1
Arizona State University Campus Immersion Tempe, AZ · Public four-year
- Enrollment
- 79,818
- Incidents /1k
- 5.21
National ranking · federal reporting cohort 2024
The Largest Public Universities in the U.S.
The 50 institutions with the largest total enrollment in the federal Clery reporting cohort, limited to schools IPEDS classifies as public and four-year-or-above. This is not a list of the biggest physical campuses: reported enrollment includes online and distance learners, and a qualifying institution can retain College in its proper name.
- 79,818
- Largest enrollment
- 38,857
- #50 cutoff
- 802
- Public four-year institutions
- 23
- Enroll 50,000+
Arizona State University Campus Immersion is the largest public four-year U.S. institution in this Clery reporting cohort
According to U.S. Department of Education Clery enrollment filings and IPEDS public four-year classifications, Arizona State University Campus Immersion reports 79,818 students, first among the 50 largest public four-year institutions listed here. The top 50 together enroll 2,552,354 students (27% of 9,467,006 in the scoped public four-year set). Counts include online learners and are not a campus-acreage ranking.
Data source U.S. Department of Education, OPE Campus Safety and Security Survey / IPEDS
- Largest enrollment
- 79,818
- #50 cutoff
- 38,857
- Public four-year institutions
- 802
- Top-50 share of scoped enrollment
- 27%
The public-sector concentration
The 50 largest public four-year institutions enroll 2,552,354 students, 27% of the 9,467,006 students in all 802 public four-year institutions reporting enrollment. Arizona State University Campus Immersion leads at 79,818, while the median institution in this same public four-year scope enrolls 6,821.
- 231,216
- students in the leading three
- 12/50
- top-50 institutions in TX
- 27%
- of scoped enrollment in the top 50
- 6,821
- median public four-year enrollment
Enrollment is the total each institution reports in the OPE Campus Safety and Security Survey, including online and distance students. IPEDS supplies the public/four-year classification. The count does not measure campus acreage, the number physically present on one campus, educational quality, or admission selectivity.
What counts as a public university here
The ranking uses two federal classifications together: public control and four-year-or-above level. Filtering only for public control would include two-year community-college systems and answer a broader question about public institutions. Filtering names for the word University would silently exclude qualifying four-year colleges, so the official institutional classification controls the scope instead.
Enrollment is the only ordering measure. The incident-rate column is context from the Clery Act reporting system, not part of the rank. A large online population can dilute a per-student on-campus rate because many enrolled students never attend the reporting campus, and reporting culture also varies. Do not read a lower number as a complete safety verdict.
The bar to make this top-50 public list is 38,857 students. Here is where that cutoff sits among all 802 public four-year institutions:
The bar to make this top-50 public list
Clery-reported enrollment · public four-year IPEDS cohort · 2024
38,857 Top 6% higher than 94% of 802 public four-year institutions
Show national distribution
Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more public four-year institutions. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source U.S. Department of Education, OPE Campus Safety and Security Survey / IPEDS · 2024
The 50 largest public four-year institutions
Ranked by total enrollment reported in the federal campus-safety disclosure. The #50 cutoff is 38,857; institutions missing enrollment are excluded rather than treated as zero.
