List of largest universities and university networks by enrollment
This list of largest universities by enrollment in the world includes total active enrollment across all campuses, as well as off-campus study. The enrollment numbers listed are the sum of undergraduate and graduate students in active enrollment. The universities included below confer degrees of bachelor-level or higher, and either share a central board of governance and a single chancellor or president, or confer degrees with the same institution name.
Many of these universities, particularly those in the United States, are actually systems of separate university campuses, and may not accurately represent a comparable student body. For example, the enrollment listed for the University of California is the population of the entire student body in the University of California system, which is composed of several individual campuses statewide. All University of California campuses are entitled "University of California" and then denoted further by the campus location, such as "University of California, Irvine". Other states organize their public universities differently in ways that further complicate any direct comparisons.
Rank | Institution | Location | Continent | Founded | Affiliation | Distance / In-Person | Enrollment | Ref | - |
1 | Indira Gandhi National Open University | New Delhi, India | Asia | 1985 | Public | Distance/In-Person | 4,000,000+ | - | |
2 | Allama Iqbal Open University | Islamabad, ICT, Pakistan | Asia | 1974 | Public | Distance | 3,305,948 | - | |
3 | California Community Colleges System | California, United States | North America | 1967 | Public | In-Person | 2,133,846 | - | |
4 | National University, Bangladesh | Gazipur, Bangladesh | Asia | 1992 | Public | In-Person | 2,097,182 | - | |
5 | Anadolu University | Eskisehir, Turkey | Asia | 1958 | Public | Distance | 1,974,343 | - | |
6 | Islamic Azad University | Iran | Asia | 1982 | Private | In-Person | 1,000,000 | - | |
7 | Laureate Education, Inc. | International | Global | 1999 | Private | Distance/In-Person | 875,000 | - | |
8 | Bangladesh Open University | Gazipur, Bangladesh | Asia | 1992 | Public | Distance | 650,000 | - | |
9 | Universitas Terbuka | Jakarta, Indonesia | Asia | 1984 | Public | Distance | 646,467 | - | |
10 | National Technological Institute of Mexico | Mexico | North America | 1948 and 2014 | Public | In-Person | 620,000 | - | |
11 | State University of New York system | New York, United States | North America | 1948 | Public | In-Person | 606,232 | - | |
12 | Tribhuvan University | Kirtipur, Nepal | Asia | 1959 | Public | In-Person | 604,437 | - | |
13 | Chaudhary Charan Singh University | Meerut, Uttar Pradesh, India | Asia | 1965 | Public | In-Person | 560,000 | - | |
14 | University of Mumbai | Mumbai, Maharashtra, India | Asia | 1857 | Public | In-Person | 549,432 | - | |
15 | Ramkhamhaeng University | Bangkok, Thailand | Asia | 1971 | Public | In-Person | 525,000 | - | |
16 | Savitribai Phule Pune University | Pune, Maharashtra, India | Asia | 1948 | Public | In-Person | 500,000 | - | |
17 | California State University system | California, United States | North America | 1857 | Public | In-Person | 479,000 | - | |
18 | University System of Ohio | Ohio, United States | North America | 2007 | Public | In-Person | 478,000 | - | |
19 | University of the Punjab | Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan | Asia | 1882 | Public | In-Person | 450,000 | - | |
20 | Dr. B R Ambedkar Open University | Telangana, India | Asia | 1982 | Public | Distance | 450,000 | - | |
21 | University of South Africa | Pretoria, Gauteng, South Africa | Africa | 1873 | Public | Distance | 420 000 | - | |
22 | University of Delhi | Delhi, India | Asia | 1922 | Public | In-Person | 400,000 | - | |
23 | Payame Noor University | Iran | Asia | 1987 | Public | Distance | 400,000 | - | |
24 | Sikkim Manipal University | Sikkim, India | Asia | 1995 | Private | In-Person | 390,000 | - | |
25 | Minnesota State Colleges and Universities | Minnesota, United States | North America | 1995 | Public | In-Person | 375,000 | - | |
26 | National Autonomous University of Mexico | Mexico City, Mexico | North America | 1551 | Public | In-Person | 356,530 | - | |
27 | University System of Georgia | Georgia, United States | North America | 1931 | Public | In-Person | 318,027 | - | |
28 | University of Buenos Aires | Buenos Aires, Argentina | South America | 1821 | Public | In-Person | 316,050 | - | |
29 | Spiru Haret University | Bucharest, Romania | Europe | 1991 | Private | In-Person | 311,928 | - | |
30 | State University System of Florida | Florida, United States | North America | 1954 | Public | In-Person | 358,522 | - | |
31 | Osmania University | Hyderabad, Telangana, India | Asia | 1918 | Public | In-Person | 300,000 | - | |
32 | City University of New York | New York, United States | North America | 1961 | Public | In-Person | 274,357 | - | |
33 | National University of Distance Education | Spain | Europe | 1972 | Public | Distance | 260,079 | - | |
34 | Rajiv Gandhi Technical University | Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh, India | Asia | 1998 | Public | In-Person | 260,000 | - | |
