During the 1980s, a university administrator named Richard Moll saw the positive aspects of Ivy League schools in a number of public institutions, and came up with a list of eight schools now known as the Public Ivy Leagues.

This list of schools was compiled while Moll traveled across the country in the 1980s, evaluating all levels of higher institutions, and was released to the public in 1985 in a book entitled “Public Ivys: A Guide to America’s best public undergraduate colleges and universities.” Moll used strict criteria when comparing schools to the Ivy League, as this is the most prestigious category of schools in the nation.

All of the schools in the Public Ivy Leagues List share characteristics with each other and with the original Ivy League schools. They have a long, rich history that has sparked many traditions that students and alumni alike support. Their academic quality is superior to all but the cream of the crop. They have beautiful grounds that are well-kept and lush. And the teaching staff are some of the best in the nation.

The main difference between the Public Ivy Leagues List and the original Ivy League schools is two-fold: the Public Ivies are public, not private institutions, and they are usually much cheaper to attend. That’s not to say they are a steal: their tuition rates are among the highest in the public realm. However, they are much less expensive than the Ivy League.

The Public Ivy Leagues List includes the following schools:

• 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)

In addition to these schools, several runner-up schools were later added to the Public Ivy Leagues List in order to give recognition to other top universities and colleges in the nation:

• University of Colorado at 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
• University of Washington at Seattle
• University of Wisconsin–Madison

The Public Ivies are institutions of excellence, like their Ivy League cousins, and if you are looking for some of the best education that this country can provide, your search should start with them.

The original eight Public Ivies Universities:

• 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)

Public Ivies are successfully competing with the Ivy League schools in academic rigor, attracting superior faculty and competing for the brightest students of all races. All of these schools have a rich history of tradition; have successful and renowned graduates, lush campuses, and a supreme academic experience. The Public Ivy university list contains schools that are public, not private, and usually have a lower tuition cost than the Ivy League.

In his book, he states that public Ivy League schools are universities or colleges that provide the college experience and rigor of Ivy League schools, but at a more reasonable tuition fee. Public Ivy League schools have certain attributes that the eight Ivy League schools do not have. For instance, the University of Virginia is recognized as a World Heritage Site. The University of California Berkeley also surpasses Ivy League schools in terms of research output.

In the 1980s, Richard Moll, then admissions officer for the University of California, traveled across the United States in order to test the quality of its public schools. He came up with the Public Ivy List, a list of the top eight schools, ranked according to many of the criteria that make the Ivy League so great.

Public Ivy List Criteria

These criteria applied to both the Public Ivy list of schools as well as the traditional Ivy League. All of these schools have a rich history full of tradition, have successful and renowned graduates, lush campuses, and a supreme academic experience. The major difference is that the Public Ivy list contains schools that are public, not private, and usually have a lower tuition cost than the Ivy League.

The original list of schools that Moll put together includes:

• University of Texas at Austin
• University of Vermont
• College of William and Mary
• University of Michigan
• University of Virginia
• University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
• University of California
• Miami University

The idea of public ivy schools has spread from Moll’s original list of eight schools. Howard and Matthew Greene put together a list of additional schools that they felt belonged in the prestigious Public Ivy list, after reading Moll’s publication and doing some research of their own. These additional schools include:

• Indiana University
• Ohio State University
• Pennsylvania State University
• Rutgers University
• State University of New York
• University of Colorado
• University of Florida
• University of Illinois
• University of Maryland, College Park
• University of Washington
• University of Wisconsin

The Greene’s also made another list at a later date that included 30 “hidden” public ivies. These lists and Moll’s original list are used by many students as a compass for public school excellence.

The Public Ivy list of the top eight schools is considered nearly sacred by some people, and shouldn’t be tainted by the additional schools. No one can argue that all of the above mentioned schools are among the best in the nation. They made the cut, and they are a great starting place if you are considering further education.

The original Public Ives:

• College of William & Mary
• Miami University
• University of California
• University of Michigan
• University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
• University of Texas at Austin
• University of Vermont
• University of Virginia
Additionally, several newer universities have been added to the list:

• Pennsylvania State University
• Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey
• State University of New York at Binghamton
• University of Connecticut
• University of Delaware
• University of Maryland
• University of Arizona
• University of Colorado at Boulder
• Indiana University
• Ohio State University
• University of Illinois
• University of Iowa
• University of Michigan
• University of Minnesota
• University of Wisconsin
• University of Florida
• University of Georgia

Several schools that are also considered to be a public ivy school are consistently ranked among the top schools in the United States. One of the differences between a public ivy school and an Ivy League school is that Ivy Leagues don’t award athletic scholarships. Many public ivy schools, however, attend major athletic conferences like the Big Ten, Big East, Big 12, SEC, ACC, and Pac-10, and award athletic scholarships to deserving students. Enroll in a public ivy school and receive the best college education you deserve.

