# Public Ivy

"Public Ivy" is an informal term that refers to public colleges and universities in the United States that are perceived to provide a collegiate experience on the level of Ivy League universities. There is no trademark for the term, and the list of schools associated with the classification has changed over time.
The term was first coined in 1985 by Yale University admissions officer Richard Moll, who published Public Ivies: A Guide to America's Best Public Undergraduate Colleges and Universities. That initial list included eight universities and nine runners-up. In 2001, college guide authors Howard Greene and Matthew Greene, released their own book, The Public Ivies: The Great State Colleges and Universities, which included 30 schools.
Debates about Public Ivies have centered on whether state budgetary cuts are undermining their future; whether raising tuition at Public Ivies has "gentrified" the schools; whether states should be subsidizing higher education in the first place; whether graduates of Public Ivies are able to pay back student loans as quickly as their Ivy League counterparts; and whether out-of-state tuition is too high.

## History

The term first appeared in the Public Ivies: A Guide to America's Best Public Undergraduate Colleges and Universities, published in 1985. The author, Richard Moll, graduated with a master's degree from Yale University in 1959, and served as an admissions officer as well as a director of admissions at several universities in the United States. He traveled the nation examining higher education institutions, and selected eight that were comparable to the Ivy League.
Moll's original ranking methodology included factors such as academic rigor, quality of faculty, and cost of tuition, as well as assessments of campus facilities, available resources, age, and major cultural traditions celebrated at each institution.

### Original list published in 1985

* College of William & Mary (Williamsburg, Virginia)
* Miami University (Oxford, Ohio)
* University of California (applies to the campuses as of 1985: Berkeley, Los Angeles, San Diego, Irvine, Davis, Santa Barbara, Santa Cruz, and Riverside)
* University of Michigan (Ann Arbor)
* University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
* University of Texas at Austin
* University of Vermont (Burlington)
* University of Virginia (Charlottesville)

#### Runners-up

As part of the initial 1985 publication, Moll also selected nine "worthy runner-up" universities:
* University of Colorado Boulder
* Georgia Institute of Technology (Atlanta)
* University of Illinois Urbana–Champaign
* New College of Florida (formerly New College of the University of South Florida, it became an independent part of Florida's State University System in 2001)
* Pennsylvania State University (University Park)
* University of Pittsburgh
* State University of New York at Binghamton (also known as Binghamton University)
* University of Washington (Seattle)
* University of Wisconsin–Madison

## Notable updates
### Greenes' Guides list (2001)

The list of "public Ivy" institutions has gone through several revisions over the years, much like other university rankings and conferences. A notable update was published in 2001, when Howard and Matthew Greene included the following 30 colleges and universities in The Public Ivies: America's Flagship Public Universities.

#### Northeastern

* Pennsylvania State University (University Park)
* Rutgers University (New Brunswick, New Jersey)
* State University of New York at Binghamton
* University of Connecticut (Storrs)

#### Mid-Atlantic

* College of William & Mary (Williamsburg, Virginia)
* University of Delaware (Newark)
* University of Maryland, College Park
* University of Virginia (Charlottesville)

#### Western

* University of Arizona (Tucson)
* University of California, Berkeley
* University of California, Davis
* University of California, Irvine
* University of California, Los Angeles
* University of California, San Diego
* University of California, Santa Barbara
* University of Colorado Boulder
* University of Washington (Seattle)

#### Great Lakes & Midwest

* Indiana University Bloomington
* Miami University (Oxford, Ohio)
* Michigan State University (East Lansing)
* Ohio State University (Columbus)
* University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
* University of Iowa (Iowa City)
* University of Michigan (Ann Arbor)
* University of Minnesota, Twin Cities
* University of Wisconsin–Madison

#### Southern

* University of Florida (Gainesville)
* University of Georgia (Athens)
* University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
* University of Texas at Austin

