Here, we introduce the 2025 Top 50 Public Schools and compare them with admission and tuition information. University of California-Berkeley ranks first in Top 50 Public Schools ranking and University of California-Los Angeles is placed in second. (Ranking data from College Evaluator)
Academic Comparison Between Top 50 Public Schools
The average SAT score of the schools is 1,383 where Georgia Institute of Technology-Main Campus has the highest SAT score of 1,480. Total 1,065,596 students are attending the Top 50 Public Schools where Texas A & M University-College Station is the largest with 76,633 students and SUNY Maritime College is the smallest with 1,350 students.
The average graduation rate is 83.87% and the average students to faculty ratio is 16.80:1 at those colleges.
The following table compares the key academic facts between the Top 50 Public Schools with acceptance rate, SAT scores, graduation rates, student population, and students to faculty ratio.
| Rank | Name | Acceptance Rate | SAT Score | Graduation Rate | Population | Student-Faculty Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | University of California-Berkeley Berkeley, CA | 10.98% | - | 93% | 45,699 | 18:1 |
| 2 | University of California-Los Angeles Los Angeles, CA | 8.97% | - | 93% | 46,678 | 18:1 |
| 3 | University of Michigan-Ann Arbor Ann Arbor, MI | 15.64% | 1,460 | 93% | 52,065 | 11:1 |
| 4 | Georgia Institute of Technology-Main Campus Atlanta, GA | 14.07% | 1,480 | 94% | 47,946 | 18:1 |
| 5 | University of Virginia-Main Campus Charlottesville, VA | 16.81% | 1,480 | 96% | 25,924 | 15:1 |
| 6 | The University of Texas at Austin Austin, TX | 26.64% | 1,390 | 89% | 53,082 | 18:1 |
| 7 | University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Chapel Hill, NC | 15.34% | 1,480 | 91% | 32,234 | 15:1 |
| 8 | University of Florida Gainesville, FL | 24.20% | 1,400 | 91% | 54,814 | 16:1 |
| 9 | University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Champaign, IL | 42.37% | 1,440 | 85% | 56,563 | 20:1 |
| 10 | University of Wisconsin-Madison Madison, WI | 45.20% | 1,460 | 90% | 49,605 | 18:1 |
| 11 | William & Mary Williamsburg, VA | 34.07% | 1,470 | 89% | 9,762 | 13:1 |
| 12 | Rutgers University-New Brunswick New Brunswick, NJ | 58.15% | 1,410 | 84% | 50,617 | 15:1 |
| 13 | University of Maryland-College Park College Park, MD | 44.79% | 1,465 | 89% | 40,813 | 18:1 |
| 14 | University of California-San Diego La Jolla, CA | 26.71% | - | 86% | 42,376 | 19:1 |
| 15 | Colorado School of Mines Golden, CO | 60.69% | 1,400 | 82% | 7,599 | 17:1 |
| 16 | Massachusetts Maritime Academy Buzzards Bay, MA | 94.70% | - | 74% | 1,362 | 12:1 |
| 17 | Purdue University-Main Campus West Lafayette, IN | 49.87% | 1,350 | 83% | 52,905 | 14:1 |
| 18 | Missouri University of Science and Technology Rolla, MO | 72.55% | 1,300 | 64% | 7,156 | 19:1 |
| 19 | University of California-Santa Barbara Santa Barbara, CA | 32.97% | - | 83% | 26,068 | 17:1 |
| 20 | University of Washington-Bothell Campus Bothell, WA | 90.60% | - | 65% | 5,809 | 21:1 |
| 21 | University of Washington-Seattle Campus Seattle, WA | 39.15% | - | 85% | 55,620 | 20:1 |
| 22 | Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University Blacksburg, VA | 54.78% | 1,360 | 86% | 38,294 | 17:1 |
| 23 | Texas A & M University-College Station College Station, TX | 57.43% | 1,270 | 84% | 76,633 | 19:1 |
| 24 | SUNY Maritime College Throggs Neck, NY | 72.41% | 1,200 | 64% | 1,350 | 14:1 |
| 25 | North Carolina State University at Raleigh Raleigh, NC | 41.74% | 1,370 | 85% | 37,323 | 15:1 |
| 26 | University of Connecticut Storrs, CT | 52.39% | 1,340 | 83% | 27,364 | 16:1 |
| 27 | California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo San Luis Obispo, CA | 31.32% | - | 86% | 22,485 | 18:1 |
| 28 | University of Illinois Chicago Chicago, IL | 77.35% | 1,240 | 62% | 33,522 | 17:1 |
| 29 | University of California-Davis Davis, CA | 41.83% | - | 86% | 39,707 | 21:1 |
| 30 | University of Delaware Newark, DE | 70.60% | 1,280 | 81% | 24,221 | 15:1 |
| Average | 44.14% | 1,383 | 83.87% | 1,065,596 (Total) | 16.80:1 |
Top 50 Public Schools 2025 Tuition Comparison and 2026 Estimated Costs
The following table lists and compares 2024-2025 tuition & fees between Top 50 Public Schools. The 2024-2025 costs are officially published by NCES, National Center for Education Statistics.
