“Public Ivy League”

“Public Ivy League.”  An informal term that refers to public colleges and universities in the U.S. that are perceived to provide a collegiate experience on the level of Ivy League universities. There is no trademark for the term, and the list of schools associated with the classification has changed over time.

The term was first coined in 1985 by Yale University admissions officer, 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, other college guide authors released their own book, The Public Ivies: The Great State Colleges and Universities, which included 30 schools.

1. College of William & Mary (Williamsburg, Virginia)
2. Miami University (Oxford, Ohio)
3. University of California
4. University of Michigan (Ann Arbor)
5. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
6. University of Texas at Austin
7. University of Vermont (Burlington)
8. University of Virginia (Charlottesville)