Public colleges offer individuals a means to achieve higher education for a much lower price than a private college. While private colleges may be expensive, they have other advantages, such as a strong alumni network and legacy. Also, private colleges like the Ivy League tend to be more prestigious and exclusive. Public colleges may also be harder to get into because it attracts a huge number of applicants, resulting in a high level of competition.
Public colleges require applicants to apply a year before before they intend to enroll. Private colleges offer applicants a chance to apply through an early acceptance program. Using this program, private colleges will let applicants know if they're admitted a month or two after they apply. To apply through the early admittance program, applicants make a promise to the college that they will matriculate if they are offered admission.
There are a wide variety of private and public colleges. City, state and community colleges are public colleges, while private colleges may include religious, liberal arts and technology colleges. There are also vocational and technical schools that may be public or private. Usually, public colleges are named after a locale they're in, such as the City College of New York system and the University of California.
Public colleges tend to enroll more students than private colleges; they usually have a student body of 15,000 to 25,000 students, while private colleges usually have fewer than 10,000 students. Private colleges pride themselves in having smaller class sizes, with a lower student to professor ratio. Private colleges are also more close-knit socially because of the smaller student body size.
Price is an important factor to consider when choosing between a public and private college. Private colleges tend to be expensive on the outset, but they may offer more scholarship money from their donors. Public college tuition is state subsidized and may be a good choice for families that may not be able to afford a private college tuition.