The online campus of the University of Phoenix--unencumbered by the constraint of a physical setting--boasts the largest student enrollment in the United States by a massive margin. American School and University magazine says that 301,323 students were enrolled at the university in the 2008-2009 school year.
Dry heat and sun envelops 67,082 students at the second-largest university in the United States--again, based on enrollment rather than physical campus attendance--Arizona State University. ASU's student body is spread among four campuses; the main campus at Tempe, plus two locations in Phoenix and one in Mesa.
Over the past several years, Arizona State has typically battled Ohio State University for the distinction of the largest physical university campus, with the two schools flip-flopping the title with regularity. In the 2008-2009 school year, the Buckeyes of Ohio State dropped to third with an attendance of 53,715 students.
The University of Florida holds claim to being the fourth-largest university in the nation with 51,474 students hunkered down with their books in spite of the allure of the sun and the Gainesville nightlife.
The University of Minnesota Twin Cities, located in Minneapolis, saw 51,140 enrolled at its school in 2008-2009. More than 4,100 faculty members provide education for future Golden Gopher alumni.
Orlando is home to the University of Central Florida, a school that doesn't mickey-mouse around when it comes to sheer numbers of students. This institution of higher learning enjoyed a student population of 50,121 in 2008-2009.
The University of Texas at Austin knows how to hook 'em. It's the largest school in the Lone Star state with 49,984 students--but just barely. The next two universities also hail from Texas.
Some 48,039 Aggies of Texas A&M attend the eighth-largest university in the country, stretched across a 5,200-acre campus, and dominating the relatively small city of College Station, Texas. The doors of the university opened in 1876.
Lansing is home to the 46,510 Spartans of Michigan State University. Founded in 1855 as the "Agricultural College of the State of Michigan," the school changed its name to Michigan State in 1964.
Nestled close to the Gulf of Mexico in Tampa, 46,189 students called the University of South Florida home in 2008-2009, making it the 10th-largest university in the United States.