Home / Education / State Colleges: The Real Enrollment Giants Revealed
State Colleges: The Real Enrollment Giants Revealed
3 Sep
Summary
- Largest colleges are ranked by in-person enrollment.
- Exclusively online students were subtracted from totals.
- Provisional data for fall 2024 enrollment was used.

A recent analysis of provisional fall 2024 enrollment data from the Department of Education's IPEDS reveals the largest in-person college student populations in each U.S. state. The methodology specifically excluded students enrolled exclusively online to better reflect campus-based attendance.
This approach ensures that institutions heavily reliant on online programs, such as the University of Maryland Global Campus, are not automatically ranked first. The data encompasses various institution types, from historic flagships to community college systems, offering a more nuanced view of college size.
Notable institutions topping their state lists include Ivy Tech Community College in Indiana with 94,195 in-person students, and Ohio State University with 57,468. Texas A&M University in College Station also features prominently with 73,971 in-person students, demonstrating the scale of large public universities.