Revealed: Largest Universities In The World By Number of Students Enrollment, 2024
In the realm of higher education, various colleges and universities have sizable student populations, but some institutions are larger than others. Indira Gandhi National Open University is the most extensive university system globally, with around 7.14 million students enrolled. It proudly claims the title of the world’s largest university, establishing its dominance on an international scale, and making it a giant in the academic landscape.
The United States boasts some of the most prestigious academic institutions in the world, with several colossal colleges dotted across its landscape. The University System of Ohio is one of the largest educational institutions in the country. Meanwhile, the California State University system commands attention as another educational heavyweight. The State University System of Florida further contributes to the American academic tapestry, positioned as one of the largest universities in the country. Thus, the United States stands as a haven for expansive educational institutions, both in terms of student population and geographical expanse.
The decision to choose between a large academic institution or a smaller, more intimate setting is subjective. Each option comes with its own set of advantages and challenges, so individuals need to determine which environment aligns with their preferences and goals. The dichotomy between larger and smaller institutions highlights the diversity in the educational sphere and caters to the different needs and preferences of aspiring learners.
As students begin their academic journeys, larger institutions with sprawling campuses and busy corridors attract them with the promise of diverse experiences and abundant resources. On the other hand, smaller colleges offer a sense of community and personalized attention. In this complex landscape, the pursuit of knowledge is intertwined with exploring personal preferences, ultimately shaping the direction of each student’s educational journey.
Largest Universities In The World By Number of Students Enrollment, 2024
| Rank | Institution | Location | Students Enrollment | Founded | Affiliation | Distance / In-Person |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Indira Gandhi National Open University | New Delhi, India | 7,140,000 | 1985 | Public | Distance/In-Person |
| 2 | National University, Bangladesh | Gazipur, Bangladesh | 2,097,182 | 1992 | Public | In-Person |
| 3 | Anadolu University | Eskişehir, Turkey | 1,974,343 | 1958 | Public | Distance/In-Person |
| 4 | California Community Colleges System | California, United States | 1,800,000 | 1967 | Public | In-Person |
| 5 | Allama Iqbal Open University | Islamabad, Pakistan | 1,027,000 | 1974 | Public | Distance/In-Person |
| 6 | Laureate Education, Inc. | International | 875,000 | 1999 | Private | Distance/In-Person |
| 7 | Bangladesh Open University | Gazipur, Bangladesh | 650,000 | 1992 | Public | Distance |
| 8 | Universitas Terbuka | Jakarta, Indonesia | 646,467 | 1984 | Public | Distance |
| 9 | National Technological Institute of Mexico | Mexico | 620,000 | 1948 | Public | In-Person |
| 10 | Tribhuvan University | Kirtipur, Nepal | 604,437 | 1959 | Public | In-Person |
| 11 | Savitribai Phule Pune University | Pune, Maharashtra, India | 665,000 | 1948 | Public | In-Person |
| 12 | Chaudhary Charan Singh University | Meerut, Uttar Pradesh, India | 560,000 | 1965 | Public | In-Person |
| 13 | University of Mumbai | Mumbai, Maharashtra, India | 549,432 | 1857 | Public | In-Person |
| 14 | Ramkhamhaeng University | Bangkok, Thailand | 525,000 | 1971 | Public | In-Person |
| 15 | National Open University of Nigeria | Nigeria | 515,000 | 2002 | Public | Distance |
| 16 | University System of Ohio | Ohio, United States | 478,000 | 2007 | Public | In-Person |
| 17 | California State University system | California, United States | 457,992 | 1857 | Public | In-Person |
| 18 | University of the Punjab | Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan | 450,000 | 1882 | Public | In-Person |
| 19 | Dr. B R Ambedkar Open University | Telangana, India | 450,000 | 1982 | Public | Distance |
| 20 | State University System of Florida | Florida, United States | 430,000 | 1954 | Public | In-Person |
| 21 | University of Delhi | Delhi, India | 400,000 | 1922 | Public | In-Person/Distance |
| 22 | Payame Noor University | Iran | 400,000 | 1987 | Public | Distance/In-Person |
| 23 | Sikkim Manipal University | Sikkim, India | 390,000 | 1995 | Private | In-Person |
| 24 | University of South Africa | Pretoria, Gauteng, South Africa | 370,000 | 1873 | Public | Distance |
| 25 | State University of New York system | New York, United States | 363,612 | 1948 | Public | In-Person |
| 26 | National Autonomous University of Mexico | Mexico City, Mexico | 356,530 | 1551 | Public | In-Person |
