• Home
  • About
    • Brand College Consulting
    • Jolyn Brand
  • Press and Awards
  • Client Testimonials
  • Make a Payment
  • Contact

Brand College Consulting

College assistance for families

Student Dashboard

Schedule an Appointment

  • College Admissions
    • College Consulting
    • College Consulting Registration Form
  • Blog
  • Pro Bono Advising
  • College Students

What Are The Public Ivies?

May 11, 2017 By Jolyn Brand

Public Ivy is a term coined by Richard Moll in his 1985 book Public Ivies: A Guide to America’s best public undergraduate colleges and universities to refer to universities that provide an Ivy League collegiate experience at a public school price

High-performing students looking for a top-notch education—without shelling out tens of thousands of dollars—would do well to check out the country’s public Ivy League schools. While getting into a Public Ivy can be tough, getting a good education at a more reasonable price could be a high school graduate’s best option.

However, it’s important to note that there are varying opinions among experts as to which schools should be considered a top Public Ivy. The idea of a strong Public Ivy doesn’t just include high-performing academics but also encompasses a rich history, attractive campus and diverse student population that you’d expect from the ivied halls of a Yale or a Harvard.

The original Public Ivies as they were:

University of Texas

University of Texas

  • College of William & Mary (Williamsburg, Virginia)
  • Miami University (Oxford, Ohio)
  • University of California
  • 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)

The worthy runners-up

Moll also offered in the same book “a list of worthy runners-up” and brief summaries of them:

  • University of Colorado Boulder
  • Georgia Institute of Technology
  • University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
  • New College of the University of South Florida (now New College of Florida)
  • Pennsylvania State University at University Park
  • University of Pittsburgh
  • State University of New York at Binghamton (also called Binghamton University)
  • University of Washington
  • University of Wisconsin–Madison

The Public Ivies according to Greenes’ Guides

A later book titled The Public Ivies: America’s Flagship Public Universities (2001) by Howard and Matthew Greene of Greenes’ Guides expanded upon the first list to include 30 colleges and universities. The list below is organized by region, and colleges are listed in alphabetical order. The more recent and expansive Greene’s list (including a list of approximately 30 schools) had one focus alone: public schools with academic quality comparable to an Ivy League institution.

University of Washington

Jolyn at University of Washington

Northeastern

  • Pennsylvania State University (University Park)
  • Rutgers University (New Brunswick, New Jersey)
  • State University of New York at Binghamton (also known as Binghamton University)
  • University of Connecticut (Storrs)

Mid-Atlantic

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

Southern

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

Western

  • University of Arizona (Tucson)
  • University of California, Berkeley, LA, Davis, Irvine, San Diego and Santa Barbara campuses
  • University of Colorado Boulder
  • University of Washington (Seattle)
    University of Colorado- Boulder

    University of Colorado- Boulder

Great Lakes & Midwest

  • Indiana University (Bloomington)
  • Miami University (Oxford, Ohio)
  • Michigan State University (East Lansing)
  • The Ohio State University (Columbus)
  • University of Illinois (Urbana–Champaign)
  • University of Iowa (Iowa City)
  • University of Michigan (Ann Arbor)
  • University of Minnesota (Minneapolis–Saint Paul)
  • University of Wisconsin (Madison)

 

How much do these schools cost? Because Public Ivies are partially state-funded, their tuition fees are substantially lower than those of academically comparable private schools. For comparison’s sake, let’s look at the 2012-2013 tuition rates of several private and public ivies:

Private

• Harvard University: $40,866

• Princeton University: $38,650

• Yale University: $42,300

Public

• University of California, Berkeley: $11,767 (in-state), $34,645 (out-of-state)

• University of Virginia: $12,006 (in-state), $38,018 (out-of-state)

• University of Michigan, Ann Arbor: $13,437 (in-state), $39,109 (out-of-state)

Because of private funding, Ivy League schools can be less expensive for a select group of high-performing applicants—especially those with high financial needs. Students from wealthy families frequently pay the full-sticker price, while students from lower-end families to get large scholarships and grants.

The key, though, is to look at the whole package. If you’re living in the same state as a Public Ivy—or can establish residency near your school of choice before college—it’s probably the most affordable way to get an outstanding education. Nonetheless, you’ll want to apply to a variety of colleges, including some public schools that are lower on your list and private schools that may be a financial or academic reach.