## List of Public Ivies

| Institution | Location | Founded | Enrollment (fall 2023) | Endowment (FY23) | Ranking | Ranking | Admit rate | Athletics | Athletics | Colors |
| Institution | Location | Founded | Enrollment (fall 2023) | Endowment (FY23) | USNWR Public | USNWR National | Admit rate | Affiliation | Nickname | Colors |
| University of Arizona | Tucson, Arizona | 1885 | 53,001 | $1.29 billion | 52 | 109 | 86% | NCAA Div I Big 12 | Wildcats | |
| Binghamton University | Vestal, New York | 1946 | 18,456 | $182.7 million | 34 (tie) | 73 (tie) | 38% | NCAA Div I America East | Bearcats | |
| University of California, Berkeley | Berkeley, California | 1868 | 45,699 | $2.91 billion | 2 | 17 | 12% | NCAA Div I ACC | Golden Bears | |
| University of California, Davis | Davis, California | 1905 | 39,707 | $678.0 million | 9 (tie) | 33 (tie) | 42% | NCAA Div I Big West | Aggies | |
| University of California, Irvine | Irvine, California | 1965 | 36,582 | $795.9 million | 9 (tie) | 33 (tie) | 26% | NCAA Div I Big West | Anteaters | |
| University of California, Los Angeles | Los Angeles, California | 1919 | 46,678 | $3.87 billion | 1 | 15 | 9% | NCAA Div I Big Ten | Bruins | |
| University of California, San Diego | La Jolla, California | 1960 | 42,376 | $1.36 billion | 6 | 29 | 25% | NCAA Div I Big West | Tritons | |
| University of California, Santa Barbara | Santa Barbara, California | 1891 | 26,068 | $578.8 million | 13 (tie) | 39 (tie) | 28% | NCAA Div I Big West | Gauchos | |
| University of Colorado Boulder | Boulder, Colorado | 1876 | 41,432 | $2.10 billion (system-wide) | 46 (tie) | 98 (tie) | 83% | NCAA Div I Big 12 | Buffaloes | |
| University of Connecticut | Storrs, Connecticut | 1881 | 27,364 | $577.3 million | 32 | 70 | 54% | NCAA Div I Big East | Huskies | |
| University of Delaware | Newark, Delaware | 1743 | 24,221 | $1.82 billion | 44 | 86 | 65% | NCAA Div I CAA | Fightin' Blue Hens | |
| University of Florida | Gainesville, Florida | 1853 | 54,814 | $2.34 billion | 7 (tie) | 30 (tie) | 24% | NCAA Div I SEC | Gators | |
| University of Georgia | Athens, Georgia | 1785 | 41,615 | $1.81 billion | 18 (tie) | 46 (tie) | 37% | NCAA Div I SEC | Bulldogs | |
| University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign | Urbana-Champaign, Illinois | 1867 | 56,563 | $3.38 billion (system-wide) | 9 (tie) | 33 (tie) | 44% | NCAA Div I Big Ten | Fighting Illini | |
| Indiana University Bloomington | Bloomington, Indiana | 1820 | 47,527 | $3.56 billion (system-wide) | 34 (tie) | 73 (tie) | 80% | NCAA Div I Big Ten | Hoosiers | |
| University of Iowa | Iowa City, Iowa | 1847 | 30,042 | $3.26 billion | 46 (tie) | 98 (tie) | 85% | NCAA Div I Big Ten | Hawkeyes | |
| University of Maryland | College Park, Maryland | 1856 | 40,813 | $2.10 billion (system-wide) | 17 | 44 | 45% | NCAA Div I Big Ten | Terrapins | |
| Miami University | Oxford, Ohio | 1809 | 18,618 | $741.2 million | 69 | 136 | 82% | NCAA Div I MAC | RedHawks | |
| University of Michigan | Ann Arbor, Michigan | 1817 | 52,065 | $17.88 billion | 3 | 21 | 18% | NCAA Div I Big Ten | Wolverines | |
| Michigan State University | East Lansing, Michigan | 1855 | 51,316 | $4.50 billion | 30 (tie) | 63 (tie) | 84% | NCAA Div I Big Ten | Spartans | |
| University of Minnesota | Minneapolis–St Paul, Minnesota | 1851 | 54,890 | $5.50 billion (system-wide) | 23 (tie) | 54 (tie) | 77% | NCAA Div I Big Ten | Golden Gophers | |
| University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill | Chapel Hill, North Carolina | 1789 | 32,234 | $5.20 billion | 5 | 27 | 19% | NCAA Div I ACC | Tar Heels | |
| Ohio State University | Columbus, Ohio | 1870 | 60,046 | $7.38 billion | 15 (tie) | 41 (tie) | 51% | NCAA Div I Big Ten | Buckeyes | |
| Pennsylvania State University | University Park, Pennsylvania | 1855 | 50,399 | $4.44 billion | 30 (tie) | 63 (tie) | 54% | NCAA Div I Big Ten | Nittany Lions | |
| Rutgers University | New Brunswick, New Jersey | 1766 | 50,617 | $1.99 billion (system-wide) | 15 (tie) | 41 (tie) | 65% | NCAA Div I Big Ten | Scarlet Knights | |
| University of Texas at Austin | Austin, Texas | 1883 | 53,082 | $44.97 billion (system-wide) | 7 (tie) | 30 (tie) | 29% | NCAA Div I SEC | Longhorns | |
| University of Virginia | Charlottesville, Virginia | 1819 | 25,924 | $9.80 billion | 4 | 24 | 17% | NCAA Div I ACC | Cavaliers | |
| University of Washington | Seattle, Washington | 1861 | 55,620 | $4.94 billion | 18 (tie) | 46 (tie) | 43% | NCAA Div I Big Ten | Huskies | |
| College of William & Mary | Williamsburg, Virginia | 1693 | 9,762 | $1.36 billion | 23 (tie) | 54 (tie) | 33% | NCAA Div I CAA | Tribe | |
| University of Wisconsin–Madison | Madison, Wisconsin | 1848 | 49,605 | $3.84 billion | 13 (tie) | 39 (tie) | 51% | NCAA Div I Big Ten | Badgers | |