Random College Generator: 151 US Colleges With City, State and Size

One press draws a real US college with its city and state, public or private status, fall 2023 enrolment and a dot on the state map, from one state or all 50.

Random College Generator: 151 US Colleges With City, State and Size

  1. University of Hawaii-West Oahu
  2. Johns Hopkins University
  3. Brown University
  4. Carroll College
  5. Oklahoma State University
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Seen 5 of 151

Tip: the space bar makes new ones.

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Next step A public college. Draw a state to compareDraw a US city

Random College Generator: 151 US Colleges With City, State and Size: how it works

This random college generator gives every state and Washington, D.C. up to three cards: its largest public college, its largest private nonprofit one and the next largest of either. That makes 151 real colleges, from Western Governors University with 185,015 students to Alaska Pacific University with 578. Each card adds the city, state, fall 2023 enrolment and a map dot.

Give me a random college: class draws and research projects

For a college research project, set the count to 1 and give each student one press. No card repeats, so no two students share a school. To compare like with like, set Type to Public or Private nonprofit. The State list cuts the draw to one state, and the link keeps it: #state=ohio opens on Ohio's three cards.

A random university generator for games, stories and campus trips

Starting a coaching career in a college sports game? Draw one card and take that job. Writers can pick a random college as a character's alma mater and get its town too. Planning campus visits? Set Region to yours and draw 10. Lock any within a day's drive and reroll. West plus Private nonprofit leaves 11 colleges.

Tips

  • Draw two colleges and guess which enrols more. In California the private card wins: the University of Southern California had 469 more students than the University of California, Los Angeles.
  • Press Hide all details and guess each city before you tap the cover. Columbia is the answer twice, for the University of Missouri and the University of South Carolina, yet Columbia University is in New York City.
  • Tap a letter first. U holds 69 of the 151 cards, because so many names start with University of.

Questions and answers

Why is Harvard not on the list?

Size picks the cards, not fame or rankings. Massachusetts gets the University of Massachusetts Amherst, Boston University and Northeastern University, which had 773 more students than Harvard in fall 2023. Stanford, MIT and Princeton miss out the same way.

Is this college randomizer only for US colleges?

Yes. Every card is a four-year college in one of the 50 states or Washington, D.C. Community colleges, for-profit colleges, graduate-only schools and the territories are left out. Wyoming has one card, the University of Wyoming, because no other college there fits those rules. This page is not affiliated with or endorsed by any college named on it.

What do the student numbers count?

Everyone enrolled in fall 2023, undergraduate and graduate together, as each college reported it to the National Center for Education Statistics. Johns Hopkins University shows 30,362 students, but only 6,089 are undergraduates. A number covers the one campus named, never a whole university system, and 11 cards say Mostly online.

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All 151 colleges

Northeast 27

  • Boston University Largest private nonprofit college in Massachusetts. Boston. 36,624 students in fall 2023.
  • Brown University Largest private nonprofit college in Rhode Island. Providence. 11,516 students in fall 2023.
  • Champlain College Largest private nonprofit college in Vermont. Burlington. 3,328 students in fall 2023.
  • Columbia University Private nonprofit college in New York City, New York. 35,279 students in fall 2023.
  • Dartmouth College Private nonprofit college in Hanover, New Hampshire. 6,746 students in fall 2023.
  • Montclair State University Public four-year college in Montclair, New Jersey. 22,570 students in fall 2023.
  • New York University Largest private nonprofit college in New York. New York City. 57,335 students in fall 2023.
  • Northeastern University Private nonprofit college in Boston, Massachusetts. 31,159 students in fall 2023.
  • Pennsylvania State University Largest public four-year college in Pennsylvania. State College. 50,399 students in fall 2023.
  • Rhode Island College Public four-year college in Providence, Rhode Island. 5,767 students in fall 2023.
  • Rutgers University-New Brunswick Largest public four-year college in New Jersey. New Brunswick. 50,617 students in fall 2023.
  • Sacred Heart University Private nonprofit college in Fairfield, Connecticut. 11,179 students in fall 2023.
  • Seton Hall University Largest private nonprofit college in New Jersey. South Orange. 9,494 students in fall 2023.
  • Southern New Hampshire University Largest private nonprofit college in New Hampshire. Manchester. 184,099 students in fall 2023. Mostly online.
  • University at Buffalo Largest public four-year college in New York. Buffalo. 31,889 students in fall 2023.
  • University of Connecticut Largest public four-year college in Connecticut. Storrs. 27,364 students in fall 2023.
  • University of Maine Largest public four-year college in Maine. Orono. 11,760 students in fall 2023.
  • University of Massachusetts Amherst Largest public four-year college in Massachusetts. Amherst. 31,810 students in fall 2023.
  • University of New England Largest private nonprofit college in Maine. Biddeford. 6,473 students in fall 2023.
  • University of New Hampshire Largest public four-year college in New Hampshire. Durham. 13,626 students in fall 2023.
  • University of Pennsylvania Largest private nonprofit college in Pennsylvania. Philadelphia. 28,711 students in fall 2023.
  • University of Pittsburgh Public four-year college in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. 34,525 students in fall 2023.
  • University of Rhode Island Largest public four-year college in Rhode Island. Kingston. 17,351 students in fall 2023.
  • University of Southern Maine Public four-year college in Portland, Maine. 7,528 students in fall 2023.
  • University of Vermont Largest public four-year college in Vermont. Burlington. 14,320 students in fall 2023.
  • Vermont State University Public four-year college in Randolph, Vermont. 5,136 students in fall 2023.
  • Yale University Largest private nonprofit college in Connecticut. New Haven. 15,081 students in fall 2023.

