Largest Colleges and Universities in the U.S.

Updated on May 21, 2024

Edited by

• Fact-checked by Marley Rose

The largest university in the U.S. serves more than 80,000 students. Find statistics about the country’s biggest colleges.

Aerial view of the Texas A&M campus during a game between the Florida Gators and the Texas A&M Aggies in College Station, Texas.

Credit: Image Credit: Replay Photos / Contributor / Getty Images

Data Summary

The college campus with the largest enrollment is Arizona State University in Tempe, Arizona.^{Note Reference [1]}
The largest university in the U.S. by total enrollment is Western Governors University, a fully online college.^{Note Reference [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.
Georgetown University is the largest Catholic university in the U.S.
Six of the country’s top 50 largest colleges serve students exclusively online.
Four of the country’s top 50 largest colleges are two-year colleges.
Texas is home to 8 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.

Largest Colleges in the U.S.

The largest college campus in the U.S. by student enrollment is Arizona State University. More than 80,000 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.

25 Largest Four-Year College Campuses by Enrollment, Fall 2022
Rank	Institution Name	Classification	Enrollment
1	Arizona State University Campus Immersion	Public	80,065
2	Texas A&M University, College Station	Public	74,014
3	University of Central Florida	Public	68,346
4	Ohio State University, Main Campus	Public	60,540
5	New York University	Private Nonprofit	59,144
6	University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign	Public	56,916
7	Florida International University	Public	55,609
8	University of Florida	Public	55,211
9	University of Minnesota, Twin Cities	Public	54,955
10	The University of Texas at Austin	Public	52,384
11	University of Washington, Seattle Campus	Public	52,319
12	Purdue University, Main Campus	Public	51,528
13	University of Michigan, Ann Arbor	Public	51,225
14	Rutgers University, New Brunswick	Public	50,637
15	The Pennsylvania State University	Public	50,028
16	Michigan State University	Public	50,023
17	University of South Florida	Public	49,600
18	University of Arizona	Public	49,403
19	University of Wisconsin, Madison	Public	48,956
20	University of Southern California	Private Nonprofit	48,945
21	Indiana University, Bloomington	Public	47,005
22	University of Houston	Public	46,700
23	University of California, Los Angeles	Public	46,430
24	University of California, Berkeley	Public	45,307
25	Georgia Institute of Technology, Main Campus	Public	45,296

Source: NCES^{Note Reference [1], Note Reference [2]}

Did You Know?

Which state has the biggest colleges?

Eight 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. Arizona State University Campus Immersion, Tempe

Undergraduate Format: 94% in-person or hybrid
Avg. In-State Undergraduate Tuition & Fees: $12,051
Avg. Out-of-State Undergraduate Tuition & Fees: $32,193
Acceptance Rate: 90%
Total Student Enrollment: 80,065

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.

2. Texas A&M University

Undergraduate Format: 99% in-person or hybrid
Avg. In-State Undergraduate Tuition & Fees: $13,099
Avg. Out-of-State Undergraduate Tuition & Fees: $40,328
Acceptance Rate: 63%
Total Student Enrollment: 74,014

Since 1876, Texas A&M’s only U.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.

3. 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: 68,346

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 (68%) graduate without any debt.

4. Ohio State University

Undergraduate Format: 96% in-person or hybrid
Avg. In-State Undergraduate Tuition & Fees: $12,859
Avg. Out-of-State Undergraduate Tuition & Fees: $38,365
Acceptance Rate: 53%
Total Student Enrollment: 60,540

Roughly 46,000 undergraduates and 14,400 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 600,000 and a powerful “Buckeye” spirit fueled by Welcome Weeks and a homecoming parade.

5. New York University

Undergraduate Format: 99% in-person or hybrid
Avg. In-State Undergraduate Tuition & Fees: $60,438
Avg. Out-of-State Undergraduate Tuition & Fees: $60,438
Acceptance Rate: 12%
Total Student Enrollment: 59,144

It doesn’t get much bigger than the Big Apple, where nearly 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.