2
Texas A&M University-College Station College Station, TX · Public four-year
- Enrollment
- 78,321
- Incidents /1k
- 12.28
3
Lone Star College System The Woodlands, TX · Public four-year
- Enrollment
- 73,077
- Incidents /1k
- 0.16
4
Dallas College Dallas, TX · Public four-year
- Enrollment
- 69,749
- Incidents /1k
- 0.60
5
University of Central Florida Orlando, FL · Public four-year
- Enrollment
- 69,713
- Incidents /1k
- 2.41
6
University of Maryland Global Campus Adelphi, MD · Public four-year
- Enrollment
- 63,012
- Incidents /1k
- 5.68
7
Ohio State University-Main Campus Columbus, OH · Public four-year
- Enrollment
- 61,443
- Incidents /1k
- 5.91
8
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Champaign, IL · Public four-year
- Enrollment
- 59,238
- Incidents /1k
- 4.19
9
Miami Dade College Miami, FL · Public four-year
- Enrollment
- 58,941
- Incidents /1k
- 0.34
10
Purdue University-Main Campus West Lafayette, IN · Public four-year
- Enrollment
- 58,658
- Incidents /1k
- 3.51
11
University of Washington-Seattle Campus Seattle, WA · Public four-year
- Enrollment
- 56,997
- Incidents /1k
- 5.51
12
University of Minnesota-Twin Cities Minneapolis, MN · Public four-year
- Enrollment
- 56,666
- Incidents /1k
- 3.46
13
University of Arizona Tucson, AZ · Public four-year
- Enrollment
- 56,365
- Incidents /1k
- 3.51
14
University of Florida Gainesville, FL · Public four-year
- Enrollment
- 56,311
- Incidents /1k
- 8.42
15
Florida International University Miami, FL · Public four-year
- Enrollment
- 54,723
- Incidents /1k
- 2.27
16
The University of Texas at Austin Austin, TX · Public four-year
- Enrollment
- 53,864
- Incidents /1k
- 1.95
17
Georgia Institute of Technology-Main Campus Atlanta, GA · Public four-year
- Enrollment
- 53,363
- Incidents /1k
- 2.85
18
Houston Community College Houston, TX · Public four-year
- Enrollment
- 53,253
- Incidents /1k
- 0.32
19
University of Michigan-Ann Arbor Ann Arbor, MI · Public four-year
- Enrollment
- 52,855
- Incidents /1k
- 3.75
20
Rutgers University-New Brunswick New Brunswick, NJ · Public four-year
- Enrollment
- 52,269
- Incidents /1k
- 2.24
21
Michigan State University East Lansing, MI · Public four-year
- Enrollment
- 52,089
- Incidents /1k
- 5.32
22
University of Wisconsin-Madison Madison, WI · Public four-year
- Enrollment
- 51,044
- Incidents /1k
- 3.80
23
Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus University Park, PA · Public four-year
- Enrollment
- 50,737
- Incidents /1k
- 4.22
24
University of South Florida Tampa, FL · Public four-year
- Enrollment
- 49,622
- Incidents /1k
- 4.63
25
Indiana University-Bloomington Bloomington, IN · Public four-year
- Enrollment
- 48,424
- Incidents /1k
- 6.53
26
University of Houston Houston, TX · Public four-year
- Enrollment
- 47,980
- Incidents /1k
- 5.54
27
Kennesaw State University Kennesaw, GA · Public four-year
- Enrollment
- 47,764
- Incidents /1k
- 1.61
28
Valencia College Orlando, FL · Public four-year
- Enrollment
- 47,425
- Incidents /1k
- 0.38
29
University of California-Los Angeles Los Angeles, CA · Public four-year
- Enrollment
- 47,335
- Incidents /1k
- 9.38
30
University of North Texas Denton, TX · Public four-year
- Enrollment
- 46,864
- Incidents /1k
- 3.61
31
Utah Valley University Orem, UT · Public four-year
- Enrollment
- 46,807
- Incidents /1k
- 0.77
32
University of California-Berkeley Berkeley, CA · Public four-year
- Enrollment
- 45,882
- Incidents /1k
- 14.19
33
University of Cincinnati-Main Campus Cincinnati, OH · Public four-year
- Enrollment
- 45,026
- Incidents /1k
- 3.73
34
The University of Texas at Arlington Arlington, TX · Public four-year
- Enrollment
- 44,956
- Incidents /1k
- 2.34
35
University of California-San Diego La Jolla, CA · Public four-year
- Enrollment
- 44,256
- Incidents /1k
- 13.49
36
Florida State University Tallahassee, FL · Public four-year
- Enrollment
- 43,889
- Incidents /1k
- 3.51
37
California State University-Fullerton Fullerton, CA · Public four-year
- Enrollment
- 43,662
- Incidents /1k
- 1.51
38
University of Georgia Athens, GA · Public four-year
- Enrollment
- 43,146
- Incidents /1k
- 2.04
39
California State University-Long Beach Long Beach, CA · Public four-year
- Enrollment
- 42,003
