En undersøgelse foretaget af University of Shanghai, der fastlagde placeringen af de 500 bedste universiteter i verden i 2004, baseret på antallet af opnåede nobelpriser og antallet af artikler, der blev offentliggjort i akademiske tidsskrifter, placerer 17 amerikanske universiteter i top 20, hvor Harvard vises i første position.
Generelt har hver stat mindst to offentlige universiteter, kaldet "University of [state name]" ( University of [State Name] ) og "State University [State Name] ( [State of State] State University ), hvor den tidligere undertiden er mere prestigefyldt end sidstnævnte. For eksempel i Californien er de to største offentlige universiteter University of California ( University of California ), meget selektive, og California State University ( California State University ), lidt mindre kendt.
Nogle af disse universiteter er opdelt i flere campusser, mere eller mindre uafhængige.
Alabama University of Alabama (3 uafhængige campusser med hovedkontor i Tuscaloosa ) University of Alabama i Birmingham - Birmingham University of Alabama i Huntsville - Huntsville Auburn University (2 campusser med hovedkontor i Auburn) Troy University - Troy Arkansas University of Arkansas - Fayetteville University of Arkansas i Little Rock - Little Rock University of Arkansas i Pine Bluff - Pine Bluff ( HBCU ) Arkansas State University - Jonesboro University of Central Arkansas - Conway Arizona University of Arizona - Tucson Arizona State University - Tempe Northern Arizona University - Flagstaff Californien University of California (10 campusser, de mest berømte er Berkeley og Los Angeles også kaldet UCLA ) California State University (23 offentlige campusser) North Carolina University of North Carolina (6 campusser med hovedkontor i Chapel Hill ) University of North Carolina i Wilmington - Wilmington North Carolina State University - Raleigh Appalachian State University - Boone East Carolina University - Greenville North Carolina Central University - Durham ( HBCU ) Caroline fra syd University of South Carolina - (4 campusser med hovedkontor i Columbia ) Clemson University - Clemson Colorado University of Colorado - (3 campusser med hovedkontor i Boulder ) Colorado State University - (2 campusser med hovedkontor i Fort Collins ) Connecticut University of Connecticut - Storrs North Dakota University of North Dakota - Grand Forks North Dakota State University (kendt som NDSU) - Fargo Delaware University of Delaware - Newark Florida University of Florida - Gainesville University of Central Florida - Orlando Florida A&M University - Tallahassee ( HBCU ) Florida Atlantic University - Boca Raton Florida International University - Miami Florida State University - Tallahassee University of North Florida - Jacksonville University of South Florida - Tampa Georgien University of Georgia - Athen Georgia State University - Atlanta Georgia Institute of Technology , kendt som "Georgia Tech" - Atlanta Savannah State University - Savannah ( HBCU ) Hawaii University of Hawai'i - (3 campusser med hovedkontor i Mānoa, Honolulu ) Idaho University of Idaho - Moskva Boise State University - Boise Idaho State University - Pocatello Illinois University of Illinois - (3 campusser med hovedkontor i Urbana-Champaign ) University of Illinois i Chicago - Chicago University of Illinois i Springfield - Springfield Illinois State University - Normal Northern Illinois University - DeKalb Indiana Indiana University - (9 campusser med hovedkontor i Bloomington ) Purdue University - West Lafayette Iowa University of Iowa - Iowa City Iowa State University - Ames (Iowa) University of Northern Iowa - Cedar Falls Kansas University of Kansas - Lawrence Kansas State University - Manhattan Kentucky University of Kentucky - Lexington University of Louisville - Louisville Eastern Kentucky University - Richmond Kentucky State University - Frankfort ( HBCU ) Morehead State University - Morehead Murray State University - Murray Northern Kentucky University - Highland Heights (forstad til Cincinnati ) Western Kentucky University - Bowling Green Louisiana University of Louisiana i Lafayette - Lafayette Louisiana State University - Baton Rouge , kendt som "LSU" McNeese State University - Charles Lake Maryland University of Maryland - College Park (hovedkvarter) University of Maryland, Baltimore County - Catonsville Massachusetts University of Massachusetts - (5 campusser med hovedkontor i Amherst ) Michigan University of Michigan - (3 campusser med hovedkontor i Ann Arbor ) Michigan State University - East Lansing Central Michigan University - Mount Pleasant Grand Valley State University - Allendale (forstad til Grand Rapids ) Eastern Michigan University - Ypsilanti Western Michigan University - Kalamazoo Minnesota University of Minnesota - Twin Cities ( Minneapolis-Saint Paul ) Mississippi University of Mississippi (Ole Miss) - Oxford Mississippi State University - Starkville Alcorn State University - Lorman ( HBCU ) Mississippi Valley State University - Itta Bena ( HBCU ) University of Southern Mississippi, kendt som "Southern Miss" - Hattiesburg Missouri University of Missouri-Columbia University of Missouri - Kansas City Missouri Southern State University Montana University of Montana - Missoula Nebraska University of Nebraska - Lincoln Nevada University of Nevada i Las Vegas , kendt som "UNLV" University of Nevada i Reno New Jersey Rutgers University - New Brunswick New York City University of New York , 15 steder i New York State University of New York , 63 steder inklusive fire hovedcampusser i Albany , Binghamton , Buffalo og Stony Brook Ny mexico University of New Mexico - Albuquerque New Mexico State University - Las Cruces New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology - Socorro Ohio Ohio State University - Columbus University of Akron - Akron Bowling Green State University - Bowling Green Cleveland State University - Cleveland University of Cincinnati - Cincinnati Kent State University - Kent Miami University - Oxford Ohio University - Athen University of Toledo - Toledo Oregon University of Oregon - Eugene Oregon State University - Corvallis Oregon Health & Science University Pennsylvania University of Pittsburgh Pennsylvania State University - University Park Temple University - Philadelphia Indiana University i Pennsylvania Tennessee University of Tennessee - Knoxville University of Tennessee i Chattanooga - Chattanooga University of Tennessee at Martin - Martin University of Memphis - Memphis Tennessee State University - Nashville ( HBCU ) Texas University of Texas (ni campusser og seks undervisningshospitaler med hovedkontor i Austin ) Angelo State University Lamar University Lamar Institute of Technology Lamar State College-Orange Lamar State College-Port Arthur Sam Houston State University Sul Ross State University Texas State University-San Marcos Texas A&M University ved College Station Texas Tech University University of Houston Utah University of Utah - Salt Lake City Utah State University - Logan Utah Valley University - Orem Vermont University of Vermont - Burlington Virginia University of Virginia - Charlottesville Christopher Newport University - Newport News George Mason University - Fairfax James Madison University - Harrisonburg Longwood University - Farmville University of Mary Washington - Fredericksburg Norfolk State University - Norfolk ( HBCU ) Old Dominion University - Norfolk Radford University - Radford University of Virginia's College i Wise (i) - Wise Richmond University (in) - Richmond Virginia Commonwealth University - Richmond Virginia Military Institute - Lexington Virginia Polytechnic Institute og State University , kendt som Virginia Tech - Blacksburg Virginia State University - Petersborg ( HBCU ) College of William & Mary - Williamsburg West Virginia West Virginia University - Morgantown Marshall University - Huntington Washington University of Washington - Seattle Washington State University - Pullman Eastern Washington University - Cheney Western Washington University - Bellingham University of Puget Sound - Tacoma Wisconsin University of Wisconsin , Madison (hovedkvarter) University of Wisconsin , Milwaukee University of Wisconsin , Eau Claire Wyoming University of Wyoming - Laramie