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Cost
Let’s face it … in an ideal world, cost would have no bearing on where you go to college. But the reality is that tuition rates are an important consideration for many students and their families. And this where Public Ivies have the advantage over Private Ivies (especially for in-state students).
For the 2022-2023 school year for example, in-state tuition for Public Ivy schools ranged from just over $22,000/year to about $43,000/year. When compared to the $70,000-$80,000/year tuition at Private Ivies, the Public Ivies look really attractive, right? Especially because you can get the same caliber of education at Public Ivies.
Having said that, out-of-state tuition at some Public Ivies can reach Private Ivy levels. For example, out-of-state tuition at some University of California schools can run you close to $70,000/year. This is pretty steep. But this also isn’t the case across the board, and out-of-state tuition for many Public Ivy schools is still significantly less than the cost of attending an Ivy League school.
Financial aid
Because Public Ivies depend on state funding (as opposed to the private endowments that Private Ivies enjoy), Public Ivies tend to offer less financial aid, and the total amount of financial aid the Public Ivies can offer sometimes fluctuates from year to year.
Again, being an in-state student applying to a Public Ivy school gives you an advantage here since much of the financial aid is set aside for in-state students. That’s not to say that you shouldn’t apply to a Public Ivy that is not in your state since there are some other ways to get financial help (check out our guide to paying for college), but we think it’s good for you to know that Public Ivies focus much of their financial aid on applicants who live in their state.
Reputation
“Reputation” is kind of a weird thing when it comes to colleges and universities since this can mean different things to different people. For example, while it is true that Ivy League schools enjoy stellar reputations for the academic experience they offer students, it’s a little hard to quantify a school’s reputation based on this because “academic experience” is a pretty broad idea.
When it comes to Public Ivy schools and their reputations, perhaps the thing to consider is that these schools have a range of things for which they have good reputations. Some of the Public Ivies are considered academically rigorous across the board, while others are known for specific areas of study. Some Public Ivies enjoy prestige because of their faculty while others rank up there for the breadth of academic opportunities they offer their students.
Our advice is to not get too caught up in a school’s “reputation.” Public Ivies are on the list because they can offer an education comparable to that found at Private Ivies, so the important things to consider are what specific Public Ivy schools can offer you and what is important to you as part of your college education. As with any school you’re considering, we encourage you to do your research, talk to current students if you can, and be clear from the start what your priorities and values are (here’s our step-by-step guide to choosing a college).
Selectivity
The selectivity of a school often goes hand-in-hand with its reputation, and the competitiveness of Public Ivies can vary.
Some University of California schools, for example, accept around 10% of their undergraduate applicants, while other Public Ivies like the University of Delaware accept upwards of 60% of its applicants.
There are a number of factors that impact how selective Public Ivies are. Many Public Ivy schools must accept a certain percent of in-state applicants, which makes things a little tougher for out-of-state applicants.
A lot also depends on how many students apply to a Public Ivy in any given year. Typically, the larger the applicant pool, the lower the acceptance rate. And as more and more students discover the benefits of Public Ivies, more and more students are also applying to these excellent schools.
That said, Public Ivies typically still have higher acceptance rates than Private Ivies, which often hover under 10% or lower (hi, Harvard).
Size and location
Public Ivies tend to have a higher number of students than Private Ivies, so if having smaller class sizes and enjoying a more intimate environment on campus is important to you, this is definitely something to consider.
Since Public Ivies typically admit a greater number of students, they also have larger student populations. This often means more people in each class, a higher student to teacher ratio, and the bustle that comes with a busier campus. And maybe this sounds perfect to you! A larger number of students doesn’t mean a diminished educational experience … it just means a different educational experience.
Another important factor to consider is the physical location of where you want to go to school. Private Ivy schools are all on the East coast, so you don’t have a lot of geographical options if you’re thinking about one of these eight schools.
But Public Ivies give you a lot of options since they are all over the United States. Again, in-state applicants do have a slight edge, but Public Ivies also accept many out-of-state applicants, and they give you geographical choices that Private Ivies do not.