6. University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign

Undergraduate Format: 98% in-person or hybrid
Avg. In-State Undergraduate Tuition & Fees: $16,004
Avg. Out-of-State Undergraduate Tuition & Fees: $34,501
Acceptance Rate: 45%
Total Student Enrollment: 56,916

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: 74% 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: 55,609

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: 96% 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: 55,211

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 16-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: 98% in-person or hybrid
Avg. In-State Undergraduate Tuition & Fees: $16,488
Avg. Out-of-State Undergraduate Tuition & Fees: $36,402
Acceptance Rate: 75%
Total Student Enrollment: 54,955

More than 39,000 undergraduates and nearly 16,000 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: $11,678
Avg. Out-of-State Undergraduate Tuition & Fees: $42,778
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, enrollment, tuition, 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 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.

Table: The Largest University in Every State, Fall 2022

State⇅	School⇅	Total Enrollment⇅
Alabama	The University of Alabama	38,644
Alaska	University of Alaska Anchorage	10,464
Arizona	Arizona State University Campus Immersion	80,065
Arkansas	University of Arkansas	30,936
California	University of Southern California	48,945
Colorado	University of Colorado Boulder	39,585
Connecticut	University of Connecticut	27,003
Delaware	University of Delaware	24,039
Florida	University of Central Florida	68,346
Georgia	Georgia Institute of Technology	45,296

…

Largest Colleges and Online Colleges by Total Enrollment

In 2021, the largest university in the U.S. by total student enrollment was Western Governors University, a fully-online college based in Utah, which serves more than 150,000 students, including about 113,000 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.

50 Largest Colleges by Total Enrollment, Fall 2021
Rank	Institution Name	State	Classification	Type	Enrollment	Percent of Enrollment Fully Online
1	Western Governors University	UT	Private Nonprofit	4-year	150,116	100%
2	Southern New Hampshire University	NH	Private Nonprofit	4-year	145,533	95%
3	Grand Canyon University	AZ	Private For-Profit	4-year	103,072	77%
4	Liberty University	VA	Private Nonprofit	4-year	94,709	84%
5	The Pennsylvania State University	PA	Public	4-year	88,914	18%
6	Ivy Tech Community College	IN	Public	2-year	86,100	16%
7	University of Phoenix, Arizona	AZ	Private For-Profit	4-year	85,836	100%
8	Arizona State University Campus Immersion	AZ	Public	4-year	77,881	6%
9	Texas A&M University, College Station	TX	Public	4-year	72,530	5%
10	University of Central Florida	FL	Public	4-year	70,310	20%
11	Dallas College	TX	Public	4-year	69,171	47%
12	Lone Star College System	TX	Public	4-year	68,653	43%
13	Ohio State University, Main Campus	OH	Public	4-year	61,677	8%
14	New York University	NY	Private Nonprofit	4-year	58,226	8%
15	Arizona State University Digital Immersion	AZ	Public	4-year	57,848	100%
16	Florida International University	FL	Public	4-year	56,664	27%
17	University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign	IL	Public	4-year	56,607	21%
18	University of Florida	FL	Public	4-year	55,781	16%
19	University of Maryland Global Campus	MD	Public	4-year	55,323	85%
20	University of Washington, Seattle Campus	WA	Public	4-year	52,434	3%
21	University of Minnesota, Twin Cities	MN	Public	4-year	52,376	4%
22	The University of Texas at Austin	TX	Public	4-year	51,991	1%
23	Rutgers University, New Brunswick	NJ	Public	4-year	50,804	15%
24	Purdue University, Main Campus	IN	Public	4-year	50,344	9%
25	University of Michigan, Ann Arbor	MI	Public	4-year	50,278	3%
26	University of South Florida	FL	Public	4-year	49,708	20%
27	Michigan State University	MI	Public	4-year	49,659	8%
28	Northern Virginia Community College	VA	Public	2-year	49,560	35%
29	University of Southern California	CA	Private Nonprofit	4-year	49,318	15%
30	American Public University System	WV	Private For-Profit	4-year	48,298	100%
31	University of Arizona	AZ	Public	4-year	48,274	18%
32	University of Houston	TX	Public	4-year	47,031	13%
33	University of Wisconsin, Madison	WI	Public	4-year	47,016	3%
34	Houston Community College	TX	Public	2-year	46,780	49%
35	Walden University	MN	Private For-Profit	4-year	46,455	100%
36	University of California, Los Angeles	CA	Public	4-year	46,116	12%
37	The University of Texas at Arlington	TX	Public	4-year	45,949	38%
38	Indiana University, Bloomington	IN	Public	4-year	45,328	9%
39	Eastern Gateway Community College	OH	Public	2-year	45,173	95%
40	Florida State University	FL	Public	4-year	45,130	13%
41	University of California, Berkeley	CA	Public	4-year	45,036	10%
42	Brigham Young University, Idaho	ID	Private Nonprofit	4-year	44,304	52%
43	Miami Dade College	FL	Public	4-year	44,002	44%
44	Georgia Institute of Technology, Main Campus	GA	Public	4-year	43,859	43%
45	Valencia College	FL	Public	4-year	43,599	60%
46	Purdue University Global	IN	Public	4-year	43,458	100%
47	Kennesaw State University	GA	Public	4-year	42,899	20%
48	University of North Texas	TX	Public	4-year	42,441	15%
49	University of California, San Diego	CA	Public	4-year	41,885	3%
50	University of Maryland, College Park	MD	Public	4-year	41,272	4%