One sharp distinction between the Ivy League and some “Public Ivies” is their participation in intercollegiate athletics. One of the Ivy League’s distinguishing characteristics is its prohibition on the awarding of athletic scholarships (athletes may only receive the same financial aid to which they would be entitled even if they did not play a sport). In contrast, many of the “Public Ivies” participate in major athletic conferences such as the Big Ten, Big 12, ACC, SEC, or Pac-12, and award athletic scholarships. These schools sometimes rely on profits, if any, from large-scale football and men’s basketball programs to support the athletic department as a whole.

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Public_Ivy

Share this:

  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Facebook
  • Click to share on X (Opens in new window) X
  • Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window) Pinterest
  • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window) LinkedIn
  • Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window) Email

Like this:

Like Loading...

Related

Filed Under: Upcoming Events Tagged With: college, college admissions, college advice, University of Texas, UT Austin

Contact Jolyn Brand

Brand College Consulting Dr. Jolyn Brand Independent Education Consultant Houston: (832) 910- 7990 Philadelphia: (215) 690-1160 You … [Read sticle...]

Press and Awards
Recent Articles

Google Reviews

Brand College Consulting
Brand College Consulting
5.0
Based on 5 reviews
powered by Google
review us on
Joel Delgado
Joel Delgado
16:37 27 Sep 19
Our experience with Jolly Brand was exceptional.
Jacob Gunter
Jacob Gunter
04:27 06 Jul 19
Shannon Robbins
Shannon Robbins
16:26 14 Apr 17
Our experience with Jolyn Brand was exceptional. She was very responsive to us and offered valuable guidance throughout the college preparation and application process. My daughter got in to all of the schools in which she applied, even her stretch school. We credit Jolyn with helping us to make sure her resume, application and essays were top notch.
Marylee Olson
Marylee Olson
00:29 08 Mar 17
Brand College Consulting was GREAT for our son! We met Ms. Brand when my son was in 7th grade! We saw her for an hour consult yearly to help him select his classes, plus a little algebra tutoring in high school. He was ahead of others course-wise and we were able to get 21 hours dual credit in high school, he made the Dean's List, Phi Theta Kappa, and Natl Society of High School Scholars. We are a family of Texas State Bobcats and it's very competitive now to get in but he did and we are thrilled! I recommend Ms. Brand and her services! Marylee Olson, Silverlake, Pearland (Dawson High School)
Chaplain Forever
Chaplain Forever
23:49 05 Oct 16
My youngest daughter attended tutorial services with Ms. Brand. Due to the exemplary, SAT preparation services, my daughter was accepted into several top colleges including the University of Houston, Texas State, Lamar University, and Sam Houston. As a college student, she received scholarships and has been on the Dean's list every semester. Ms. Brand instilled confidence in my daughter. I will be forever grateful.
See All Reviews
js_loader

Client Testimonials

Very pleased. Your frequent public presentations says a lot about your commitment to helping the kids of our community. I've already recommended you to other parents. Keep up the good work!

David Brady
Clear Lake parent
Read more››

About Jolyn Brand

Jolyn is a certified teacher who holds a Doctorate in Higher Education from Northeastern University. After years of experience teaching high school and college students, she began assisting with the college process. She's the founder of Brand College Consulting and works with families across the country virtually. A note from Jolyn: I started working with low-income high school students in … More...

Article Categories

  • ACT and SAT
  • Essays
  • FAQ's
  • Financial Aid
  • For Juniors
  • For Seniors
  • Grad Schools
  • Seminars
  • Testimonials
  • Upcoming Events

Recent Articles

  • Spring To Do List For Juniors
  • Timeline for Taking the SAT or ACT
  • Does the PSAT Matter? Should You Prepare?
  • Creating Your Student Resume for College Admissions
  • 10 Things to See and Do on a College Tour
  • Law School Applications Surge
  • After College Applications
  • Open House Days at Texas Colleges

Brand-College-Consulting-header-02.jpgDr. Jolyn Brand

  • Facebook
  • LinkedIn
  • Twitter

Copyright © 2025 | Brand College Consulting

 

Loading Comments...
 

    %d