The largest public universities and community college systems in the US.

The 40 largest public colleges and universities

Public institutions ranked by total fall enrollment in Fall 2024, from federal IPEDS data. Each campus or reporting unit is counted separately — for example, Arizona State's in-person and online units. Search by name or state.

Largest public university systems

State university systems and multi-campus universities by total enrollment as each system reports it. Terms vary, so each figure shows its term; some systems publish only rounded totals.

Largest community college systems and districts

Statewide community college systems and large districts by enrollment. Systems count students differently — fall headcount, credit-only headcount or annual headcount — so the measure is shown for each and they aren't ranked against each other.

Selling to public colleges and universities

Public higher education buys through a mix of central procurement, departments with their own budgets and system-wide contracts. Knowing which applies to your product is half the battle.

• Systems negotiate, campuses choose. Many state systems hold master agreements that member campuses can use, but each campus usually decides whether to buy.
• Many budget owners. IT, facilities, student affairs, research, athletics and individual colleges often control their own spending.
• Consortia and cooperatives. Higher-ed purchasing consortia and cooperative contracts let institutions buy without a full solicitation.
• Watch the calendar. Most public institutions run on a July 1 fiscal year, and many purchases cluster around budget approval and the start of terms.

See our K-12 and higher education market page and cooperative purchasing guide.

Sources

• Federal IPEDS fall enrollment data via Data USA
• CollegeTuitionCompare, largest public colleges (IPEDS Fall 2024)
• Each system's official enrollment report, linked in the tables above

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