Best Colleges 2023

Best Public Colleges

These nationally competitive public colleges provide an excellent value for in-state students. All score in the top third of our 2023-2024 rating.
Stars
College Name
Acceptance Rate
Est. Full Price 2023-24
Est. Price with Average Grant
Graduation Rate

Binghamton University

Vestal, NY

44% $30,900 $19,200 81%

California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo

San Luis Obispo, CA

33% $31,100 $22,200 83%

California State Polytechnic University, Pomona

Pomona, CA

61% $29,500 $13,900 76%

California State University Maritime Academy

Vallejo, CA

82% $28,600 $18,100 68%

California State University, Bakersfield

Bakersfield, CA

85% $26,100 $7,900 55%

California State University, Channel Islands

Camarillo, CA

93% $29,200 $15,500 70%

California State University, Chico

Chico, CA

85% $27,400 $14,700 74%

California State University, Dominguez Hills

Carson, CA

90% $27,200 $4,800 63%

California State University, East Bay

Hayward, CA

82% $27,900 $13,500 68%

California State University, Fresno

Fresno, CA

97% $23,400 $6,800 67%
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California State University, Fullerton

Fullerton, CA

59% $29,400 $5,300 76%

California State University, Long Beach

Long Beach, CA

47% $26,200 $9,800 81%

California State University, Los Angeles

Los Angeles, CA

91% $29,300 $2,900 65%

California State University, Monterey Bay

Seaside, CA

93% $22,500 $6,500 72%

California State University, Northridge

Northridge, CA

88% $24,300 $9,300 66%

California State University, Sacramento

Sacramento, CA

94% $29,400 $8,300 68%

California State University, San Bernardino

San Bernardino, CA

91% $26,000 $3,500 67%

California State University, San Marcos

San Marcos, CA

93% $25,800 $15,300 63%

California State University, Stanislaus

Turlock, CA

95% $24,700 $7,800 70%

Citadel Military College of South Carolina

Charleston, SC

86% $32,200 $20,900 75%
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Colorado School of Mines

Golden, CO

57% $40,000 $28,100 81%

CUNY Bernard M. Baruch College

New York, NY

51% $35,700 $4,100 71%

CUNY Hunter College

New York, NY

46% $26,100 $4,900 57%

CUNY John Jay College of Criminal Justice

New York, NY

45% $33,300 $5,400 58%

CUNY Lehman College

Bronx, NY

58% $32,500 $3,500 61%

Florida International University

Miami, FL

64% $25,100 $10,100 68%

Florida State University

Tallahassee, FL

37% $24,600 $13,600 83%

George Mason University

Fairfax, VA

91% $32,100 $20,200 74%

Georgia Institute of Technology

Atlanta, GA

16% $31,200 $18,600 89%

Illinois State University

Normal, IL

92% $33,700 $22,500 72%
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Indiana University-Bloomington

