Tuition
The major difference between public colleges or universities and private colleges or universities lies in how they are funded. Meanwhile, private colleges don’t receive funds from state legislatures. They rely heavily on tuition and private contributions. This means tuition fees for private institutions are generally higher.
Public colleges unlike the Private ones do not rely heavily on tuition fees and private contributions. Tuition fee for public colleges need not cover all the expenses like paying the resources.
Private universities receive no funding from the government. Since all programs and operating costs are funded by private individuals, students must cover the full cost of attendance (without subsidies from the state).
The end result is that tuition at private universities is more expensive than tuition at public universities.
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Size and the diversity of the courses offered
The public universities or colleges are much big in size compared to the private colleges.
There is a myriad of career options in the undergraduate category for public colleges or universities as compared to the private colleges. The courses range from traditional liberal arts to modern hi-tech courses.
Whereas, some of the private colleges offer STEM courses, while some have majors in liberal arts. However, many private colleges offer the opportunity to customize the program of study by working in close nexus with advisers.
Class size and demographics w.r.t in-state and out-of-state admissions
The class size and teacher-student ration is much small in private colleges than in public institution.
Moreover, the in-state students are enrolled in greater numbers with lesser tuition fees in public institutions than out-of-state enrolments. State residents pay taxes that help fund their state’s public universities. As a result, the government covers part of the cost of attendance at public colleges. This is why tuition is cheaper for in-state residents than it is for out-of-state residents.
However, state residency is not at all a crucial advantage in private colleges, which hence welcome a wider geographical diversity of students.
Research facility vs. Intern
The public universities often have better facilities due to government funding. The funding is mostly allocated in research and innovations.
For scientific research, public universities offer expert and experienced resources.
Private colleges, on the other hand, may give the chance to work on research with a professor in the specific domain.
The campus life
Having the ‘party school’ reputation, public universities have more of an energetic and buoyant campus life, thriving on sports and other co-curricular.
Whereas, the private institutions, though focus on a holistic approach, have a more peaceful campus life. Elite private institutions are popular in enrolling scholars and hence the focus is expected to be more on academics than other areas.
Financial aid
Private institutions frequently offer more substantial tuition discounts than do public universities. Both public and private colleges can provide federal financial aid to students, but private institutions typically have more money available to fund grants and scholarships.
Depending on where the college/university is, a student may be able to request a financial aid package that includes tuition assistance in the form of a discount or even tuition remission based on strong academic profile, holistic development, contribution to the community in the form of service, demographic background, financial state and the contribution of the family.
Federal Student Aid (FSA), an office of the U.S. Department of Education, is the largest provider of student financial aid in the United States. Federal Student Aid provides student financial assistance in the form of grants, loans, and work-study funds.
The general eligibility requirements include that a student qualifies for financial need are being a U.S. citizen or eligible noncitizen, and are enrolled in an eligible degree or certificate program at the college/university.
Public universities, which tend to be larger in size, are better able to offer work-study opportunities to a greater number of students. While private colleges are generally more expensive, their ability to offer more attractive financial aid packages in the form of scholarships can sometimes make them more affordable than public universities.
Accreditation
A school can be accredited nationally, regionally, or not at all. Regional accreditation, considered as the gold standard of accreditation, is associated with excellence with the highest educational standards. Nearly all public universities are regionally accredited, while many private colleges are only accredited nationally. Certain private schools, like those with a religious affiliation, may prefer national accreditation (such as from a church’s accrediting body) over regional accreditation.
Alert-For-profit private colleges with no accreditation are notoriously scandalous and should be avoided.
Secular vs. Religious Affiliation
Public colleges and universities are secular with no formal affiliation with any religion. Private colleges may be religiously affiliated. Non-secular private colleges do not typically require strict scrutiny and observation of the school’s religion in order to gain admission. but secular students may love to operate on the axis of culture and religious neutrality, thereby preferring secular institutions.
The prestige quotient
The perceived ‘esteem’ of public universities differs from that of private colleges. Public universities rank comparatively lower than private schools, and frequently have less selective admissions criteria. However, it is also true that some public colleges/universities are weighted equally like the private ones. The quality of education received at a private institution is not necessarily superior to that at a public school. The graduates of highly-ranked or Ivy League have a high demand in the job market.
The private colleges or universities are institutions of higher learning funded by private donors and individuals who are not part of the government.
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Stanford University
Harvard University
Yale University
University of Pennsylvania
Public universities are institutions of higher learning funded by state governments. Top public universities include:
University of Michigan
University of Virginia
University of California-Los Angeles (UCLA)
University States Military Academy at West Point
University of California-Berkeley
Georgia Institute of Technology
