Map of Universities and Colleges in the U.S.A.

Postsecondary Education in the United States

Postsecondary education, is also known as tertiary education. This is the education level that follows secondary education.

Postsecondary education includes universities and colleges, as well as trade and vocational schools.

Postsecondary education encompasses both undergraduate and postgraduate students and usually culminates with a diploma, certification or academic degree.

The United States is home to one of the most extensive and diverse higher education systems in the world.

With thousands of universities and colleges spread across all 50 states, students have a wide array of choices when it comes to pursuing higher education.

There are over 6,000 colleges and universities in the United States.

Of these schools, 3,982 are degree-granting postsecondary institutions. Source: BestColleges.

These numbers vary each year due to mergers, closures, and other factors.

This map shows you where are the Museums in the U.S.

States with Most Universities

According to the data from National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), used in this map, the state with most Postsecondary Education Institutions is California, followed by Texas.

It is important to highlight that California has a larger population than Texas.

These institutions can be broadly categorized into:

• Public Colleges and Universities: Roughly 1,600 institutions, including state universities and community colleges, which are funded by state governments.
• Private Nonprofit Universities: Approximately 1,700 institutions, including prestigious Ivy League schools and liberal arts colleges.
• Private For-Profit Colleges: Around 700 institutions, many of which focus on vocational and career-oriented education.

Types of Higher Education Institutions

The American higher education system is diverse and includes different types of institutions, each serving a unique role:

Community Colleges (Two-Year Colleges)

These institutions offer associate degrees and vocational programs, with more than 900 public community colleges across the U.S.

Public and Private Universities

Offering bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degrees, public universities are typically larger and state-funded, while private universities often have smaller student populations and rely on tuition and endowments.

Liberal Arts Colleges

These institutions focus on undergraduate education with an emphasis on broad-based learning in the humanities, sciences, and social sciences.

Research Universities

These schools, such as MIT, Stanford, and Harvard, focus on advanced research and graduate-level education.

For-Profit Colleges

Primarily career-focused institutions offering certificates and degrees in specialized fields.

This map shows Golf Courts and Clubs in the U.S.

Largest University Systems in the U.S.

Several states operate large public university systems with multiple campuses. Some of the largest include:

• California State University System (CSU) – 23 campuses, enrolling over 450,000 students.
• State University of New York (SUNY) System – 64 campuses, serving nearly 400,000 students.
• University of California (UC) System – 10 campuses, including prestigious institutions like UC Berkeley and UCLA.
• Texas A&M University System – Over a dozen campuses across Texas.

Resources for Map of Colleges and Universities in the U.S.

The data was downloaded from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES)..

Data cleaning was done with Pandas Python.

The Shapefiles for this map were downloaded from Natural Earth.

Made by Luz K. Molina with D3.js.