Top Public Universities 2026
The best public universities offering quality education at lower cost
50 universities ranked • Source: US Dept of Education
#1
University of Florida-Online
Gainesville, FL · Public
B-
64.38%
Accept
$4K
Tuition
$72K
Salary
#2
California State University Maritime Academy
Vallejo, CA · Public
C
98.73%
Accept
$8K
Tuition
$95K
Salary
#3
Florida Atlantic University
Boca Raton, FL · Public
C+
73.44%
Accept
$5K
Tuition
$57K
Salary
#4
University of Florida
Gainesville, FL · Public
B+
24.03%
Accept
$6K
Tuition
$72K
Salary
#5
Florida State University
Tallahassee, FL · Public
B-
25.38%
Accept
$6K
Tuition
$62K
Salary
#6
Thomas Edison State University
Trenton, NJ · Public
C
$7K
Tuition
$69K
Salary
#7
CUNY Bernard M Baruch College
New York, NY · Public
A-
50.48%
Accept
$7K
Tuition
$76K
Salary
#8
California State University-East Bay
Hayward, CA · Public
C+
96.81%
Accept
$7K
Tuition
$71K
Salary
#9
Fayetteville State University
Fayetteville, NC · Public
C
79.89%
Accept
$4K
Tuition
$40K
Salary
#10
San Jose State University
San Jose, CA · Public
C+
80.23%
Accept
$8K
Tuition
$79K
Salary
#11
California State Polytechnic University-Pomona
Pomona, CA · Public
B-
73.7%
Accept
$7K
Tuition
$72K
Salary
#12
California State University-Long Beach
Long Beach, CA · Public
B
47.12%
Accept
$7K
Tuition
$64K
Salary
#13
Florida International University
Miami, FL · Public
B-
58.84%
Accept
$7K
Tuition
$60K
Salary
#14
San Francisco State University
San Francisco, CA · Public
C+
96.15%
Accept
$7K
Tuition
$68K
Salary
#15
University of Central Florida
Orlando, FL · Public
B-
39.52%
Accept
$6K
Tuition
$58K
Salary
#16
Colorado State University Global
Denver, CO · Public
C
92.86%
Accept
$8K
Tuition
$77K
Salary
#17
University of South Florida
Tampa, FL · Public
B-
40.96%
Accept
$6K
Tuition
$58K
Salary
#18
CUNY City College
New York, NY · Public
B+
58.07%
Accept
$7K
Tuition
$66K
Salary
#19
Florida Gulf Coast University
Fort Myers, FL · Public
C
76.75%
Accept
$6K
Tuition
$55K
Salary
#20
CUNY Graduate School and University Center
New York, NY · Public
B-
38.61%
Accept
$7K
Tuition
$66K
Salary
#21
California State University-Fullerton
Fullerton, CA · Public
B
86.74%
Accept
$7K
Tuition
$63K
Salary
#22
Utah Valley University
Orem, UT · Public
C
$6K
Tuition
$55K
Salary
#23
University of North Florida
Jacksonville, FL · Public
C+
62.27%
Accept
$6K
Tuition
$56K
Salary
#24
California State University-Fresno
Fresno, CA · Public
B-
96.38%
Accept
$7K
Tuition
$61K
Salary
#25
Georgia Institute of Technology-Main Campus
Atlanta, GA · Public
B+
16.46%
Accept
$12K
Tuition
$103K
Salary
#26
California State University-Los Angeles
Los Angeles, CA · Public
B-
91.93%
Accept
$7K
Tuition
$59K
Salary
#27
CUNY Hunter College
New York, NY · Public
B+
54.05%
Accept
$7K
Tuition
$63K
Salary
#28
California State University-Sacramento
Sacramento, CA · Public
B-
93.62%
Accept
$8K
Tuition
$65K
Salary
#29
University of New Hampshire College of Professional Studies Online
Manchester, NH · Public
C
$8K
Tuition
$66K
Salary
#30
Nevada State University
Henderson, NV · Public
C
86.15%
Accept
$6K
Tuition
$53K
Salary
#31
University of Wyoming
Laramie, WY · Public
C
97.41%
Accept
$7K
Tuition
$57K
Salary
#32
California State University-San Marcos
San Marcos, CA · Public
C+
95.7%
Accept
$8K
Tuition
$63K
Salary
#33
California State University-Dominguez Hills
Carson, CA · Public
B-
91.32%
Accept
$7K
Tuition
$57K
Salary
#34
California State University-Chico
Chico, CA · Public
C
93.72%
Accept
$8K
Tuition
$64K
Salary
#35
University of North Carolina at Charlotte
Charlotte, NC · Public
C
80.21%
Accept
$7K
Tuition
$57K
Salary
#36
San Diego State University
San Diego, CA · Public
C+
34.44%
Accept
$8K
Tuition
$65K
Salary
#37
California State University-San Bernardino
San Bernardino, CA · Public
B-
98.25%
Accept
$8K
Tuition
$60K
Salary
#38
Columbus State University
Columbus, GA · Public
C
99.24%
Accept
$6K
Tuition
$45K
Salary
#39
North Carolina State University at Raleigh
Raleigh, NC · Public
C+
39.85%
Accept
$9K
Tuition
$69K
Salary
#40
University of Arkansas Grantham
Little Rock, AR · Public
C
$8K
Tuition
$63K
Salary
#41
California State University-Bakersfield
Bakersfield, CA · Public
B-
88.19%
Accept
$8K
Tuition
$59K
Salary
#42
Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University
Tallahassee, FL · Public
C
21.12%
Accept
$6K
Tuition
$44K
Salary
#43
University of Houston-Clear Lake
Houston, TX · Public
C
75.3%
Accept
$8K
Tuition
$59K
Salary
#44
Miami University-Hamilton
Hamilton, OH · Public
C
$7K
Tuition
$55K
Salary
#45
Charter Oak State College
New Britain, CT · Public
C
$9K
Tuition
$64K
Salary
#46
CUNY John Jay College of Criminal Justice
New York, NY · Public
B
57.22%
Accept
$7K
Tuition
$56K
Salary
#47
University of North Carolina Wilmington
Wilmington, NC · Public
C
74.01%
Accept
$7K
Tuition
$55K
Salary
#48
East Carolina University
Greenville, NC · Public
C
90.06%
Accept
$7K
Tuition
$55K
Salary
#49
University of Utah
Salt Lake City, UT · Public
C
87.17%
Accept
$9K
Tuition
$67K
Salary
#50
University of the District of Columbia
Washington, DC · Public
C
$6K
Tuition
$44K
Salary
Methodology: Rankings are generated from verified data provided by the US Department of Education College Scorecard and IPEDS. We use real outcome data — not surveys. Each university is scored based on the specific criteria for this ranking category. Last updated: March 2026.
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