Midwest 36

  • Augustana University Largest private nonprofit college in South Dakota. Sioux Falls. 2,158 students in fall 2023.
  • Bellevue University Largest private nonprofit college in Nebraska. Bellevue. 14,476 students in fall 2023. Mostly online.
  • Case Western Reserve University Largest private nonprofit college in Ohio. Cleveland. 12,266 students in fall 2023.
  • Drake University Largest private nonprofit college in Iowa. Des Moines. 4,504 students in fall 2023.
  • Indiana University Bloomington Public four-year college in Bloomington, Indiana. 47,527 students in fall 2023.
  • Iowa State University Largest public four-year college in Iowa. Ames. 30,177 students in fall 2023.
  • Kansas State University Public four-year college in Manhattan, Kansas. 19,745 students in fall 2023.
  • Marquette University Largest private nonprofit college in Wisconsin. Milwaukee. 11,373 students in fall 2023.
  • Michigan State University Public four-year college in East Lansing, Michigan. 51,316 students in fall 2023.
  • Minnesota State University, Mankato Public four-year college in Mankato, Minnesota. 14,709 students in fall 2023.
  • Missouri State University Public four-year college in Springfield, Missouri. 23,418 students in fall 2023.
  • Newman University Largest private nonprofit college in Kansas. Wichita. 2,787 students in fall 2023.
  • North Dakota State University Public four-year college in Fargo, North Dakota. 11,952 students in fall 2023.
  • Northwestern University Largest private nonprofit college in Illinois. Evanston. 23,203 students in fall 2023.
  • Ohio State University Largest public four-year college in Ohio. Columbus. 60,046 students in fall 2023.
  • Purdue University Largest public four-year college in Indiana. West Lafayette. 52,905 students in fall 2023.
  • Saint Louis University Largest private nonprofit college in Missouri. St. Louis. 17,202 students in fall 2023.
  • South Dakota State University Largest public four-year college in South Dakota. Brookings. 11,498 students in fall 2023.
  • University of Cincinnati Public four-year college in Cincinnati, Ohio. 43,338 students in fall 2023.
  • University of Detroit Mercy Largest private nonprofit college in Michigan. Detroit. 5,528 students in fall 2023.
  • University of Illinois Chicago Public four-year college in Chicago, Illinois. 33,522 students in fall 2023.
  • University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Largest public four-year college in Illinois. Champaign. 56,563 students in fall 2023.
  • University of Iowa Public four-year college in Iowa City, Iowa. 30,042 students in fall 2023.
  • University of Kansas Largest public four-year college in Kansas. Lawrence. 28,406 students in fall 2023.
  • University of Mary Largest private nonprofit college in North Dakota. Bismarck. 3,794 students in fall 2023.
  • University of Michigan Largest public four-year college in Michigan. Ann Arbor. 52,065 students in fall 2023.
  • University of Minnesota Twin Cities Largest public four-year college in Minnesota. Minneapolis. 54,890 students in fall 2023.
  • University of Missouri Largest public four-year college in Missouri. Columbia. 31,013 students in fall 2023.
  • University of Nebraska at Omaha Public four-year college in Omaha, Nebraska. 15,015 students in fall 2023.
  • University of Nebraska-Lincoln Largest public four-year college in Nebraska. Lincoln. 23,986 students in fall 2023.
  • University of North Dakota Largest public four-year college in North Dakota. Grand Forks. 14,172 students in fall 2023.
  • University of Notre Dame Largest private nonprofit college in Indiana. Notre Dame, beside South Bend. 13,174 students in fall 2023.
  • University of South Dakota Public four-year college in Vermillion, South Dakota. 9,868 students in fall 2023.
  • University of St. Thomas Largest private nonprofit college in Minnesota. Saint Paul. 9,121 students in fall 2023.
  • University of Wisconsin-Madison Largest public four-year college in Wisconsin. Madison. 49,605 students in fall 2023.
  • University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Public four-year college in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. 22,481 students in fall 2023.

