"Public Ivy" is an informal term that refers to public universities in the United States that are perceived to provide a collegiate experience on the level of Ivy League universities.Richard Moll in his book Public Ivys: A Guide to America's best public undergraduate colleges and universities (1985) 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. 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. The term has continued to evolve in the 21st century; since 2024, Forbes has published an annual list of "New Ivies" that included ten public institutions considered by employers to be among the most prestigious and desirable in the United States.
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:Moll, Richard (1985). The Public Ivys: A Guide to America's Best Undergraduate Colleges and Universities. Viking Penguin. p. xxvi. . 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 and 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 Endowment Ranking Admit rate Athletics Colors USNWR Public USNWR National Affiliation Nickname Tucson, Arizona 1885 53,001 $1.29 billion 52 109 86% NCAA Div IBig 12 Wildcats Vestal, New York 1946 18,456 $182.7 million 34 (tie) 73 (tie) 38% NCAA Div IAmerica East Bearcats Berkeley, California 1868 45,699 $2.91 billion 2 17 12% NCAA Div IACC Golden Bears Davis, California 1905 39,707 $678.0 million 9 (tie) 33 (tie) 42% NCAA Div IBig West Aggies Irvine, California 1965 36,582 $795.9 million 9 (tie) 33 (tie) 26% NCAA Div IBig West Anteaters Los Angeles, California 1919 46,678 $3.87 billion 1 15 9% NCAA Div IBig Ten Bruins La Jolla, California 1960 42,376 $1.36 billion 6 29 25% NCAA Div IBig West Tritons Santa Barbara, California 1891 26,068 $578.8 million 13 (tie) 39 (tie) 28% NCAA Div IBig West Gauchos Boulder, Colorado 1876 41,432 $2.10 billion(system-wide) 46 (tie) 98 (tie) 83% NCAA Div IBig 12 Buffaloes Storrs, Connecticut 1881 27,364 $577.3 million 32 70 54% NCAA Div IBig East Huskies Newark, Delaware 1743 24,221 $1.82 billion 44 86 65% NCAA Div ICAA Fightin' Blue Hens Gainesville, Florida 1853 54,814 $2.34 billion 7 (tie) 30 (tie) 24% NCAA Div ISEC Gators Athens, Georgia 1785 41,615 $1.81 billion 18 (tie) 46 (tie) 37% NCAA Div ISEC Bulldogs Urbana-Champaign, Illinois 1867 56,563 $3.38 billion(system-wide) 9 (tie) 33 (tie) 44% NCAA Div IBig Ten Fighting Illini Bloomington, Indiana 1820 47,527 $3.56 billion(system-wide) 34 (tie) 73 (tie) 80% NCAA Div IBig Ten Hoosiers Iowa City, Iowa 1847 30,042 $3.26 billion 46 (tie) 98 (tie) 85% NCAA Div IBig Ten Hawkeyes College Park, Maryland 1856 40,813 $2.10 billion(system-wide) 17 44 45% NCAA Div IBig Ten Terrapins Oxford, Ohio 1809 18,618 $741.2 million 69 136 82% NCAA Div IMAC RedHawks Ann Arbor, Michigan 1817 52,065 $17.88 billion 3 21 18% NCAA Div IBig Ten Wolverines East Lansing, Michigan 1855 51,316 $4.50 billion 30 (tie) 63 (tie) 84% NCAA Div IBig Ten Spartans Minneapolis–St Paul, Minnesota 1851 54,890 $5.50 billion(system-wide) 23 (tie) 54 (tie) 77% NCAA Div IBig Ten Golden Gophers Chapel Hill, North Carolina 1789 32,234 $5.20 billion 5 27 19% NCAA Div IACC Tar Heels Columbus, Ohio 1870 60,046 $7.38 billion 15 (tie) 41 (tie) 51% NCAA Div IBig Ten Buckeyes University Park, Pennsylvania 1855 50,399 $4.44 billion 30 (tie) 63 (tie) 54% NCAA Div IBig Ten Nittany Lions New Brunswick, New Jersey 1766 50,617 $1.99 billion(system-wide) 15 (tie) 41 (tie) 65% NCAA Div IBig Ten Scarlet Knights Austin, Texas 1883 53,082 $44.97 billion(system-wide) 7 (tie) 30 (tie) 29% NCAA Div ISEC Longhorns Charlottesville, Virginia 1819 25,924 $9.80 billion 4 24 17% NCAA Div IACC Cavaliers Seattle, Washington 1861 55,620 $4.94 billion 18 (tie) 46 (tie) 43% NCAA Div IBig Ten Huskies Williamsburg, Virginia 1693 9,762 $1.36 billion 23 (tie) 54 (tie) 33% NCAA Div ICAA Tribe Madison, Wisconsin 1848 49,605 $3.84 billion 13 (tie) 39 (tie) 43.3% NCAA Div IBig Ten Badgers Forbes list of "New Ivies"
Since 2024, Forbes published a list titled "The New Ivies," naming 10 public and 10 private U.S. institutions considered by surveyed employers to produce graduates who are especially in demand in the workforce. The ranking was based on a survey of hundreds of employers, including C-suite executives and hiring managers, as well as admissions metrics such as test scores and selectivity. In 2025, 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.
Public institutions on the list The following public universities have included among the "New Ivies" lists published by Forbes: Binghamton University (2024) University of Florida (2024, 2026) Georgia Institute of Technology (2024, 2025, 2026) University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (2024, 2025) University of Maryland, College Park (2024) University of Michigan, Ann Arbor (2024, 2025, 2026) University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (2024, 2025, 2026) University of Pittsburgh (2025) Purdue University (2025, 2026) University of Texas at Austin (2024, 2025, 2026) United States Air Force Academy (2026) United States Military Academy (2025) University of Virginia (2024, 2025, 2026) College of William & Mary (2025, 2026) University of Wisconsin–Madison (2024, 2026)
Relation to the Public Ivy concept Several of the institutions on the Forbes list overlap with historical lists of Public Ivies. However, the Forbes methodology emphasized current employer demand, admissions metrics, and student selectivity rather than tradition or historical comparisons to the Ivy League. 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.
Criticism and observations 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.Tucker, Jill. "UC schools left off Forbes’ 'New Ivies' list because they don’t report test scores." San Francisco Chronicle. March 26, 2025. 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.
See also Colonial colleges Flagship universities IvyPlus
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