Understanding Public Colleges and Universities
Nearly 3 out of every 4 college enrolled students attend a public college or university. Therefore, you are most likely to end up at a public university. They’re often, but not always, the least expensive college option.
What is a public university?
A public university is funded by the USA government. A private university is not.
“Government” can mean state government, such as Evergreen State College and University of Washington in my home state, which receive their funding from the state of Washington. State governments own and operate the majority of public schools.
Funding can also come from the USA federal government (e.g. military academies), or an extension of US territories (e.g. the University of Guam), or a school can be “public” in that the school is federally chartered (e.g. Georgetown University, Gallaudet University, Howard University in Washington DC are chartered by Congress).
What are the various types of public universities?
Flagship. The best-known public institutions. These are generally the largest single campuses in a state, the most well funded, the oldest, etc… Examples: University of Florida (vs Florida State), University of Michigan (vs Michigan State), Here’s a helpful list of flagship schools.
Systems. A group of universities usually with a single legal entity and administration, but multiple separate campuses. Some states, such as California and Texas, support multiple systems. Examples: University of California system (UC Berkeley, UC Santa Cruz, UCLA, etc…) and California State University system (Cal State Chico, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, San Diego State University, etc…).
Agricultural, Mechanical, Technical. The Morill Acts of 1862 and 1890 granted federal land to states for the use of establishing public universities focused on agriculture, science, military science, and more. This list includes my alma mater Louisiana State University and Purdue University.
Liberal Arts. Yes, there are public liberal arts colleges.
Military Academies. Fantastic schools such as the United States Naval Academy and West Point.
Community Colleges. Undergraduate programs generally focused on associate degrees (two-year degree). Many of these schools offer very low (in some cases, free) tuition and provide transfer opportunities to 4-year degree public institutions.
What are common characteristics of public colleges and universities?
Common characteristics of public colleges and universities: lower cost (typically), larger size, offer more degree options, offer more opportunities to get involved (clubs, organisations, intramural sports, etc…).
Lower cost. Public schools are funded (subsidised) by the government, and therefore tend to (but not always) offer more affordable options for higher education, particularly for students located in the same state as the institution (again, there are exceptions). If price is the primary concern in your college search, an in-state public school is usually your best option.
Size. Public schools tend to be larger than private schools. In many ways this reflects the government’s investment in higher education as a public good. For example, in 1960, the University of California was charged by the California Master Plan for Higher Education with educating the top 12.5 percent of California high school graduates, and has grown by at least double over the past 30 years.
More degree options. Public schools, because of their size and government funding, tend to offer more and varied programs of study, like the nautical biology program offered at Texas A&M, which is landlocked!
More student clubs and societies. Again, because of their size and resources, public schools tend to offer more.
Popularity. The majority of college students attend a public college or university.
Government guidelines and the student experience. Public schools, because they are essentially extensions of the government, must meet slightly different requirements than private schools, which are separate, non-governmental entities. An example of this would be a school’s religious affiliation. It’s pretty common for private schools to be affiliated with religion, and to offer student experiences around this affiliation. This is obviously not possible in public schools due to separation of Church and State.
Tell me something I didn’t know
The oldest public universities in the USA are the University of Georgia, founded in 1785, and UNC Chapel Hill, founded in 1789. Rutgers University, founded in 1789, and The College of William & Mary, founded in 1693, were originally private and became public in the 20th century. [ref]
Every state has at least one public university, but New York has 53!
In 2022, community college enrollment saw growth, bucking the overall trend of less young people enrolling in college. The enrollment growth was driven by younger students, with dual enrolled high school students under the age of 18 accounting for an 8.0 percent increase (+49,000 students), and 18- to 24-year-olds accounting for a 1.1 percent increase (+24,000 students). [ref]
More than 4 in 10 students at public universities complete their degree with $0 debt; more than 8 in 10 complete with less than $30,000 in debt. [ref]
