Highest graduation rates – public universities

These 50 public universities rank highest by 6-year graduation rate, drawn from 721 institutions with reported data in the U.S. Department of Education data for 2024-25 (Scorecard). University of Virginia-Main Campus (Charlottesville, VA) leads at 95.6%.

Institutions ranked by Graduation rate (6-yr · first-time, full-time).
#	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	Auburn UniversityAL	82%
40	Colorado School of MinesCO	81.7%
41	Binghamton UniversityNY	81.6%
42	Michigan State UniversityMI	80.7%
43	Fashion Institute of TechnologyNY	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 U.S. Department of Education data for 2024-25 (Scorecard); federal collections lag the current academic year, and some measures are no longer published at all, so the most recent figure is not always a recent one. 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 Book a 20-minute call

Frequently asked

Which of these public universities ranks highest by 6-year graduation rate?

University of Virginia-Main Campus (Charlottesville, VA), at 95.6%. It leads 50 institutions shown here, drawn from 721 with reported data.

How is this ranking calculated?

On one disclosed metric only: by 6-year graduation rate, from College Scorecard & IPEDS, 2024-25 (Scorecard). Institutions that do not report the metric are excluded. It is a data ranking, not an Ibex endorsement, quality rating or reputation survey, and no part of it is estimated or AI-generated.

How current is the data?

This list is built from the College Scorecard release of June 10, 2026 and the newest IPEDS collection on disk, using the most recent figure each of them publishes for the metric it ranks: College Scorecard & IPEDS, 2024-25 (Scorecard). Federal collections lag the current academic year by two to three years, so the newest published figure is not always a recent one; the release the leaderboard is dated on is printed under it.

Source: U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard & IPEDS (each measure carries its own collection year; see the methodology), with NSF NCSES (HERD), the Clery Act & EADA collections, 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.