
The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga
The University of Tennessee, Knoxville

Texas

Angelo State University
The University of Texas at Austin
The University of Texas at Dallas
The University of Texas at San Antonio

Utah

Southern Utah University

Vermont

University of Vermont

Virginia

James Madison University
Old Dominion University
Radford University
The University of Virginia's College at Wise
University of Virginia
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
William & Mary

Washington

Eastern Washington University
University of Washington
Washington State University

West Virginia

West Virginia University

Wisconsin

University of Wisconsin-Whitewater
University of Wisconsin–Eau Claire
University of Wisconsin–La Crosse
University of Wisconsin–Madison

 

Nominate for Consideration

Fill out this nomination form or pass it along to fellow colleagues, students, or alumni. With your nomination, we can help connect students with the right school for them.

 

Content Licensing

All logos and editorial content on CollegesofDistinction.com and any of its affiliate sites are trademark and copyright protected. All commercial use requires the express written consent of Colleges of Distinction. To request permission for use please contact our team at licensing@collegesofdistinction.com.