Highest graduation rates — public universities

These 50 public universities rank highest by 6-year graduation rate, drawn from 568 institutions with reported data in the most recent U.S. Department of Education release (2024-25). University of Virginia-Main Campus (Charlottesville, VA) leads at 95.6%.

#	Institution	Graduation rate (6-yr · first-time, full-time)
1	University of Virginia-Main CampusVA	95.6%
2	Georgia Institute of Technology-Main CampusGA	94%
3	University of Michigan-Ann ArborMI	93.2%
4	United States Naval AcademyMD	92.9%
5	University of California-BerkeleyCA	92.8%
6	United States Coast Guard AcademyCT	92.7%
7	University of California-Los AngelesCA	92.6%
8	University of North Carolina at Chapel HillNC	91.2%
9	University of FloridaFL	91.1%
10	University of GeorgiaGA	89.7%
11	University of Wisconsin-MadisonWI	89.5%
12	William & MaryVA	89.4%
13	The University of Texas at AustinTX	88.9%
14	University of Maryland-College ParkMD	88.6%
15	Ohio State University-Main CampusOH	87.7%
16	United States Air Force AcademyCO	87.5%
17	United States Military AcademyNY	87.1%
18	University of California-IrvineCA	86.9%
19	Clemson UniversitySC	86.6%
20	California Polytechnic State University-San Luis ObispoCA	86.4%
21	Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State UniversityVA	86.2%
22	Pennsylvania State University-Main CampusPA	86.1%
23	University of California-San DiegoCA	86.1%
24	The College of New JerseyNJ	85.9%
25	University of California-DavisCA	85.7%
26	Florida State UniversityFL	85.6%
27	University of Pittsburgh-Pittsburgh CampusPA	85.5%
28	University of Minnesota-Twin CitiesMN	85.3%
29	University of Washington-Seattle CampusWA	85.2%
30	University of Illinois Urbana-ChampaignIL	85.1%
31	North Carolina State University at RaleighNC	84.8%
32	University of Florida-OnlineFL	84.7%
33	Texas A&M University-College StationTX	83.9%
34	Rutgers University-New BrunswickNJ	83.6%
35	University of ConnecticutCT	83.3%
36	University of Massachusetts-AmherstMA	83.3%
37	Purdue University-Main CampusIN	83.1%
38	University of California-Santa BarbaraCA	83%
39	United States Merchant Marine AcademyNY	82.4%
40	Auburn UniversityAL	82%
41	Colorado School of MinesCO	81.7%
42	Binghamton UniversityNY	81.6%
43	Michigan State UniversityMI	80.7%
44	University of DelawareDE	80.5%
45	Indiana University-BloomingtonIN	80.2%
46	Miami University-OxfordOH	79.8%
47	James Madison UniversityVA	79.7%
48	University of South Carolina-ColumbiaSC	78.8%
49	University of VermontVT	78.6%
50	University of Central FloridaFL	78%

A data ranking — not an Ibex endorsement or quality rating. Ranked solely on the metric named above using the most recent College Scorecard & IPEDS release, which lags the current academic year by 2–3 years. Institutions that do not report this metric are excluded. Figures and peer context appear on each institution’s profile.

Benchmark any school against its true peers

Open the dashboard to filter by sector, Carnegie class, size, and state, or compare schools head-to-head.

Browse & filter

Source: U.S. Department of Education — College Scorecard & IPEDS (most recent release, 2024-25), with Census ACS, BLS Employment Projections, WICHE & the FSA Direct Loan Dashboard. Compiled by Ibex Insights. For informational benchmarking only — not financial, investment, or accreditation advice. See the methodology.