- Incidents /1k
- 1.17
40
University of Maryland-College Park College Park, MD · Public four-year
- Enrollment
- 41,725
- Incidents /1k
- 8.58
41
Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College Baton Rouge, LA · Public four-year
- Enrollment
- 41,705
- Incidents /1k
- 7.39
42
San Diego State University San Diego, CA · Public four-year
- Enrollment
- 41,137
- Incidents /1k
- 1.36
43
The University of Alabama Tuscaloosa, AL · Public four-year
- Enrollment
- 40,846
- Incidents /1k
- 2.91
44
Texas Tech University Lubbock, TX · Public four-year
- Enrollment
- 40,757
- Incidents /1k
- 3.66
45
Texas State University San Marcos, TX · Public four-year
- Enrollment
- 40,674
- Incidents /1k
- 7.30
46
University of California-Davis Davis, CA · Public four-year
- Enrollment
- 40,065
- Incidents /1k
- 15.52
47
George Mason University Fairfax, VA · Public four-year
- Enrollment
- 39,766
- Incidents /1k
- 3.12
48
Austin Community College District Austin, TX · Public four-year
- Enrollment
- 39,727
- Incidents /1k
- 4.05
49
Collin County Community College District Mckinney, TX · Public four-year
- Enrollment
- 39,548
- Incidents /1k
- 0.56
50
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University Blacksburg, VA · Public four-year
- Enrollment
- 38,857
- Incidents /1k
- 1.16
| # | Institution | Enrollment | Incidents /1k |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Arizona State University Campus Immersion Tempe, AZ · Public four-year | 79,818 100% of the leader · rank #1 | 5.21 |
| 2 | Texas A&M University-College Station College Station, TX · Public four-year | 78,321 98% of the leader · rank #2 | 12.28 |
| 3 | Lone Star College System The Woodlands, TX · Public four-year | 73,077 92% of the leader · rank #3 | 0.16 |
| 4 | Dallas College Dallas, TX · Public four-year | 69,749 87% of the leader · rank #4 | 0.60 |
| 5 | University of Central Florida Orlando, FL · Public four-year | 69,713 87% of the leader · rank #5 | 2.41 |
| 6 | University of Maryland Global Campus Adelphi, MD · Public four-year | 63,012 79% of the leader · rank #6 | 5.68 |
| 7 | Ohio State University-Main Campus Columbus, OH · Public four-year | 61,443 77% of the leader · rank #7 | 5.91 |
| 8 | University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Champaign, IL · Public four-year | 59,238 74% of the leader · rank #8 | 4.19 |
| 9 | Miami Dade College Miami, FL · Public four-year | 58,941 74% of the leader · rank #9 | 0.34 |
| 10 | Purdue University-Main Campus West Lafayette, IN · Public four-year | 58,658 73% of the leader · rank #10 | 3.51 |
| 11 | University of Washington-Seattle Campus Seattle, WA · Public four-year | 56,997 71% of the leader · rank #11 | 5.51 |
| 12 | University of Minnesota-Twin Cities Minneapolis, MN · Public four-year | 56,666 71% of the leader · rank #12 | 3.46 |
| 13 | University of Arizona Tucson, AZ · Public four-year | 56,365 71% of the leader · rank #13 | 3.51 |
| 14 | University of Florida Gainesville, FL · Public four-year | 56,311 71% of the leader · rank #14 | 8.42 |
| 15 | Florida International University Miami, FL · Public four-year | 54,723 69% of the leader · rank #15 | 2.27 |
| 16 | The University of Texas at Austin Austin, TX · Public four-year | 53,864 67% of the leader · rank #16 | 1.95 |
| 17 | Georgia Institute of Technology-Main Campus Atlanta, GA · Public four-year | 53,363 67% of the leader · rank #17 | 2.85 |
| 18 | Houston Community College Houston, TX · Public four-year | 53,253 67% of the leader · rank #18 | 0.32 |
| 19 | University of Michigan-Ann Arbor Ann Arbor, MI · Public four-year | 52,855 66% of the leader · rank #19 | 3.75 |
| 20 | Rutgers University-New Brunswick New Brunswick, NJ · Public four-year | 52,269 65% of the leader · rank #20 | 2.24 |
| 21 | Michigan State University East Lansing, MI · Public four-year | 52,089 65% of the leader · rank #21 | 5.32 |
| 22 | University of Wisconsin-Madison Madison, WI · Public four-year | 51,044 64% of the leader · rank #22 | 3.80 |
| 23 | Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus University Park, PA · Public four-year | 50,737 64% of the leader · rank #23 | 4.22 |
| 24 | University of South Florida Tampa, FL · Public four-year | 49,622 62% of the leader · rank #24 | 4.63 |
