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10 Universities With the Largest Undergraduate Student Populations

By WTOP Staff

The U.S. News Short List, separate from our overall rankings, is a regular series that magnifies individual data points in hopes of providing students and parents a way to find which undergraduate or graduate programs excel or have room to grow in specific areas. Be sure to explore The Short List: College and The Short List: Grad School to find data that matter to you in your college or grad school search.

College isn’t a one-size-fits-all kind of experience.

Some students crave a college with few students and lots of one-on-one attention from faculty and staff. Others want a university the size of a small city, with all the majors, sports and amenities a large campus can offer.

For the bigger-is-better type student, the 10 universities with the largest undergraduate populations in fall 2013 enrolled an average of 43,186 students. Among the 1,248 ranked universities responding to an annual U.S. News survey, the average was 6,154.

[Make a large college feel like home.]

Everything is bigger in Texas — and in Florida — with two schools from each state landing on the list of the largest 10 universities.

The most populous school in fall 2013 was the University of Central Florida, tied with seven other schools at No. 173 in the National Universities rankings, with 51,269 undergraduate students.

DeVry University, a for-profit institution with more than 85 locations across the U.S., had the second-largest undergraduate student body. It was the largest in fall 2012 but enrolled about 10,000 fewer undergraduates the following year .

The third-largest school was Liberty University, No. 80 among Regional Universities (South), the lone nonprofit private school on the list.

Overall, college enrollment has continued to increase. Between 2001 and 2011, undergraduate enrollment increased 32 percent at colleges and universities, according to data from the National Center for Education Statistics.

[Stand out when applying to college.]

On the opposite end of the size spectrum, the smallest university reporting data to U.S. News was California’s American Jewish University, with 112 undergraduate students.

Below are the 10 schools with the highest undergraduate student enrollment in fall 2013. Two schools among the the colleges with the largest undergraduate enrollment were designated as Rank Not Published. Schools listed as RNP fall in the bottom one-fourth of their ranking category. U.S. News calculates numerical ranks for these schools, but does not publish them. Unranked schools, which did not meet certain criteria required by U.S. News to be numerically ranked, were not considered for this report.

School name (state) Fall 2013 undergraduate student enrollment U.S. News rank and category
University of Central Florida 51,269 173 (tie), National Universities
DeVry University (IL) 48,782 RNP, Regional Universities (Midwest)
Liberty University (VA) 47,460 80, Regional Universities (South)
Texas A&M University–College Station 44,315 68 (tie), National Universities
Ohio State University–Columbus 44,201 54 (tie), National Universities
Pennsylvania State University–University Park 40,085 48 (tie), National Universities
University of Texas–Austin 39,979 53, National Universities
Florida International University 39,045 RNP, National Universities
Arizona State University–Tempe 38,735 129 (tie), National Universities
Michigan State University 37,988 85 (tie), National Universities

Don’t see your school in the top 10? Access the U.S. News College Compass to find tuition, complete rankings and much more. School officials can access historical data and rankings, including of peer institutions, via U.S. News Academic Insights.

U.S. News surveyed nearly 1,800 colleges and universities for our 2014 survey of undergraduate programs. Schools self-reported myriad data regarding their academic programs and the makeup of their student body, among other areas, making U.S. News’ data the most accurate and detailed collection of college facts and figures of its kind. While U.S. News uses much of this survey data to rank schools for our annual Best Colleges rankings, the data can also be useful when examined on a smaller scale. U.S. News will now produce lists of data, separate from the overall rankings, meant to provide students and parents a means to find which schools excel, or have room to grow, in specific areas that are important to them. While the data come from the schools themselves, these lists are not related to, and have no influence over, U.S. News’ rankings of Best Colleges or Best Graduate Schools . The undergraduate enrollment data above are correct as of Sept. 25, 2014.

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10 Universities With the Largest Undergraduate Student Populations originally appeared on usnews.com

Don’t Settle for Student Loans to Pay for Online Education

By WTOP Staff
Online college programs are becoming a more popular choice for prospective students, with one study finding that more than 6 million students enrolled in at least one online course in fall 2015. The popularity of these courses can be attributed in part to their flexibility with working adults' schedules, students' ability to progress more quickly through online programs and, oftentimes, cheaper tuition. [See 10 low-cost online bachelor's programs for out-of-state students.]Online degrees can be beneficial to many college students, but some studies have shown online learners complete their programs at lower rates than students at traditional brick-and-mortar campuses. Individuals with student loans but no degree comprise two-thirds of defaulted borrowers. Though these numbers are not encouraging, just like for traditional programs, there are ways to reduce how much you'll need to borrow for an online program to ensure you won't become one of these statistics. Don't just settle on borrowing student loans to cover the whole cost of your program and living expenses. Instead, start thinking about how to cut costs and cover your balance in different ways, such as the following. -- Grants and scholarships: Even though you are taking an online course, you can still apply and receive grants and scholarships. But your first step should be to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, commonly referred to as the FAFSA, which will allow you to receive a Pell Grant if your expected family contribution is low enough. The EFC criteria and award amounts are adjusted annually, but the 2017-2018 academic year awards range from $606 to $5,920, which could significantly lower the amount you borrow annually. Your next step is to apply for scholarships. You can start by checking online scholarship search engines, such as the Salt Scholarship Search, College Board's BigFuture and Peterson's. But don't forget to take advantage of local organizations and your school's financial aid office. Both may offer scholarships that you can't find with a national scholarship search. [Review these 10 sites to kick off your scholarship search.]For instance, organizations like the Elks Club, Knights of Columbus or the Rotary Club typically offer scholarships annually to local students. Just because you're going to school online doesn't mean you're ineligible. Visit your local library for scholarship listings, and ask around town. You might be surprised how many local organizations offer scholarships. While these scholarships typically aren't large, every little bit counts. Each dollar you receive in a scholarship is a dollar you don't have to borrow and pay interest on. -- Work-study: Another option for online students may be work-study awards. Not all students enrolled in online programs are eligible, but students at some schools -- including, for example, SUNY Empire State College and Liberty University -- are. Work-study awards are not given upfront like scholarships and grants. In most cases, they are an offer to earn up to the awarded amount if you secure an eligible work-study job. While there is a misconception that all work-study jobs must be on campus, students can work for off-campus, nonprofit or public employers as long as the work is in the public's interest. You may be able to work for a for-profit employer if the job is relevant to your course of study. No matter who the outside employer is, it will need to have an established agreement with your college for you to receive work-study funds. Remember, to be eligible for federal financial aid, you must be enrolled and pursuing a degree or certificate. If you're not working toward a credential, Pell Grants and work-study won't be option, but you may still be able to take advantage of private scholarships -- just be sure to read the eligibility criteria carefully. [Explore what to know about financial aid in online programs.]-- Pay as you go: One of the great benefits to enrolling online is the flexible schedule, which can allow you to complete your college coursework around your responsibilities. But prospective students often overlook using their part- or full-time job earnings as an option for paying for college. Almost 80 percent of college students in 2015 worked at least part time while attending classes, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. By budgeting and thinking strategically about your college costs, you can likely reduce your dependence on student loans by paying a portion out of pocket. Many -- but not all -- online programs are less expensive than traditional programs and often have shorter payment periods. Six, eight or 10 weeks are common course durations. Because of the frequency of payments in an online setting, you may be well-placed to pay as you go and possibly avoid borrowing altogether. Attending college online and avoiding student loans may be challenging, but if you are willing to put in the effort, you can limit the amount you need to borrow. More from U.S. News Q&A: Understanding Student Loan Discharge Eligibility Student Loan Refinancing Isn't Right for All Borrowers
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