Bloomington, IN

85% $28,600 $14,300 78%

Iowa State University

Ames, IA

91% $23,200 $16,500 72%

James Madison University

Harrisonburg, VA

86% $30,700 $19,900 84%

Maine Maritime Academy

Castine, ME

58% $30,700 $23,000 71%

Massachusetts Maritime Academy

Buzzards Bay, MA

90% $31,300 $20,800 79%

Michigan State University

East Lansing, MI

83% $31,200 $9,400 80%

Michigan Technological University

Houghton, MI

86% $33,800 $19,100 70%

Missouri University of Science and Technology

Rolla, MO

85% $26,100 $14,600 69%

New Jersey Institute of Technology

Newark, NJ

69% $41,200 $18,100 82%

North Carolina State University at Raleigh

Raleigh, NC

47% $26,200 $15,400 81%

Ohio State University

Columbus, OH

57% $30,400 $20,900 81%

Oklahoma State University

Stillwater, OK

68% $26,000 $15,700 67%

Purdue University

West Lafayette, IN

69% $23,900 $15,700 79%

Rutgers University-New Brunswick

New Brunswick, NJ

68% $35,800 $12,700 81%

San Diego State University

San Diego, CA

38% $33,000 $7,400 79%

San Francisco State University

San Francisco, CA

93% $28,800 $14,600 67%

San Jose State University

San Jose, CA

84% $30,800 $15,700 71%

Sonoma State University

Rohnert Park, CA

94% $28,000 $7,600 69%

Stony Brook University

Stony Brook, NY

48% $30,700 $17,600 75%

SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry

Syracuse, NY

65% $30,800 $23,800 73%

SUNY Maritime College

Throggs Neck, NY

74% $29,400 $21,200 74%

SUNY Oneonta

Oneonta, NY

70% $28,100 $18,900 75%

SUNY Polytechnic Institute

Utica, NY

77% $26,600 $11,000 67%

Texas A & M International University

Laredo, TX

54% $24,100 $5,500 53%

Texas A & M University-College Station

College Station, TX

64% $33,200 $23,900 83%

The College of New Jersey

Ewing, NJ

62% $37,600 $14,200 85%

The University of Texas at Austin

Austin, TX

29% $31,200 $17,800 82%

The University of Texas Permian Basin

Odessa, TX

65% $26,900 $10,100 51%

Towson University

Towson, MD

88% $29,500 $11,900 73%

Truman State University

Kirksville, MO

61% $23,900 $12,300 74%

University of California, Berkeley

Berkeley, CA

14% $43,500 $18,900 93%

University of California, Davis

Davis, CA

49% $39,400 $17,800 88%

University of California, Irvine

Irvine, CA

29% $38,000 $12,500 86%

University of California, Los Angeles

Los Angeles, CA

11% $38,000 $14,400 92%

University of California, Merced

Merced, CA

87% $40,100 $12,400 71%

University of California, Riverside

Riverside, CA

65% $38,200 $14,500 79%

University of California, San Diego

La Jolla, CA

34% $37,900 $16,800 88%

University of California, Santa Barbara

Santa Barbara, CA

29% $39,500 $18,600 85%

University of Central Florida

Orlando, FL

36% $25,200 $12,400 74%

University of Connecticut

Storrs, CT

56% $37,500 $23,800 83%

University of Delaware

Newark, DE

72% $33,100 $20,500 78%

University of Florida

Gainesville, FL

30% $22,500 $10,500 87%

University of Georgia

Athens, GA

40% $29,300 $18,100 85%

University of Illinois Chicago

Chicago, IL

79% $32,700 $11,500 67%

University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

Champaign, IL

60% $33,200 $15,300 86%

University of Iowa

Iowa City, IA

86% $27,600 $18,900 72%

University of Maryland-Baltimore County

Baltimore, MD

81% $31,100 $7,400 71%

University of Maryland-College Park

College Park, MD

52% $29,400 $18,400 82%

University of Massachusetts-Amherst

Amherst, MA

66% $34,000 $18,500 80%

University of Michigan

Ann Arbor, MI

20% $33,800 $20,600 93%

University of Minnesota-Twin Cities

Minneapolis, MN

73% $30,800 $18,700 81%

University of Missouri-Columbia

Columbia, MO

77% $30,000 $19,600 71%

University of New Hampshire

Durham, NH

87% $36,700 $24,000 74%

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Chapel Hill, NC

20% $26,000 $12,300 90%

University of North Texas at Dallas

Dallas, TX

90% $25,300 $7,000 52%

University of Northern Iowa

Cedar Falls, IA

86% $22,400 $16,300 68%

University of South Florida

Tampa, FL

49% $25,300 $12,200 73%

University of Utah

Salt Lake City, UT

95% $25,400 $13,900 63%

University of Virginia

Charlottesville, VA

21% $38,100 $21,900 94%

University of Washington-Seattle Campus

Seattle, WA

53% $32,100 $9,300 84%

University of Wisconsin-La Crosse

La Crosse, WI

74% $19,000 $13,800 68%

University of Wisconsin-Madison

Madison, WI

60% $28,700 $14,500 87%

Virginia Military Institute

Lexington, VA

64% $34,800 $19,400 79%

Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University

Blacksburg, VA

56% $30,000 $21,600 85%

Washington State University

Pullman, WA

86% $30,100 $12,700 65%

Western Washington University

Bellingham, WA

96% $27,900 $12,200 72%

William & Mary

Williamsburg, VA

37% $42,600 $19,700 90%
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Published June 22, 2023. Sources: U.S. Department of Education, Peterson’s, Money/Witlytic calculations.
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