These schools are the top eight schools in the nation, chosen by Richard Moll in 1985 in his book entitled The Public Ivies: America’s Flagship Undergraduate Colleges. Moll was admissions officer at University of California, Santa Cruz during the 80s, and traveled across the country to scout out the top public schools. The result is his book and the creation of the term Public Ivy Leagues.

The traditional Ivy League schools have a certain set of characteristics, and Moll tried to stick to these guidelines when coming up with the member schools of the Public Ivy Leagues. These public schools have a rich tradition of excellence, high standing rankings in objective University and College ranking bodies, top-notch academics and other factors that make them stand apart from their peers.

There are eight schools in the original list of Public Ivy Leagues. This list has been expanded on several times, but the original eight are generally regarded as the mainstays of Public Ivies:

• College of William and Mary
• Miami University
• University of California
• University of Michigan
• University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
• University of Texas at Austin
• University of Vermont
• University of Virginia

In many of the above college and universities, it is not just the lower cost of tuition that sets them apart from the tradition Ivy League. The College of William and Mary, for instance, is older than all of the Ivy League schools except for Harvard. And the University of California, Berkeley is the leader in science education and research, outpacing all other traditional Ivy Leagues. Also, the athletics at all of the public ivies are generally better than traditional Ivies, because of funding and public support that many of the public ivies have for their athletic teams.

Although the schools that make up the Public Ivy Leagues are not actual Ivy League schools, they are as close as you can get in terms of public education. Moll spent years using very strict criteria to come up with this list. If you are looking for some of the best educational experiences in the country, but at a lower cost than traditional Ivy League Schools, you should give some thought to the schools listed above.

• College of William & Mary (Williamsburg, Virginia)
• Miami University (Oxford, Ohio)
• University of California[6]
• 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)

It has now been expanded to include 30 Universities and Colleges in the United States from 4 regions: Eastern, Western, Southern and the Great Lakes and Midwest and comprise of the following:

• College of William & Mary (Williamsburg, Virginia)
• Pennsylvania State University (State College)
• Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey (New Brunswick, New Jersey)
• State University of New York at Binghamton
• University of Connecticut
• University of Delaware (Newark)
• University of Maryland (College Park)
• University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
• University of Virginia (Charlottesville)
• University of Arizona (Tucson)
• University of California (6 of 10 campuses):
• Berkeley, Davis, Irvine, Los Angeles, San Diego, and Santa Barbara
• University of Colorado at Boulder
• University of Washington (Seattle)
• Indiana University (Bloomington)
• Miami University (Oxford, Ohio)
• Michigan State University (East Lansing)
• Ohio State University (Columbus)
• University of Illinois (Urbana-Champaign)
• University of Iowa (Iowa City)
• University of Michigan (Ann Arbor)
• University of Minnesota (Minneapolis-St. Paul)
• University of Wisconsin (Madison)
• University of Florida (Gainesville)
• University of Georgia (Athens)
• University of Texas at Austin

There are originally 8 Public Ivies Schools listed by Moll in 1985, which includes the ff colleges/universities:

• College of William & Mary (Williamsburg, Virginia)
• Miami University (Oxford, Ohio)
• University of California
• University of Michigan
• University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
• University of Texas at Austin
• University of Vermont (Burlington)
• University of Virginia (Charlottesville)

In 2001, an addition of 18 Public Ivy Schools was included in the updated list from Howard and Matthew Greene of Greene’s Guides.

Eastern
• Pennsylvania State University (State College)
• Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey (New Brunswick, New Jersey)
• State University of New York at Binghamton
• University of Connecticut
• University of Delaware
• University of Maryland

Western
• University of Arizona
• University of Colorado at Boulder
• University of Washington (Seattle)

Great Lakes & Midwest
• Indian University (Bloomington)
• Michigan State University (East Lansing)
• Ohio State University (Columbus)
• University of Illinois (Urbana-Champaign)
• University of Iowa (Iowa City)
• University of Minnesota (Minneapolis – St. Paul)
• University of Wisconsin (Madison)

Southern
• University of Florida (Gainesville)
• University of Georgia (Athens)

Although Moll and Greenes’ did not rightfully address the issue of prestige associated with the various schools reviewed. No direct comparison was made between a Public Ivy and any other school which has fuelled more controversies. There is also a difference in the Athletic side of Public Ivy Schools and Ivy Leagues due to the fact that Public Ivies need to rely on profits made during football/basketball matches and provides athletic scholarships in order to fund their athletic departments compared to Ivy Leagues wherein they do not have athletic scholarships.

There are originally 8 Richard Moll Public Ivy listed on his book in 1985, which includes the ff colleges/universities:

• College of William & Mary (Williamsburg, Virginia)
• Miami University (Oxford, Ohio)
• University of California
• University of Michigan
• University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
• University of Texas at Austin
• University of Vermont (Burlington)
• University of Virginia (Charlottesville)

The Richard Moll Public Ivy schools listed above, are still currently on the list till this day and are considered the best public schools to go apply for a value added education that is affordable for every applicant who wants the look and feel of an Ivy League school.