The estimated costs for the academic year 2025-2026 are estimated based on each school's rate of tuition change from 2024 to 2025.
For the undergraduate programs, the average tuition & fees of Top 50 Public Schools is $40,669 where University of Michigan-Ann Arbor has the most expensive costs at $63,081 and SUNY Maritime College has the lowest amount of tuition at $19,159.
The average graduate tuition & fees of Top 50 Public Schools is $31,858 where University of Michigan-Ann Arbor has the highest tuition with $57,776 and Massachusetts Maritime Academy has the lowest amount of graduate school tuition with $19,984.
| Rank | School Name | 2025 Tuition & Fees | 2026 Estimated Tuition & Fees | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| In-State | Out-of-State | In-State | Out-of-State | ||
| 1 | University of California-Berkeley | $15,377 | $47,265 | $15,923 | $48,962 |
| 2 | University of California-Los Angeles | $14,233 | $46,121 | $14,736 | $47,775 |
| 3 | University of Michigan-Ann Arbor | $18,848 | $63,081 | $19,403 | $66,202 |
| 4 | Georgia Institute of Technology-Main Campus | $12,058 | $34,484 | $12,359 | $36,171 |
| 5 | University of Virginia-Main Campus | $23,118 | $61,591 | $23,941 | $63,613 |
| 6 | The University of Texas at Austin | $11,688 | $44,908 | $11,698 | $47,144 |
| 7 | University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill | $8,994 | $41,203 | $8,999 | $43,165 |
| 8 | University of Florida | $6,381 | $28,659 | $6,381 | $28,659 |
| 9 | University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign | $18,267 | $40,096 | $18,476 | $41,021 |
| 10 | University of Wisconsin-Madison | $11,603 | $42,103 | $12,015 | $43,658 |
| 11 | William & Mary | $25,734 | $51,038 | $26,446 | $52,718 |
| 12 | Rutgers University-New Brunswick | $17,929 | $37,441 | $18,647 | $38,939 |
| 13 | University of Maryland-College Park | $11,809 | $41,186 | $12,121 | $42,085 |
| 14 | University of California-San Diego | $15,788 | $47,676 | $16,329 | $49,368 |
| 15 | Colorado School of Mines | $21,914 | $45,824 | $22,667 | $47,319 |
| 16 | Massachusetts Maritime Academy | $11,420 | $23,722 | $12,058 | $23,535 |
| 17 | Purdue University-Main Campus | $9,992 | $28,794 | $9,992 | $28,794 |
| 18 | Missouri University of Science and Technology | $14,984 | $33,248 | $15,725 | $34,896 |
| 19 | University of California-Santa Barbara | $15,444 | $47,332 | $15,938 | $48,977 |
| 20 | University of Washington-Bothell Campus | $12,919 | $43,155 | $13,289 | $44,434 |
| 21 | University of Washington-Seattle Campus | $12,973 | $43,209 | $13,312 | $44,456 |
| 22 | Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University | $15,948 | $37,764 | $16,432 | $38,865 |
| 23 | Texas A & M University-College Station | $12,995 | $40,124 | $13,151 | $39,921 |
| 24 | SUNY Maritime College | $8,589 | $19,159 | $8,638 | $19,895 |
| 25 | North Carolina State University at Raleigh | $8,799 | $32,847 | $8,704 | $33,964 |
| 26 | University of Connecticut | $21,044 | $43,712 | $21,745 | $44,401 |
| 27 | California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo | $12,161 | $33,230 | $13,353 | $35,626 |
