There are 13,600 officially recognized Universities and Colleges in 200 countries. Now, selecting that one university among such a big spectrum is tough isn’t it? Universities are segregated into private and public universities. Before selecting that one university, wouldn’t you want to be sure about which is is your to-go option? Or does it even matter whether you join a private or public one? Get a cup of coffee and keep reading because this blog surely would be helpful to select your type of university.
Public Universities
Public Universities are known as Public for a reason, they have many diverse courses that are modified in a unique way and well known, on the other hand, it also has courses that are less popular. Starting from Engineering courses, Computer Science courses to even some discrete courses like Political Science or Public Policy. Public Universities has its own features:
- Cost-effective: The universities that come under Public Universities are cheaper because the expenses of the universities or the tuition fee are partially bared by the state itself.
- Staff Student Ratio: With the large campus size comes larger classrooms and a huge number of students. Typically, a reputed Public University has a class strength of 60-100 students and according to The Times Higher Education, the top 100 universities list with the least faculty to student ratio has more of private universities than public!
- Coursework: In Public Universities there are many courses provided which make the university favorable to many students.
- Scholarship Opportunities: You are less likely to get a scholarship in Public University and this means that opportunities for financial aid are less.
Fun Fact: Did you know the Medical College of Wisconsin has a student to faculty ratio of 0.6:1?
Note: Sometimes these Public Universities are also known as State Universities in countries like the USA.
Public Universities were started because many private universities are too expensive for students to be affordable with and this was making the education not available to all. There are some Public Universities that are more or less free if you can get admission into them, for instance: TU Munich (Germany), Webb Institute (USA), KTH Royal Institute of Technology (Switzerland), Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich (Germany), etc.
Private Universities
Private Universities are the universities that aren’t funded by the government but have investors who put in their funds. There are many Private Universities which are reputed too! You just need to find which one fits your profile/academic goals. Some features of Private Universities are:
- Cost: Typically, the cost of Private Universities are much more expensive than Public Universities because they don’t get funded by the government.
- Campus-size: The largest campus size of a university in the world that of Berry College located in Rome, Georgia with a size of 27,000 acres! And, guess what that college comes under Private University.
- Staff Student Ratio: Now, here comes the twist many Private Universities take a handful of students even if the campus is larger. Generally, a class has around 30-50 students which make the ratio from 1:15 to 1:30 or sometimes even 1:6.
- Coursework: Some Private Universities are considered best in specific courses because of the concentrated coursework that they provide and specialize in.
- Scholarship Opportunities: You are more likely to get a scholarship in Private Universities and which increases your chances for financial aid.
Private Universities like Harvard & Stanford are some of the oldest universities that exist since the 16th century, these universities are probably the most reputed universities in the world. Private university’s Staff Student Ratio is comparatively less and which means getting concentrated attention from the Professors.
Both the Public and Private Universities have their own share of pros and cons. Public Universities provide education at a much cheaper rate, have various coursework options, having a large campus size and many students admitted, making the student-staff ratio high.
On the other hand, there is Private University that provides education at a much higher price, has large campus sizes too but, the students getting admission to these universities are comparatively less which makes the programs highly concentrated and provides dedicated attention.
So, choose wisely and find out which university you are compatible with and if you want to know more get in touch with us. We can help you in your selection so that you don’t choose blindly but wisely!