Source: NCES^{Note Reference [2]}

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.

15 Largest Private Universities in the U.S. by Total Enrollment, Fall 2021
Rank	Institution Name	Classification	Enrollment
1	Western Governors University	Nonprofit	150,116
2	Southern New Hampshire University	Nonprofit	145,533
3	Grand Canyon University	For-Profit	103,072
4	Liberty University	Nonprofit	94,709
5	University of Phoenix, Arizona	For-Profit	85,836
6	New York University	Nonprofit	58,226
7	University of Southern California	Nonprofit	49,318
8	American Public University System	For-Profit	48,298
9	Walden University	PrivFp	46,455
10	Brigham Young University, Idaho	Nonprofit	44,304
11	Ashford University	For-Profit	40,362
12	Capella University	For-Profit	38,716
13	Boston University	Nonprofit	36,104
14	Brigham Young University	Nonprofit	34,811
15	Columbia University in the City of New York	Nonprofit	33,776

Source: NCES^{Note Reference [2]}

Largest Catholic Universities in the U.S.

The largest Catholic university in the U.S. is Georgetown University, located in Washington, D.C, followed closely by DePaul University in Chicago.

Even the largest Catholic colleges tend to be smaller than the country’s largest universities.

15 Largest Catholic Universities in the U.S. by Enrollment, Fall 2021
Rank	Institution Name	State	Total Enrollment
1	Georgetown University	DC	20,984
2	DePaul University	IL	20,917
3	St. John’s University-New York	NY	19,663
4	Loyola University Chicago	IL	16,899
5	Fordham University	NY	16,556
6	Saint Louis University	MO	15,755
7	Boston College	MA	15,287
8	University of Notre Dame	IN	13,105
9	University of Dayton	OH	11,674
10	Marquette University	WI	11,167
11	Sacred Heart University	CT	10,721
12	Villanova University	PA	10,383
13	Saint Leo University	FL	10,242
14	Loyola Marymount University	CA	10,165
15	University of San Francisco	CA	9,688

Source: NCES^{Note Reference [1]}

Sources

NCES College Navigator Database. Accessed March 2024. (back to footnote 1 in content ⤶)
Table 312.10. Enrollment of the 120 largest degree-granting college and university campuses, by selected characteristics and institution: Fall 2021. National Center for Education Statistics. January 2023. (back to footnote 2 in content ⤶)