Public colleges and universities account for almost 75 percent of all undergraduate students in the U.S. The best public colleges in Nebraska provide broad access to reputable degree programs, affordable tuition, and sprawling educational communities.
Students can choose from 29 higher learning institutions, including community colleges, technical institutes, religious colleges, and public universities. Of the 15 public campuses, the University of Nebraska – Lincoln is the largest, with over 22,000 students. Coming in under the national average, the university’s tuition rate is $9,000, and students can earn their degree in fields such as law, mathematics, communication, and sociology.
Find college admissions consultants in your state.
The most affordable schools in the state are its six community colleges with tuition ranging from $3,000 to $4,000. Nebraska also has 12 religiously affiliated institutions, including those with Methodist, Presbyterian, Catholic, and Lutheran influences. At $40,000 in tuition, Creighton University is both the largest and most expensive of these schools, and it boasts a 95% employment rate after graduation.
As one of the largest corn producers in the country, it’s no wonder Nebraska’s nickname is The Cornhusker State. The state is also home to an unusual monument — Carhenge. Replicating England’s famous Stonehenge, this structure is made out of vintage American automobiles that have been painted gray and lodged into the ground. With the Great Plains, over 20,000 square miles of sand dunes, and a portion of the Badlands, Nebraska offers a unique setting for students looking to earn their associate, bachelor’s, master’s, or doctoral degree.
Mental health, dental, and other health care professionals working in shortage areas can apply for loan repayment awards through the Nebraska Loan Repayment Program. Doctors and dentists may qualify for up to $200,000.
Come check out the top programs and earn your degree in Nebraska.
Less 
Public and private colleges and universities operate under different business models — one is a private company with private funding; the other is owned by the state and receives both state and federal funding to operate. If you’re weighing the pros and cons of private vs. public college, consider that many public colleges provide diverse course offerings, influential professors, and an excellent return on your investment.
Public colleges are schools that receive most of their funding from tax revenues. As a result, the cost of a four-year degree at a public university is often lower than the equivalent cost at a private college — especially for students attending a public school in their home state. According to the National Center for Educational Statistics, the average annual cost (tuition, fees, room and board for full-time students) at a four-year public university was slightly over $20,000. In contrast, private universities cost, on average, nearly $43,000 annually.
Less 
The people affiliated with a school are ultimately what make it great. This is why, at the undergraduate level, we rank the best colleges and universities based on what we call “Concentrated Influence”. Concentrated Influence takes the combined influence score of a college or university’s top academic influencers (including faculty and alums) and divides it by the school’s total number of undergraduates.
Using concentrated influence gives small and mid-sized schools an opportunity to shine by taking away the size advantage of larger universities. A small school with proportionately more influential faculty than a large school, whose influence in absolute terms may be bigger, will nonetheless score higher in a concentrated influence ranking. Our approach highlights undergraduate schools that truly rank for excellence, regardless of size.
If you are serious about finding the best colleges and universities for a bachelor’s degree, you should be asking where the most influential professors are teaching and whether their graduates are themselves advancing the school’s reputation for academic excellence.
Most ranking sites rely on an opaque combination of reputation surveys and arbitrary performance metrics. Concentrated Influence provides a ranking that is free from bias, insulated from manipulation, and reflective of real-world educational outcomes.
Find out more about our ranking methodology here.
Less This list is composed entirely of public colleges and universities that offer four-year undergraduate degrees. We’ve identified 6 public universities in Nebraska, the top 2 satisfy our criteria. The list below of the best public universities in the state satisfies the following four conditions:
Tuition + fees
$10K
Acceptance
78%
Graduation
66%
Student body
25K
Median SAT/ACT
1240/25
View profile
University of Nebraska–Lincoln’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$8K
Acceptance
88%
Graduation
59%
Student body
5K
Median SAT/ACT
1079/23
View profile
University of Nebraska at Kearney’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$7K
Graduation
42%
Student body
2K
View profile
Chadron State College’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$8K
Acceptance
82%
Graduation
49%
Student body
13K
View profile
University of Nebraska Omaha’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$7K
Graduation
53%
Student body
3K
View profile
Wayne State College’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$8K
Graduation
36%
Student body
2K
View profile
Peru State College’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
What are Custom College Rankings?
College Strategist
Want to be an Academic Influence Insider?
Sign up to get the latest news, information, and rankings in our upcoming newsletter.