South 51

  • Anderson University Largest private nonprofit college in South Carolina. Anderson. 4,325 students in fall 2023.
  • Arkansas State University Public four-year college in Jonesboro, Arkansas. 14,032 students in fall 2023.
  • Auburn University Public four-year college in Auburn, Alabama. 33,015 students in fall 2023.
  • Baylor University Largest private nonprofit college in Texas. Waco. 20,824 students in fall 2023.
  • Clemson University Public four-year college in Clemson, South Carolina. 28,747 students in fall 2023.
  • Delaware State University Public four-year college in Dover, Delaware. 5,828 students in fall 2023. A historically Black university.
  • Duke University Largest private nonprofit college in North Carolina. Durham. 17,112 students in fall 2023.
  • George Mason University Largest public four-year college in Virginia. Fairfax. 39,527 students in fall 2023.
  • George Washington University Largest private nonprofit college in Washington, D.C. 25,568 students in fall 2023.
  • Georgetown University Private nonprofit college in Washington, D.C. 20,392 students in fall 2023.
  • Georgia Institute of Technology Largest public four-year college in Georgia. Atlanta. 47,946 students in fall 2023.
  • Harding University Largest private nonprofit college in Arkansas. Searcy. 4,608 students in fall 2023.
  • Johns Hopkins University Largest private nonprofit college in Maryland. Baltimore. 30,362 students in fall 2023.
  • Kennesaw State University Public four-year college in Kennesaw, Georgia. 45,069 students in fall 2023.
  • Liberty University Largest private nonprofit college in Virginia. Lynchburg. 103,068 students in fall 2023. Mostly online.
  • Louisiana State University Largest public four-year college in Louisiana. Baton Rouge. 39,418 students in fall 2023.
  • Marshall University Public four-year college in Huntington, West Virginia. 11,027 students in fall 2023.
  • Mississippi State University Public four-year college beside Starkville, Mississippi. 22,657 students in fall 2023.
  • North Carolina State University Largest public four-year college in North Carolina. Raleigh. 37,323 students in fall 2023.
  • Nova Southeastern University Largest private nonprofit college in Florida. Fort Lauderdale. 20,877 students in fall 2023.
  • Oklahoma State University Public four-year college in Stillwater, Oklahoma. 26,043 students in fall 2023.
  • Oral Roberts University Largest private nonprofit college in Oklahoma. Tulsa. 5,365 students in fall 2023.
  • Samford University Largest private nonprofit college in Alabama. Birmingham. 5,791 students in fall 2023.
  • Savannah College of Art and Design Largest private nonprofit college in Georgia. Savannah. 17,575 students in fall 2023.
  • Texas A&M University Largest public four-year college in Texas. College Station. 76,633 students in fall 2023.
  • Tulane University Largest private nonprofit college in Louisiana. New Orleans. 13,078 students in fall 2023.
  • University of Alabama Largest public four-year college in Alabama. Tuscaloosa. 39,622 students in fall 2023.
  • University of Arkansas Largest public four-year college in Arkansas. Fayetteville. 32,140 students in fall 2023.
  • University of Central Florida Largest public four-year college in Florida. Orlando. 69,233 students in fall 2023.
  • University of Charleston Largest private nonprofit college in West Virginia. Charleston. 2,758 students in fall 2023. Mostly online.
  • University of Delaware Largest public four-year college in Delaware. Newark. 24,221 students in fall 2023.
  • University of Florida Public four-year college in Gainesville, Florida. 54,814 students in fall 2023.
  • University of Kentucky Largest public four-year college in Kentucky. Lexington. 32,703 students in fall 2023.
  • University of Louisiana at Lafayette Public four-year college in Lafayette, Louisiana. 15,345 students in fall 2023.
  • University of Louisville Public four-year college in Louisville, Kentucky. 22,139 students in fall 2023.
  • University of Maryland Global Campus Largest public four-year college in Maryland. Adelphi. 60,084 students in fall 2023. Mostly online.
  • University of Maryland, College Park Public four-year college in College Park, Maryland. 40,813 students in fall 2023.
  • University of Memphis Public four-year college in Memphis, Tennessee. 21,736 students in fall 2023.
  • University of Mississippi Largest public four-year college in Mississippi. University, beside Oxford. 24,043 students in fall 2023.
  • University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Public four-year college in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. 32,234 students in fall 2023.
  • University of Oklahoma Largest public four-year college in Oklahoma. Norman. 29,145 students in fall 2023.
  • University of South Carolina Largest public four-year college in South Carolina. Columbia. 36,579 students in fall 2023.
  • University of Tennessee, Knoxville Largest public four-year college in Tennessee. Knoxville. 36,304 students in fall 2023.
  • University of Texas at Austin Public four-year college in Austin, Texas. 53,082 students in fall 2023.
  • University of the Cumberlands Largest private nonprofit college in Kentucky. Williamsburg. 20,327 students in fall 2023. Mostly online.
  • University of the District of Columbia The only public university in Washington, D.C., and historically Black. 3,855 students in fall 2023.
  • Vanderbilt University Largest private nonprofit college in Tennessee. Nashville. 13,456 students in fall 2023.
  • Virginia Tech Public four-year college in Blacksburg, Virginia. 38,294 students in fall 2023.
  • West Virginia University Largest public four-year college in West Virginia. Morgantown. 24,200 students in fall 2023.
  • William Carey University Largest private nonprofit college in Mississippi. Hattiesburg. 5,448 students in fall 2023.
  • Wilmington University Largest private nonprofit college in Delaware. New Castle. 14,678 students in fall 2023. Mostly online.

