Public Ivy

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"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. [1][2] There is no trademark for the term, and the list of schools associated with the classification has changed over time.

The term was 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.[1] In 2001, college guide authors Howard Greene and Matthew Greene, released their own book, The Public Ivies: The Great State Colleges and Universities,[3] which included 30 schools.[2] The term has continued to evolve in the 21st century; in 2025, Forbes published a list of "New Ivies" that included ten public institutions considered by employers to be among the most prestigious and desirable in the United States.[4]


Debates about Public Ivies have centered on whether state budgetary cuts are undermining their future;[5][6] whether raising tuition at Public Ivies has "gentrified" the schools;[7] whether states should be subsidizing higher education in the first place;[7] whether graduates of Public Ivies are able to pay back student loans as quickly as their Ivy League counterparts;[8] and whether out-of-state tuition is too high.[7][9]

History

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The term first appeared in the Public Ivies: A Guide to America's Best Public Undergraduate Colleges and Universities, published in 1985.[1] 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.[10] He traveled the nation examining higher education institutions, and selected eight that were comparable to the Ivy League.[11][12]

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.[13][14]

Original list published in 1985

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A map of the original "Public Ivies" (in red) and the worthy runners-up (in blue) from 1985.

Runners-up

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As part of the initial 1985 publication, Moll also selected nine "worthy runner-up" universities:[15]

Notable updates

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Greenes' Guides list (2001)

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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.[2]

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A map of colleges listed as public ivies in the 2001 version of The Public Ivies: America's Flagship Public Universities by Howard and Matthew Greene.

Northeastern

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Mid-Atlantic

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Western

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Great Lakes and Midwest

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Southern

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List of Public Ivies

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Institution Location Founded Enrollment
(fall 2023)[16] 		Endowment
(FY23)[17] 		Ranking Admit rate[16] Athletics Colors
USNWR Public[18] USNWR National[19] Affiliation Nickname
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) 43.3% NCAA Div I
Big Ten 		Badgers    

Forbes 2025 "New Ivies"

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In March 2025, Forbes published a list titled "The New Ivies: 20 Great Colleges Employers Love," naming 10 public and 10 private U.S. institutions considered by surveyed employers to produce graduates who are especially in demand in the workforce.[4]

The ranking was based on a survey of more than 380 employers, including C-suite executives and hiring managers, as well as admissions metrics such as test scores and selectivity.[4] To qualify, public institutions were required to have at least 4,000 undergraduates, while private institutions needed at least 3,500.[4] Forbes also reported that 37% of surveyed employers said they were less likely to hire an Ivy League graduate than they had been five years earlier.[4]

Public institutions on the list

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The following public universities were included among the 2025 "New Ivies":[4]

  • Georgia Institute of Technology
  • Purdue University
  • University of Texas at Austin
  • United States Military Academy
  • University of Illinois Urbana–Champaign
  • University of Michigan, Ann Arbor
  • University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
  • University of Pittsburgh
  • University of Virginia
  • College of William & Mary

Relation to the Public Ivy concept

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Several of the institutions on the Forbes 2025 list overlap with historical lists of Public Ivies, including Michigan, Virginia, North Carolina, and William & Mary. However, the Forbes methodology emphasized current employer demand, admissions metrics, and student selectivity rather than tradition or historical comparisons to the Ivy League.[4] Notably, institutions that do not report standardized test scores—such as campuses of the University of California—were excluded from consideration despite often being cited as top public universities.[20]