| 25 | Indiana University-Bloomington Bloomington, IN · Public four-year | 48,424 61% of the leader · rank #25 | 6.53 |
| 26 | University of Houston Houston, TX · Public four-year | 47,980 60% of the leader · rank #26 | 5.54 |
| 27 | Kennesaw State University Kennesaw, GA · Public four-year | 47,764 60% of the leader · rank #27 | 1.61 |
| 28 | Valencia College Orlando, FL · Public four-year | 47,425 59% of the leader · rank #28 | 0.38 |
| 29 | University of California-Los Angeles Los Angeles, CA · Public four-year | 47,335 59% of the leader · rank #29 | 9.38 |
| 30 | University of North Texas Denton, TX · Public four-year | 46,864 59% of the leader · rank #30 | 3.61 |
| 31 | Utah Valley University Orem, UT · Public four-year | 46,807 59% of the leader · rank #31 | 0.77 |
| 32 | University of California-Berkeley Berkeley, CA · Public four-year | 45,882 57% of the leader · rank #32 | 14.19 |
| 33 | University of Cincinnati-Main Campus Cincinnati, OH · Public four-year | 45,026 56% of the leader · rank #33 | 3.73 |
| 34 | The University of Texas at Arlington Arlington, TX · Public four-year | 44,956 56% of the leader · rank #34 | 2.34 |
| 35 | University of California-San Diego La Jolla, CA · Public four-year | 44,256 55% of the leader · rank #35 | 13.49 |
| 36 | Florida State University Tallahassee, FL · Public four-year | 43,889 55% of the leader · rank #36 | 3.51 |
| 37 | California State University-Fullerton Fullerton, CA · Public four-year | 43,662 55% of the leader · rank #37 | 1.51 |
| 38 | University of Georgia Athens, GA · Public four-year | 43,146 54% of the leader · rank #38 | 2.04 |
| 39 | California State University-Long Beach Long Beach, CA · Public four-year | 42,003 53% of the leader · rank #39 | 1.17 |
| 40 | University of Maryland-College Park College Park, MD · Public four-year | 41,725 52% of the leader · rank #40 | 8.58 |
| 41 | Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College Baton Rouge, LA · Public four-year | 41,705 52% of the leader · rank #41 | 7.39 |
| 42 | San Diego State University San Diego, CA · Public four-year | 41,137 52% of the leader · rank #42 | 1.36 |
| 43 | The University of Alabama Tuscaloosa, AL · Public four-year | 40,846 51% of the leader · rank #43 | 2.91 |
| 44 | Texas Tech University Lubbock, TX · Public four-year | 40,757 51% of the leader · rank #44 | 3.66 |
| 45 | Texas State University San Marcos, TX · Public four-year | 40,674 51% of the leader · rank #45 | 7.30 |
| 46 | University of California-Davis Davis, CA · Public four-year | 40,065 50% of the leader · rank #46 | 15.52 |
| 47 | George Mason University Fairfax, VA · Public four-year | 39,766 50% of the leader · rank #47 | 3.12 |
| 48 | Austin Community College District Austin, TX · Public four-year | 39,727 50% of the leader · rank #48 | 4.05 |
| 49 | Collin County Community College District Mckinney, TX · Public four-year | 39,548 50% of the leader · rank #49 | 0.56 |
| 50 | Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University Blacksburg, VA · Public four-year | 38,857 49% of the leader · rank #50 | 1.16 |
Source: U.S. Department of Education, Office of Postsecondary Education and National Center for Education Statistics OPE Campus Safety and Security Survey enrollment, joined to IPEDS institutional control and level classifications · 2024 Scope: 802 institutions in PlainCampus's Clery reporting cohort, classified by IPEDS as public and four-year-or-above, with positive reported enrollment.
Every figure on PlainCampus is rendered directly from federal Clery Act source data, no number is typed in by an editor. Every row and summary statistic is queried at request time from the joined federal OPE/Clery and IPEDS fields. Enrollment comes from the reporting cohort; IPEDS supplies the public/four-year classification. No ranking position is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error.
PlainCampus is for informational purposes only and does not constitute safety, security, legal, or enrollment advice; the data describes reported on-campus activity, it is not a complete picture of safety at any campus and cannot predict any individual student's experience. See our appropriate use guidance.