Public Ivy

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Not to be confused with Ivy Plus.

"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.^[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

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

• 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:^[15]

• 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.^[2]

Northeastern

Mid-Atlantic

Western

Great Lakes and Midwest

Southern

List of Public Ivies

Forbes 2025 "New Ivies"

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

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

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

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

• Colonial colleges
• Flagship universities
• IvyPlus

References