Figuring out which college is for you is a seemingly impossible undertaking. When I went through the process myself about a year ago, I did not understand how to choose where to apply out of thousands of options. The one characteristic I knew that differentiated colleges from one another was whether they were public or private institutions. I began with that piece of information and spent countless hours researching the differences between a public and a private university. The following specifications are generalizations comparing two large groups of schools. There will always be exceptions, but you can use this information as a starting point.

First, let’s cover the basics. A public institution is a government funded school, generally with a larger student population than a private institution. A private institution is an independent school funded privately, usually with a smaller student body.

Cost

According The College Board, the average cost of tuition and fees at a private university is $32,405 per year. The average cost of an in-state public university is $9,410 per year and an out-of-state public university is $23,893. This will vary from school to school, so be sure to verify the cost for each school in particular.

Private schools have better financial aid programs because of the private funding they receive. Depending on the school and your financial position, private schools may be able to bring their tuition rate extremely low.

Social Life

Based on the number of students and the size of the school, public universities arguably offer a better social life on campus. Their Greek life is normally larger in population, and Greek life is a large part of the social life on many college campuses. Sports teams are generally more competitive and receive more attention at public schools. This makes events like tailgating and attending sporting events more of a norm at a public school. Of course, anyone can have a great time at a private school, but usually the social scene is larger at a public school.

Competition: Academic, Jobs, Opportunities

All college students know the pressure and anxiety that comes with registering for classes. Students at private universities have an easier time registering for classes at the times they need, because there are fewer students competing to get into the same classes. The same goes for jobs and other opportunities on campus, such as volunteering, internships and research positions. At a public university there are so many more students to compete with when trying to get a job. At a private school, you can begin to help out in research labs, begin internships, etc., as early as freshman year very easily. As it may be possible to do the same at a public school, it will be much more difficult to get the opportunities and so early. Overall, there will be more competition in all aspects at a public university because of the size (this could be different based on the academic rigor of the private school).

Personal Relationships

I cannot express to you how many times students from private schools say how close they are with their professors. The class sizes will be much smaller at a private school, which can benefit your education if you thrive in an environment where you can have a personal relationship with your professor. Not only do students at private schools have an easier time getting to know their professors, but also other faculty such as their advisers, administration, etc. The personal relationships can be extremely beneficial when looking for extra help in class or recommendations.

Academics

If you are one who worries about the academic prestige of your school, in U.S. News’ National University rankings, the top 18 universities are private schools. The prestige of schools will help students when looking for jobs or applying to graduate school. There are several reasons for private schools having higher rankings. A few I discussed earlier, such as class size. Another reason is the individualization that private schools can offer to the academics of a student. Private schools are more flexible in all aspects of the academics because they have fewer students. For example, at some private schools, no matter what college you were admitted into, you can easily switch to a different college without any penalty. At many public schools, if you want to change to a different college, there is a lengthy process where you must apply to the college, your previous academic performance will be evaluated, etc. Schools are also ranked because of job and graduate school placement. The higher academic rigor of a university will make students better applicants for jobs and graduate schools.

Institutional Spending

Based on the statistics provided by the National Center for Educational Statistics, public schools spend less of their total spending percentage on instruction, student services, academic support and institutional support than private schools do.

Of course, the individual school makes a difference, and you cannot solely choose between public versus private. The decision will come down to School A versus School B, but you might find these specifications about private and public schools helpful to learn more about School A or School B.