West 37

  • Alaska Pacific University Largest private nonprofit college in Alaska. Anchorage. 578 students in fall 2023.
  • Arizona State University Largest public four-year college in Arizona. Tempe. 79,593 students on campus in fall 2023.
  • Boise State University Largest public four-year college in Idaho. Boise. 26,670 students in fall 2023.
  • Brigham Young University-Idaho Largest private nonprofit college in Idaho. Rexburg. 42,996 students in fall 2023. Mostly online.
  • Carroll College Largest private nonprofit college in Montana. Helena. 1,103 students in fall 2023.
  • Colorado State University Public four-year college in Fort Collins, Colorado. 33,500 students in fall 2023.
  • Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, Prescott Largest private nonprofit undergraduate college in Arizona. Prescott. 3,286 students in fall 2023.
  • George Fox University Largest private nonprofit college in Oregon. Newberg. 4,531 students in fall 2023.
  • Gonzaga University Largest private nonprofit college in Washington. Spokane. 7,306 students in fall 2023.
  • Hawaii Pacific University Largest private nonprofit college in Hawaii. Honolulu. 4,748 students in fall 2023.
  • Idaho State University Public four-year college in Pocatello, Idaho. 12,614 students in fall 2023.
  • Montana State University Largest public four-year college in Montana. Bozeman. 16,960 students in fall 2023.
  • Nevada State University Public four-year college in Henderson, Nevada. 7,283 students in fall 2023.
  • New Mexico State University Public four-year college in Las Cruces, New Mexico. 14,779 students in fall 2023.
  • Oregon State University Largest public four-year college in Oregon. Corvallis. 35,622 students in fall 2023.
  • University of Alaska Anchorage Largest public four-year college in Alaska. Anchorage. 10,796 students in fall 2023.
  • University of Alaska Fairbanks Public four-year college in Fairbanks, Alaska. 6,640 students in fall 2023.
  • University of Arizona Public four-year college in Tucson, Arizona. 53,001 students in fall 2023.
  • University of California, Berkeley Public four-year college in Berkeley, California. 45,699 students in fall 2023.
  • University of California, Los Angeles Largest public four-year college in California. Los Angeles. 46,678 students in fall 2023.
  • University of Colorado Boulder Largest public four-year college in Colorado. Boulder. 41,432 students in fall 2023.
  • University of Denver Largest private nonprofit college in Colorado. Denver. 13,387 students in fall 2023.
  • University of Hawaii at Manoa Largest public four-year college in Hawaii. Honolulu. 19,256 students in fall 2023.
  • University of Hawaii-West Oahu Public four-year college in Kapolei, Hawaii. 2,863 students in fall 2023. Mostly online.
  • University of Montana Public four-year college in Missoula, Montana. 10,327 students in fall 2023.
  • University of Nevada, Las Vegas Largest public four-year college in Nevada. Las Vegas. 31,094 students in fall 2023.
  • University of Nevada, Reno Public four-year college in Reno, Nevada. 21,778 students in fall 2023.
  • University of New Mexico Largest public four-year college in New Mexico. Albuquerque. 22,700 students in fall 2023.
  • University of Oregon Public four-year college in Eugene, Oregon. 23,786 students in fall 2023.
  • University of Southern California Largest private nonprofit college in California. Los Angeles. 47,147 students in fall 2023.
