The Big Ten is an athletic conference of 18 universities, stretching from Rutgers in New Jersey to UCLA and USC in Los Angeles. Sixteen are large public universities and two (Northwestern and USC) are private. Beyond the shared conference, they differ hugely in selectivity (8% to 88% acceptance rates), size and cost, especially for out-of-state students.
The 18 Big Ten schools at a glance
| School | State | Undergrads | Acceptance rate | In-state tuition | Out-of-state tuition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Illinois | IL | 36,258 | 42.4% | $16,004 | $35,124 |
| Indiana | IN | 37,806 | 78.2% | $12,144 | $41,891 |
| Iowa | IA | 22,264 | 83.6% | $11,283 | $33,371 |
| Maryland | MD | 30,760 | 44.8% | $11,809 | $41,186 |
| Michigan | MI | 34,177 | 15.6% | $17,736 | $60,946 |
| Michigan State | MI | 40,922 | 84.8% | $16,458 | $43,842 |
| Minnesota | MN | 31,855 | 79.8% | $17,214 | $38,362 |
| Nebraska | NE | 19,178 | 87.5% | $10,434 | $28,584 |
| Northwestern (private) | IL | 9,201 | 7.7% | $68,322 | $68,322 |
| Ohio State | OH | 45,638 | 60.6% | $13,244 | $40,022 |
| Oregon | OR | 20,497 | 88.3% | $16,137 | $44,598 |
| Penn State | PA | 42,284 | 60.6% | $20,644 | $41,790 |
| Purdue | IN | 44,503 | 49.9% | $9,992 | $28,794 |
| Rutgers | NJ | 37,751 | 58.1% | $17,929 | $37,441 |
| UCLA | CA | 33,475 | 9.0% | $15,203 | $49,403 |
| USC (private) | CA | 20,443 | 9.8% | $72,097 | $72,097 |
| Washington | WA | 31,942 | 39.1% | $12,973 | $43,209 |
| Wisconsin | WI | 36,902 | 45.2% | $11,603 | $42,103 |
Sources: IPEDS (undergraduate enrollment; admissions for the fall 2024 entering class); College Scorecard (published tuition and fees before aid, about 2023–24). You may pay less if receiving grants or scholarships.
How many schools are in the Big Ten?
Eighteen, since UCLA, USC, Oregon and Washington joined in 2024. Despite the name, the Big Ten hasn't had exactly ten members for decades.
Five ways the Big Ten schools differ
1. How hard they are to get into
The range is enormous. Northwestern (7.7%), UCLA (9.0%), USC (9.8%) and Michigan (15.6%) are highly selective. Oregon (88.3%), Nebraska (87.5%), Michigan State (84.8%) and Iowa (83.6%) admit most applicants. Most of the rest admit between about 40% and 60%.
2. Where you live changes the price
At the public universities, out-of-state students often pay two to three times the in-state price. Michigan's out-of-state tuition ($60,946) is more than three times its in-state rate. Nebraska ($28,584) and Purdue ($28,794) have the lowest out-of-state prices in the conference. The two private schools charge everyone the same.
3. Size: big, and then very big
Even the smallest public members, Nebraska and Oregon, have about 20,000 undergraduates. Ohio State, Purdue, Penn State and Michigan State each have more than 40,000. Northwestern, with about 9,200, is the exception.
4. College town or big city
Many Big Ten campuses are the heart of a college town: Bloomington, Iowa City, Lincoln, East Lansing, State College, West Lafayette, Champaign-Urbana, Ann Arbor, Madison and Eugene. Others are in or next to major cities: Ohio State in Columbus, Minnesota in Minneapolis and St. Paul, Washington in Seattle, UCLA and USC in Los Angeles, Maryland just outside Washington, D.C., and Northwestern just north of Chicago.
5. Signature strengths
Each has areas where it graduates unusually large numbers of students: engineering at Purdue and Illinois, business at Indiana (Kelley), computer science at Maryland and Washington, journalism and communication at Northwestern, and business at USC (Marshall), among others.
Which Big Ten school might fit you?
Ask yourself:
- Do I want a classic college town or a big city around me?
- Is a campus of 40,000 exciting or overwhelming?
- Am I in-state for any of these schools, and how much does that matter for my family's budget?
- Do I know what I want to study? Several Big Ten schools admit you into a specific college or major.
Lens helps you figure out which kinds of colleges fit you, using seven research-backed assessments, before you build your list. Start with Lens →
FAQ
How many schools are in the Big Ten? Eighteen.
What are the Big Ten schools? Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Maryland, Michigan, Michigan State, Minnesota, Nebraska, Northwestern, Ohio State, Oregon, Penn State, Purdue, Rutgers, UCLA, USC, Washington and Wisconsin.
Is UCLA in the Big Ten? Yes. UCLA joined in 2024, along with USC, Oregon and Washington.
Which Big Ten schools are private? Northwestern and USC.
Which Big Ten school is the hardest to get into? Northwestern admitted 7.7% of applicants for fall 2024, followed by UCLA (9.0%) and USC (9.8%).
Which Big Ten schools are easiest to get into? By acceptance rate, the Big Ten schools that admitted the largest share of applicants for fall 2024 were Oregon (88.3%), Nebraska (87.5%), Michigan State (84.8%), Iowa (83.6%) and Minnesota (79.8%). Rates can differ by major and by whether you're in-state, so treat them as a starting point, not a prediction.
College pages in this group
- University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign: engineering and computing on a twin-city campus
- Indiana University Bloomington: the Kelley School of Business and a classic college town
- University of Iowa: writing, health sciences and Iowa City
- University of Maryland: computer science next to Washington, D.C.
- University of Michigan: a highly selective public university in Ann Arbor
- Michigan State University: one of the largest campuses in the country
- University of Minnesota: a Twin Cities campus on the Mississippi
- University of Nebraska-Lincoln: the lowest out-of-state tuition in the conference
- Northwestern University: a private university just north of Chicago
- Ohio State University: the largest undergraduate body in the Big Ten
- University of Oregon: business, communication and the Pacific Northwest
- Penn State: a huge campus and community in State College
- Purdue University: engineering and a long tuition freeze
- Rutgers University-New Brunswick: several campuses between New York and Philadelphia
- UCLA: test-free admission in Los Angeles
- University of Southern California: business, film and a private campus in LA
- University of Washington: computing and health sciences in Seattle
- University of Wisconsin-Madison: a lakeside campus in the state capital