As you think about college and what that experience might look like for you, does your vision include big, beautiful, ivy-covered buildings? Do you see yourself bundled up to survive those East coast winters, studying in hundred-year-old libraries, and being a proud member of one of the eight schools that make up the Ivy League?
Sounds like an amazing college experience!
Does your vision also include steep tuition costs and acceptance rates in the single digits? We’re guessing it doesn’t, and that’s great, too! You can still have an Ivy League experience without the Ivy League costs … we give you the Public Ivy League Schools!
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(click to skip ahead)What is a public ivy?
Before we explain what a Public Ivy is, we should probably explain what a Private Ivy is.
The Ivy League is a collection of eight private universities (which means they are not funded by the government), all of them in the Northeastern United States, and some of the most selective colleges and universities in the country. These schools—Brown, Columbia, Cornell, Dartmouth, Harvard, UPenn, Princeton, and Yale—are known for their academic excellence, the wide range of opportunities they offer students for academic specialization, and a campus culture that encourages students to participate in the school community outside of the classroom.
They are also known for very low acceptance rates (they are often referred to as “highly-rejective” schools)), very expensive tuition, and the geographic limitations they pose.
Public Ivies, on the other hand, are located all over the United States, tend to cost less, and still offer an educational experience on par with the Private Ivies. The schools identified as Public Ivy schools are still academically rigorous, still have high standards for acceptance, still offer the chance for students to specialize their education, and still offer a campus culture similar to that of Private Ivies.
The main difference between Public Ivies and Private Ivies is that Public Ivies are funded by the government, which often means lower costs and a much higher acceptance rate. There are some other key differences we’ll fill you in on, but the important thing to remember is that Public Ivies can offer an amazing alternative to Private Ivies and we hope you’ll consider them!
What are the public ivy league schools?
The term “Public Ivy” first popped up in 1985 in a book called The Public Ivies: A Guide to America’s Best Public Undergraduate Colleges and Universities. At the time, eight schools were included on this list:
U of Vermont
The ENTIRE University of California system (UCLA, UC Berkeley, UC Irvine, UC Santa Barbara, UC San Diego, UC Davis, UC Riverside, UC Santa Cruz)
But this list has grown, and you have so many more options now if you are interested in a Public Ivy school! In 2001, an expanded list of Public Ivy schools was published in The Public Ivies: America’s Flagship Public Universities. Here is the full list, arranged by geographical region:
Midwest Public Ivies
Indiana University Bloomington (IN)
Miami University (OH)
Michigan State University (MI)
Ohio State University (OH)
U of Iowa (IA)
U of Michigan (MI)
U of Minnesota (MN)
Mid-Atlantic Public Ivies
College of William and Mary (VA)
U of Delaware (DE)
U of Maryland (MD)
U of Virginia (VA)
Northeast Public Ivies
Binghamton University (NY)
Pennsylvania State at University Park (PA)
Rutgers University – New Brunswick (NJ)
U of Connecticut (CT)
South Public Ivies
UNC Chapel Hill (NC)
U of Florida (FL)
U of Georgia (GA)
U of Texas at Austin (TX)
West Public Ivies
University of California system (CA)
The University of Arizona (AZ)
U of Washington (WA)
As you can see, Public Ivies are located all over the U.S.!
If sunny California is more your speed, look no further than the UCs! If the Midwest feel of Michigan is right up your alley, the Public Ivies have got you! If you know deep down in your heart that you belong deep in the heart of Texas, go for it! So many options!
Major differences between Public Ivies and Ivy League schools
Cost
Let’s face it … in an ideal world, cost would have no bearing on where you go to college. But the reality is that tuition rates are an important consideration for many students and their families. And this where Public Ivies have the advantage over Private Ivies (especially for in-state students).
For the 2022-2023 school year for example, in-state tuition for Public Ivy schools ranged from just over $22,000/year to about $43,000/year. When compared to the $70,000-$80,000/year tuition at Private Ivies, the Public Ivies look really attractive, right? Especially because you can get the same caliber of education at Public Ivies.
Having said that, out-of-state tuition at some Public Ivies can reach Private Ivy levels. For example, out-of-state tuition at some University of California schools can run you close to $70,000/year. This is pretty steep. But this also isn’t the case across the board, and out-of-state tuition for many Public Ivy schools is still significantly less than the cost of attending an Ivy League school.
Financial aid
Because Public Ivies depend on state funding (as opposed to the private endowments that Private Ivies enjoy), Public Ivies tend to offer less financial aid, and the total amount of financial aid the Public Ivies can offer sometimes fluctuates from year to year.
Again, being an in-state student applying to a Public Ivy school gives you an advantage here since much of the financial aid is set aside for in-state students. That’s not to say that you shouldn’t apply to a Public Ivy that is not in your state since there are some other ways to get financial help (check out our guide to paying for college), but we think it’s good for you to know that Public Ivies focus much of their financial aid on applicants who live in their state.
Reputation
“Reputation” is kind of a weird thing when it comes to colleges and universities since this can mean different things to different people. For example, while it is true that Ivy League schools enjoy stellar reputations for the academic experience they offer students, it’s a little hard to quantify a school’s reputation based on this because “academic experience” is a pretty broad idea.