  • University of the Southwest Largest private nonprofit college in New Mexico. Hobbs. 1,034 students in fall 2023. Mostly online.
  • University of Utah Public four-year college in Salt Lake City, Utah. 35,260 students in fall 2023.
  • University of Washington Largest public four-year college in Washington. Seattle. 55,620 students in fall 2023.
  • University of Wyoming Wyoming's only card: no other college there fits the list's rules. Laramie. 10,913 students in fall 2023.
  • Utah Valley University Largest public four-year college in Utah. Orem. 44,651 students in fall 2023.
  • Washington State University Public four-year college in Pullman, Washington. 26,490 students in fall 2023.
  • Western Governors University Largest private nonprofit college in Utah. Salt Lake City. 185,015 students in fall 2023. Mostly online.

How this list was compiled: Rows, cities, public or private control and coordinates: NCES IPEDS Institutional Characteristics directory file HD2024 (2024-25 collection), https://nces.ed.gov/ipeds/datacenter/data/HD2024.zip. Student counts: IPEDS derived fall enrolment file DRVEF2023 (total, undergraduate and graduate enrolment in fall 2023, the newest fall file published; DRVEF2024 was not yet posted), https://nces.ed.gov/ipeds/datacenter/data/DRVEF2023.zip. Both downloaded and checked 2026-09-18. How the 151 were chosen: from the 1,507 active, degree-granting, Title IV public and private nonprofit four-year colleges in the 50 states and Washington, D.C. that enrol undergraduates and that the Carnegie 2021 basic classification lists as baccalaureate, master's or doctoral (classes 15 to 22; the mixed and unclassed codes 14, 23 and -2 count only where IPEDS files the college as primarily baccalaureate or above), each state gets its largest public college, its largest private nonprofit college and the next largest of either kind, by total fall 2023 enrolment. Wyoming has one college on those terms, so it has one row; Nevada has no private nonprofit college on those terms, so its three rows are public. IPEDS counts each reporting campus on its own, so a university system's branch campuses are never added together, and 'largest' on a card always means largest on these terms. Left out on purpose: for-profit colleges, community colleges that award a few bachelor's degrees, special-focus schools (health, law, seminaries and the like), tribal colleges, graduate-only schools, the territories, and Arizona State University Digital Immersion, which is the online reporting unit of a college already listed, so Arizona State's count covers campus students only. Card names are the everyday names, reviewed by hand; the exact IPEDS name is kept in x.ipedsName. 'Mostly online' means IPEDS reports half or more of students enrolled only in distance education. Campus place wording for University (Mississippi), Mississippi State, Notre Dame and University Park (shown as State College), and the line that the University of the District of Columbia is the city's only public university, were checked on English Wikipedia. Pictures: state outlines from the Census Bureau's cb_2024_us_state_20m cartographic boundary file with a dot at the IPEDS coordinates; no logo, seal, mascot or team colour is used anywhere. Licence: Facts from US government open data (NCES IPEDS, Census Bureau), public domain. Wording and selection are our own.