Criticism and observations

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Commentators have noted that the list’s reliance on standardized test reporting may disadvantage universities that have adopted test-optional or test-free admissions policies.[21] Others view the ranking as evidence of shifting priorities in higher education, with employers placing greater emphasis on workforce readiness and skills rather than institutional prestige alone.[4]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c Richard Moll in his book Public Ivys: A Guide to America's best public undergraduate colleges and universities (1985)
  2. ^ a b c Greene, Howard R.; Greene, Matthew W. (2001). The public ivies: America's flagship public universities (1st ed.). New York: Cliff Street Books. ISBN 978-0060934590.
  3. ^ "Trade Paperbacks". Publishers Weekly. January 22, 2001. Retrieved 2022-11-04 – via EBSCOHost.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h Whitford, Emma (March 26, 2025). "The New Ivies 2025: 20 Great Colleges Employers Love". Forbes. Retrieved September 19, 2025.
  5. ^ "The Public Ivy Is Withering". Newsweek. April 28, 1991. Retrieved 2022-11-04.
  6. ^ Pruitt, Charles R. (August 26, 2016). "Politics is cutting the heart out of Public Ivies". The Washington Post. Retrieved 2022-11-04.
  7. ^ a b c de Vise, Daniel (January 3, 2012). "Berkeley and the public Ivies: Five lingering questions". The Washington Post. Retrieved 2022-11-04.
  8. ^ McBride, Sarah (August 19, 2010). "Ivy Grads Outperform Their Public-School Colleagues on Loan Repayments". NPR. Retrieved 2022-11-04.
  9. ^ "Personal Business; Suddenly, State Universities Have More Allure". The New York Times. November 10, 2002. ProQuest 2230199937. Retrieved 2022-11-04.
  10. ^ Branch, Mark Alden (November 2000). "Deciphering the Admissions Map". Yale Alumni Magazine. Vol. 109, no. 11. ¶16. Archived from the original on 2008-01-07. Retrieved 2008-02-09. But Richard Moll '59MDiv, a former Yale admissions officer who later oversaw admissions at Bowdoin and Vassar, thinks Yale still is not as visible as it should be. 'Yale has not had the presence at grassroots admissions and counseling conferences that Harvard and Stanford have,' says Moll, author of Playing the Selective College Admissions Game.
  11. ^ "Comparing Black Enrollments at the Public Ivies". The Journal of Blacks in Higher Education. Autumn 2005. Retrieved 2006-09-03.
  12. ^ Paul Marthers, Dean of Admission. "Admissions Messages vs. Admissions Realities". Office of Admissions. Reed College. Archived from the original on 2008-02-21. Retrieved 2008-02-09.
  13. ^ Savage, David G. (1985-10-06). "The Public Ivys: A Guide to America's Best Public Undergraduate Colleges and Universities". Los Angeles Times. ISSN 0458-3035. Retrieved 2016-07-26.
  14. ^ "Comparing Black Enrollments at the Public Ivies". The Journal of Blacks in Higher Education. Autumn 2005. Retrieved 2006-09-03.
  15. ^ Moll, Richard (1985). The Public Ivys: A Guide to America's Best Undergraduate Colleges and Universities. Viking Penguin. p. xxvi. ISBN 0-670-58205-0.
  16. ^ a b "College Navigator". National Center for Education Statistics. United States Department of Education. Retrieved January 1, 2025.
  17. ^ As of June 30, 2023. "U.S. and Canadian 2023 NCSE Participating Institutions Listed by Fiscal Year 2023 Endowment Market Value, Change in Market Value from FY22 to FY23, and FY23 Endowment Market Values Per Full-time Equivalent Student" (XLSX). National Association of College and University Business Officers (NACUBO). February 15, 2024. Archived from the original on May 23, 2024. Retrieved May 23, 2024.
  18. ^ "2025 Top Public Universities". U.S. News & World Report. Retrieved January 31, 2025.
  19. ^ "2025 Best National Universities". U.S. News & World Report. Retrieved January 31, 2025.
  20. ^ Tucker, Jill (March 26, 2025). "UC schools left off Forbes' 'New Ivies' list because they don't report test scores". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved September 19, 2025.
  21. ^ Tucker, Jill. "UC schools left off Forbes’ 'New Ivies' list because they don’t report test scores." San Francisco Chronicle. March 26, 2025.