35 | Cairo University | Giza, Egypt | Africa | 1908 | Public | In-Person | 257,200 | - | |
36 | University of California system | California, United States | North America | 1869 | Public | In-Person | 238,700 | - | |
37 | University of Texas System | Texas, United States | North America | 1881 | Public | In-Person | 221,337 | - | |
38 | Estácio de Sá University | Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil | South America | 1970 | Private | In-Person | 215,000 | - | |
39 | Korea National Open University | South Korea | Asia | 1972 | Public | Distance | 210,978 | - | |
40 | University of Guadalajara | Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico | North America | 1791 | Public | In-Person | 209,406 | - | |
40a | University of Nuevo León | Monterrey, Nuevo León, Mexico | North America | 1933 | Public | In-Person | 206,000 | - | |
40b | Technical College System of Georgia | Georgia, United States | North America | 1970 | Public | In-Person | 191,567 | - | |
40c | Utah System of Higher Education | Utah, United States | North America | 1894 | Public | In-Person | 189,351 | - | |
41 | Russian Presidential Academy of National Economy and Public Administration | Moscow, Russian Federation | Europe | 1977 | Public | In-Person | 180,000 | - | |
42 | King Abdulaziz University | Jeddah, Saudi Arabia | Asia | 1976 | Public | In-Person | 177,234 | - | |
43 | University of Karachi | Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan | Asia | 1951 | Public | In-Person | 174,000? | - | |
44 | Open University | Milton Keynes, United Kingdom | Europe | 1969 | Public | Distance | 173,915 | - | |
45 | National Polytechnic Institute | Mexico City, Mexico | North America | 1936 | Public | In-Person | 171,581 | - | |
46 | Autonomous University of Santo Domingo | Santo Domingo | North America | 1538 | Public | In-Person | 170,530 | - | |
47 | Ain Shams University | Cairo, Egypt | Africa | 1950 | Public | In-Person | 170,000 | - | |
48 | University of London | London, United Kingdom | Europe | 1836 | Public | In-Person | 170,000 | - | |
49 | University of North Carolina system | North Carolina, United States | North America | 1789 | Public | In-Person | 169,792 | - | |
50 | Illinois Board of Higher Education | Illinois, United States | North America | 1862 | Public | In-Person | 163,786 | - | |
51 | University of Wisconsin System | Wisconsin, United States | North America | 1848 | Public | In-Person | 162,933 | - | |
52 | Universiti Teknologi MARA | Shah Alam, Malaysia | Asia | 1956 | Public | In-Person | 160,957 | - | |
53 | Uttar Pradesh Technical University | Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, India | Asia | 2000 | Public | In-Person | 150,000 | - | |
54 | Madhya Pradesh Bhoj Open University | Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh, India | Asia | 1991 | Public | Distance | 150,000 | - | |
55 | Sapienza University of Rome | Rome, Italy | Europe | 1303 | Public | In-Person | 147,000 | - | |
56 | University System of Maryland | Maryland, United States | North America | 1988 | Public | In-Person | 144,363 | - | |
57 | University of the Republic | Montevideo, Uruguay | South America | 1849 | Public | In-Person | 144,108 | - | |
58 | Norte do Paraná University | Londrina, Paraná, Brazil | South America | 1972 | Private | Distance | 130,000 | - | |
59 | University of San Carlos of Guatemala | Guatemala City, Guatemala | North America | 1676 | Public | In-Person | 124,000 | - | |
60 | National Centre for Distance Education | France | Europe | 1939 | Public | Distance | 120,000 | - | |
61 | National Open University of Nigeria | Nigeria | Africa | 2002 | Public | Distance | 300,000 | - | |
62 | Texas A&M University System | Texas, United States | North America | 1876 | Public | In-Person | 114,691 | - | |
63 | National University of Córdoba | Córdoba, Argentina | South America | 1613 | Public | In-Person | 113,558 | - | |
64 | Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education | Pennsylvania, United States | North America | 1982 | Public | In-Person | 110,428 | - | |
65 | Liberty University | Virginia, United States | North America | 1971 | Private | Distance | 110,000 | - | |
66 | National and Kapodistrian University of Athens | Athens, Greece | Europe | 1960 | Public | In-Person | 104,000 | - | |
67 | Le réseau de l’Université du Québec | Quebec, Canada | North America | 1968 | Public | In-Person/ Distance | 101,915 | - | |
68 | Virtual University of Pakistan | Lahore, Islamabad, Pakistan | Asia | 2002 | Public | Distance | 100,000 | - | |
69 | University of Belgrade | Belgrade, Serbia | Europe | 1808 | Public | In-Person | 97,696 | ||
70 | University of Vienna | Vienna, Austria | Europe | 1365 | Public | In-Person | 91,715 | - | |
71 | Monterrey Institute of Technology and Higher Education | Monterrey, Nuevo León, Mexico | North America | 1943 | Private | In-Person | 91,200 | - | |
72 | University of Toronto | Toronto, Canada | North America | 1827 | Public | In-Person | 88,766 | - | |
73 | Complutense University of Madrid | Madrid, Spain | Europe | 1293 | Public | In-Person | 83,000 | - |
Indicates if most or all students are enrolled in a fully Distance Learning modality