| 28 | University of Illinois Chicago | $15,949 | $32,009 | $16,083 | $32,521 |
| 29 | University of California-Davis | $15,804 | $47,692 | $16,381 | $49,420 |
| 30 | University of Delaware | $16,810 | $41,400 | $17,573 | $43,151 |
| Average | $14,652 | $40,669 | $15,084 | $41,989 | |
| Rank | School Name | 2025 Tuition & Fees | 2026 Estimated Tuition & Fees | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| In-State | Out-of-State | In-State | Out-of-State | ||
| 1 | University of California-Berkeley | $15,866 | $30,968 | $15,866 | $16,495 |
| 2 | University of California-Los Angeles | $14,476 | $29,578 | $14,476 | $15,094 |
| 3 | University of Michigan-Ann Arbor | $28,886 | $57,776 | $28,886 | $30,315 |
| 4 | Georgia Institute of Technology-Main Campus | $15,962 | $32,144 | $15,962 | $16,364 |
| 5 | University of Virginia-Main Campus | $23,526 | $37,628 | $23,526 | $24,477 |
| 6 | The University of Texas at Austin | $12,006 | $22,954 | $12,006 | $12,000 |
| 7 | University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill | $12,751 | $31,408 | $12,751 | $12,979 |
| 8 | University of Florida | $12,737 | $30,130 | $12,737 | $12,737 |
| 9 | University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign | $19,278 | $34,406 | $19,278 | $19,729 |
| 10 | University of Wisconsin-Madison | $12,325 | $25,651 | $12,325 | $12,361 |
| 11 | William & Mary | $17,666 | $36,684 | $17,666 | $17,913 |
| 12 | Rutgers University-New Brunswick | $23,241 | $37,689 | $23,241 | $24,170 |
| 13 | University of Maryland-College Park | $18,276 | $38,207 | $18,276 | $18,720 |
| 14 | University of California-San Diego | $15,097 | $30,199 | $15,097 | $15,681 |
| 15 | Colorado School of Mines | $22,100 | $45,824 | $22,100 | $22,872 |
| 16 | Massachusetts Maritime Academy | $19,984 | $19,984 | $19,984 | $19,984 |
| 17 | Purdue University-Main Campus | $9,992 | $28,794 | $9,992 | $9,992 |
| 18 | Missouri University of Science and Technology | $14,944 | $26,056 | $14,944 | $15,425 |
| 19 | University of California-Santa Barbara | $15,124 | $30,226 | $15,124 | $15,826 |
| 20 | University of Washington-Bothell Campus | $18,738 | $32,757 | $18,738 | $18,929 |
| 21 | University of Washington-Seattle Campus | $18,792 | $32,811 | $18,792 | $18,952 |
| 22 | Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University | $18,564 | $35,092 | $18,564 | $19,132 |
| 23 | Texas A & M University-College Station | $11,748 | $24,505 | $11,748 | $12,442 |
| 24 | SUNY Maritime College | $11,871 | $24,561 | $11,871 | $11,920 |
| 25 | North Carolina State University at Raleigh | $12,101 | $32,874 | $12,101 | $12,390 |
| 26 | University of Connecticut | $22,872 | $44,784 | $22,872 | $23,571 |
| 27 | California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo | $13,685 | $23,765 | $13,685 | $14,972 |
| 28 | University of Illinois Chicago | $17,550 | $27,748 | $17,550 | $17,837 |
| 29 | University of California-Davis | $15,141 | $30,243 | $15,141 | $15,745 |
| 30 | University of Delaware | $20,304 | $20,304 | $20,304 | $21,091 |
| Average | $16,853 | $31,858 | $17,337 | $32,592 | |
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