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Top ten schools by population
More Americans than ever are choosing college. This is because many older Americans choose to go back to school and pursue past dreams and passions. There are also more opportunities for financial aid and grants than ever before.
The National Center for Education Statistics anticipates a steady increase in colleges and forecasts a 13 to 20 percent increase over the next decade. Recent statistics show that 14 million students attended colleges in 2002 and that number rose to over 17 million in 2004.
Based on the enrollment documents from 2004, here are the top 10:
1. University of Phoenix Online: Total Student Body – 115,794
o The University of Phoenix Online is a for-profit online school that enables students to study at an accelerated pace with flexible scheduling. The courses and content enable students to graduate in less time and are more focused on work and career.
2. Miami Dade College: Total number of students – 57,026
o Miami Dade College is a government sponsored community college offering associate degrees on eight different campuses and through internet courses. In 2003, Miami Dade College also began offering Bachelor of Science degrees in education. Enrollment is high because students can study in multiple different locations and they offer affordable courses to low-income locals or English as a second language.
3. Ohio State University, Main Campus: Total Students – 50,995
o Ohio State University is a very large school and its undergraduate programs include more than 170 majors. Students have a variety of options to choose from. They also offer exploration programs to help students find the degree program that is right for them. In addition to having a large number of undergraduate programs, they also have 110 graduate programs for students pursuing a college degree. Ohio State is also popular because they are a Big 10 school and always rank high among the best college football teams.
4. University of Minnesota, Twin Cities: Total Student Admissions – 50,949
o The University of Minnesota is a public university and land grant college. You have a long history of excellence in education and public service. They are one of the highest rated colleges with over 147 majors and thousands of courses. The University of Minnesota is the country’s premier public research university and has state-of-the-art educational facilities for learning and research.
5. University of Texas at Austin: Total Student Population – 50,337
o Affectionately known as UT throughout the state of Texas, the University of Texas at Austin is the largest college in the University of Texas system. They are a major research campus, offering business, information and legal, educational and engineering programs.
6. Arizona State University, Tempe Campus: Total Student Population – 49,171
o The Tempe Campus is the founding of Arizona State University. The campus focuses on learning, new knowledge development, and service. The Tempe campus opened in 1885 and is the most popular campus in the Arizona State University system.
7. University of Florida: Total Student Body – 47,993
o The University of Florida is Florida’s oldest and most comprehensive university. They are an ideal location for health professions students and feature the McKnight Brain Institute and the Genetics and Cancer Research Center.
8. Michigan State University: Total Student Population – 44,836
Michigan State University has been an innovative college with global reach for over 150 years. MSU is also known for its large study abroad programs, which are among the top three in the country.
9. Texas A&M University: Total Student Population – 42,435
o Texas A&M University offers more than 150 degree programs at several different colleges. They have awarded more than 320,000 degrees and more than 70,000 degrees. They also have incredible numbers on student retention rates.
10. University of Central Florida: Total Student Population – 42,465
o The University of Central Florida is located in Orlando. One of the goals of the UCF is to become the Florida undergraduate education and gain international notoriety in graduate and research studies.
