With the Common App opening last week, the beginning of the 2024-2025 college application season is looming over rising seniors. After observing the last few application cycles, one thing is clear: college is getting more competitive every year. For many students, Ivy Leagues are a dream that seems a million miles away, and other prestigious schools, such as New York University or Boston College, are getting farther away each year.
However, prestigious names aren't everything. If you open your mind to other phenomenal universities, you can still have a great college experience. Here are twenty-one of top-notch alternatives to highly competitive schools listed by location (and Big 10).
The Big 10
The Big 10 is a great organization: each school has impressive academics, high-level research, tight-knit alumni networks, and, of course, some of the best college sports and school spirit. These universities typically have a good work-life balance, and the students who go to a Big 10 school are always gushing about how much they love it. While every single university in the Big 10 is a great option, I'm going to highlight seven.
Penn State: Penn State is a well-known university with excellent academics, including the Smeal Business School and Schreyer Honors College. I am definitely biased because I am from Pennsylvania, but it arguably has the best football atmosphere out of every single university in the U.S. (white out).
Purdue: Purdue is a phenomenal STEM school, but it is also home to great programs across the board. Purdue also has a great basketball program and atmosphere.
Maryland: One of the new “public ivies,” Maryland offers many opportunities for internships in Washington, D.C., and strong business and law programs.
Wisconsin: Wisconsin is another new “public ivy” and hosts one of the best work-life balances. With tons of clubs and great academics, Wisconsin has it all. Along with this, Madison is a great college city to live in.
Ohio State: Ohio State is more STEM-focused, but similar to the other Big 10 schools, it is strong in every department. Everyone there also has tons of school spirit and will love to tell you that they go to Ohio State.
Vasily Koloda from Unsplash
Southern Schools
If you want to go to the South for college, there are tons of great options there as well! Southern universities typically have solid sports teams, tons of Greek life, and great climates. Along with this, all of these schools are bigger in size, so if you want a big school, these might be for you. Finally, Auburn, Clemson, and Georgia are located in college towns.
Auburn: The most important aspect to highlight at Auburn is the positive work environment (and the absolutely gorgeous campus).
Clemson: Clemson is home to some of the best Greek life and college football game days in the South. The town is also perfect for the size of the college.
University of Georgia: Attending the University of Georgia will be a huge asset if you want to go to graduate school. It has great graduate programs on campus, along with its convenient location only an hour and a half from Atlanta.
Florida State: Florida State has a student-centered education, which is great for students because everyone there wants to help you succeed. Also, seeing the live horse mascot during football games is a highlight of the FSU student experience.
There are also a ton of top-notch smaller schools in the South, such as Rollins, which is located in Florida.
Northeastern Universities
The Northeast is home to a ton of universities, which means that there is a close network between schools. These schools experience all four seasons, have great academics and student resources, and offer many opportunities for in-depth research. Also, it is easy to travel around the Northeast and visit all of the major cities on weekends or days off.
Brandeis: Brandeis is a research-focused institution that will provide you with plenty of opportunities to get involved. Its close location to Boston will also provide you with many more opportunities to connect with professionals off-campus.
UConn: UConn is one of the nation’s basketball centers (home to Paige Bueckers and the NCAA-winning men’s basketball team). It also has one of the top pharmacy programs in the nation, guaranteed acceptance programs to graduate schools, and the quintessential college town in Storrs.
Providence College: One unique feature of Providence College is that it is the only college in the U.S. run by Dominican Friars. There is also a 12:1 student-to-faculty ratio that allows students to cultivate close relationships with their professors while also still having connections to the larger city of Providence and the other universities within it.
Syracuse: Syracuse is a highly ranked school for journalism, which is evident through the facilities and programming at the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications. Syracuse also has an impressive study abroad office, with many different opportunities for students to spend time exploring the world.
Zabdiel Gonzalez from Unsplash
Mid-America (Texas and Colorado)
The Midwest/Mid-America region is known for one of its best features: the great outdoors. Each university located here has excellent surrounding areas. Additionally, you can easily connect with one of the nearby cities for internship and research opportunities. For the purposes of this article, we are focusing on four schools from Texas and Colorado, but there are many more colleges in the area that you can explore if you’re interested in this region.
University of Denver: The University of Denver boasts an impressive hockey program, including winning the NCAA Men's Frozen Four Championship last year. If you love nature, Denver’s picturesque location will be perfect for you; there are tons of hiking trails and opportunities to get outdoors near campus.
CU Boulder: If you want to pursue a STEM degree, particularly in Earth and space sciences, CU Boulder could be the place for you (they specialize in these disciplines). Additionally, every student at CU Boulder speaks highly of their time there and the opportunities the university connects them with during and after their undergraduate experience.
Texas A&M: As one of the largest public universities in the U.S., Texas A&M offers around 140 different undergraduate degrees. They also have all-around great sports programs, and attending sports events (especially football) is one of the best student experiences on campus.
Baylor: Baylor is an excellent choice for anyone aspiring to be a lawyer, as they established the first law school in Texas. Baylor also has two live mascots on campus, so you can take a walk or run around campus and stop to see the bears!
West Coast
The West Coast is a great place to attend college. It offers major cities, beaches, mountains, and smaller towns. There are numerous opportunities to connect with other colleges since many are located in or around the same big cities. West Coast schools can also provide you with plenty of opportunities for job connections or graduate programs during your time as an undergraduate.
Pepperdine: Pepperdine's claim to fame is its role as the set of the hit Nickelodeon show Zoey 101. The school also offers small, discussion-based class sizes and many opportunities to connect with professors. Besides, who wouldn't want to live in Malibu?
University of San Diego: The University of San Diego has an impressive business program and solid programs in computer science as well. San Diego is also a great place to spend four years because the weather is truly perfect, and the beach is nearby.
Washington: A new member of the Big 10 athletic conference, Washington is home to great sports and excellent academic programs. Its location in Seattle is perfect for undergraduates; there are tons of opportunities to network.
Applying to college is hard, but hopefully, you found one or two ideas for top-notch alternatives in this article! There are so many great schools in the U.S. - it will definitely be hard to choose one. However, here’s a takeaway for you: The college you attend doesn’t matter as much as the opportunities you make the most of while you are there. Good luck!