When it comes to Public Ivy schools and their reputations, perhaps the thing to consider is that these schools have a range of things for which they have good reputations. Some of the Public Ivies are considered academically rigorous across the board, while others are known for specific areas of study. Some Public Ivies enjoy prestige because of their faculty while others rank up there for the breadth of academic opportunities they offer their students.
Our advice is to not get too caught up in a school’s “reputation.” Public Ivies are on the list because they can offer an education comparable to that found at Private Ivies, so the important things to consider are what specific Public Ivy schools can offer you and what is important to you as part of your college education. As with any school you’re considering, we encourage you to do your research, talk to current students if you can, and be clear from the start what your priorities and values are (here's our step-by-step guide to choosing a college).
Selectivity
The selectivity of a school often goes hand-in-hand with its reputation, and the competitiveness of Public Ivies can vary.
Some University of California schools, for example, accept around 10% of their undergraduate applicants, while other Public Ivies like the University of Delaware accept upwards of 60% of its applicants.
There are a number of factors that impact how selective Public Ivies are. Many Public Ivy schools must accept a certain percent of in-state applicants, which makes things a little tougher for out-of-state applicants.
A lot also depends on how many students apply to a Public Ivy in any given year. Typically, the larger the applicant pool, the lower the acceptance rate. And as more and more students discover the benefits of Public Ivies, more and more students are also applying to these excellent schools.
That said, Public Ivies typically still have higher acceptance rates than Private Ivies, which often hover under 10% or lower (hi, Harvard).
Size and location
Public Ivies tend to have a higher number of students than Private Ivies, so if having smaller class sizes and enjoying a more intimate environment on campus is important to you, this is definitely something to consider.
Since Public Ivies typically admit a greater number of students, they also have larger student populations. This often means more people in each class, a higher student to teacher ratio, and the bustle that comes with a busier campus. And maybe this sounds perfect to you! A larger number of students doesn’t mean a diminished educational experience … it just means a different educational experience.
Another important factor to consider is the physical location of where you want to go to school. Private Ivy schools are all on the East coast, so you don’t have a lot of geographical options if you’re thinking about one of these eight schools.
But Public Ivies give you a lot of options since they are all over the United States. Again, in-state applicants do have a slight edge, but Public Ivies also accept many out-of-state applicants, and they give you geographical choices that Private Ivies do not.
Best public ivy schools
“Best” is really in the eye of the beholder, so we encourage you to think about “best fit” instead of just “best.” There are five schools, all from the original list, that consistently enjoy high rankings as academically rigorous schools:
UC Berkeley
UCLA
U of Michigan
UNC at Chapel Hill
and U of Virginia.
UCLA and UC Berkeley are currently the most selective in terms of the percent of applicants they accept (at 11% and 17% respectively, these numbers get close to the acceptance rates of Ivy League schools).
But remember, it’s important to think about what your values and priorities are when it comes to your college experience. Tuition, location, and chances to gear your courses toward your own interests are all things that make a college the “best” one for you.
There are also other types of “Ivies” that might pique your interest! Amazing, right? Who knew there were so many options?
If what you want is a strong liberal arts education at a small, East coast school, the Little Ivies might be just what you’re looking for. These schools have high admission standards, enjoy the coziness that comes with a smaller student body, and they focus just on undergraduate programs. Some of the Little Ivies include prestigious schools like Amherst College, Haverford College, Middlebury College, and Vassar College.
Additionally, there are schools called Hidden Ivies, which also focus on liberal arts programs. There are 63 selective schools on this list located across the United States. Some are big universities, some are small schools, and all offer students incredible opportunities for a liberal arts education. Boston College, Duke University, Pomona College, and Tulane University are just some of these “hidden” gems.
If you are looking for the experience offered by historically Black colleges and universities, there are also the Black Ivies to consider. The schools on this list are exceptional HBCUs and offer their students a college education on par with the Ivy League schools. Academically-rigorous, often selective, and focused on the overall college experience they can provide their students, Dillard University, Fisk University, Hampton University, Howard University, Morehouse College, Spelman College, and Tuskegee University are excellent options for an Ivy League experience without the Ivy League cost.
Should you apply to a public ivy?
Your priorities and values should help guide your decision about this: How big of a school do you want to attend? How much can your family afford to spend on tuition? Where in the United States do you want to spend the next few years of your life? All important factors to consider!
We think there are many pros to attending a Public Ivy:
you can get an Ivy League-level education without Ivy League tuition costs
your odds of acceptance are typically higher than at a Private Ivy
and you aren’t limited to attending school on the East Coast.
Are there some cons to attending a Public Ivy? There can be, especially for out-of-state applicants:
tuition will be higher for you if you apply as an out-of-state student
and you could have a tougher time getting accepted since Public Ivies reserve a percentage of their spots for in-state students.
But we think Public Ivy schools are an amazing (and often overlooked) alternative to Ivy League schools. If you dream of an Ivy League college experience but it’s not in the cards for whatever reason, the Public Ivies could be exactly what you’re looking for.
Special thanks to Jessica B. for writing this blog post.
Jessica has a Ph.D in English from the University of Southern California and teaches English at a Los Angeles-area independent school, where she has also been English department chair and a class dean. Sandra Cisneros is her hero, and she loves books, her awesomely-sarcastic family, the beach, cozy sweaters, and more books. Oh, and her sweet pitbull/lab mix named Ruby.
Top values: Curiosity, equity, wonder