| 27 | National Centre for Distance Education | France | 350,000 | 1939 | Public | Distance |
| 28 | University System of Georgia | Georgia, United States | 318,027 | 1931 | Public | In-Person |
| 29 | University of Buenos Aires | Buenos Aires, Argentina | 316,050 | 1821 | Public | In-Person |
| 30 | Minnesota State Colleges and Universities | Minnesota, United States | 300,000 | 1995 | Public | In-Person |
| 31 | Osmania University | Hyderabad, Telangana, India | 300,000 | 1918 | Public | In-Person |
| 32 | National University of Distance Education | Spain | 260,079 | 1972 | Public | Distance/In-Person |
| 33 | Rajiv Gandhi Technical University | Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh, India | 260,000 | 1998 | Public | In-Person |
| 34 | Cairo University | Giza, Egypt | 257,200 | 1908 | Public | In-Person |
| 35 | City University of New York | New York, United States | 243,000 | 1961 | Public | In-Person |
| 36 | University of North Carolina system | North Carolina, United States | 242,000 | 1789 | Public | In-Person |
| 37 | University of California system | California, United States | 238,700 | 1869 | Public | In-Person |
| 38 | University of Texas System | Texas, United States | 221,337 | 1881 | Public | In-Person |
| 39 | Estácio de Sá University | Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil | 215,000 | 1970 | Private | In-Person |
| 40 | University of Guadalajara | Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico | 209,406 | 1791 | Public | In-Person |
| 41 | University of Nuevo León | Monterrey, Nuevo León, Mexico | 206,000 | 1933 | Public | In-Person |
| 42 | Open University | Milton Keynes, United Kingdom | 205,420 | 1969 | Public | Distance/In-Person |
| 43 | University of Applied Science and Technology | Iran | 200,000 | 1992 | Public | In-Person |
| 44 | Technical College System of Georgia | Georgia, United States | 191,567 | 1970 | Public | In-Person |
| 45 | Utah System of Higher Education | Utah, United States | 189,351 | 1894 | Public | In-Person |
| 46 | Russian Presidential Academy of National Economy and Public Administration | Moscow, Russian Federation | 180,000 | 1977 | Public | In-Person |
| 47 | King Abdulaziz University | Jeddah, Saudi Arabia | 177,234 | 1976 | Public | In-Person |
| 48 | Technical and Vocational University | Iran | 175,000 | 1965 | Public | In-Person |
| 49 | University of Karachi | Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan | 174,000 | 1951 | Public | In-Person |
| 50 | National Polytechnic Institute | Mexico City, Mexico | 171,581 | 1936 | Public | In-Person |
| 51 | Autonomous University of Santo Domingo | Santo Domingo | 170,530 | 1914 | Public | In-Person |
| 52 | Ain Shams University | Cairo, Egypt | 170,000 | 1950 | Public | In-Person |
| 53 | University of London | London, United Kingdom | 170,000 | 1836 | Public | In-Person |
| 54 | Southern New Hampshire University | New Hampshire, United States | 170,000 | 1932 | Private | Distance / In-person |
| 55 | Illinois Board of Higher Education | Illinois, United States | 163,786 | 1862 | Public | In-Person |
| 56 | University of Wisconsin System | Wisconsin, United States | 162,933 | 1848 | Public | In-Person |
| 57 | Universiti Teknologi MARA | Shah Alam, Malaysia | 160,957 | 1956 | Public | In-Person |
| 58 | Korea National Open University | South Korea | 151,413 | 1972 | Public | Distance/In-Person |
| 59 | Uttar Pradesh Technical University | Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, India | 150,000 | 2000 | Public | In-Person |
| 60 | Madhya Pradesh Bhoj Open University | Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh, India | 150,000 | 1991 | Public | Distance |
| 61 | Sapienza University of Rome | Rome, Italy | 147,000 | 1303 | Public | In-Person |
| 62 | University System of Maryland | Maryland, United States | 144,363 | 1988 | Public | In-Person |
| 63 | University of the Republic | Montevideo, Uruguay | 144,108 | 1849 | Public | In-Person |
| 64 | University of the People | California, United States | 137,000 | 2009 | Private | Distance |
| 65 | Norte do Paraná University | Londrina, Paraná, Brazil | 130,000 | 1972 | Private | Distance/In-Person |
| 66 | University of San Carlos of Guatemala | Guatemala City, Guatemala | 124,000 | 1676 | Public | In-Person |
| 67 | University of Lyon | Lyon, France | 120,000 | 2007 | Public | In-Person |
| 68 | UNIMINUTO system | Colombia | 116,782 | 1990 | Private | Distance/In-Person |
| 69 | Texas A&M University System | Texas, United States | 114,691 | 1876 | Public | In-Person |
| 70 | National University of Córdoba | Córdoba, Argentina | 113,558 | 1613 | Public | In-Person |
| 71 | Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education | Pennsylvania, United States | 110,428 | 1982 | Public | In-Person |
| 72 | Liberty University | Virginia, United States | 110,000 | 1971 | Private | Distance/In-Person |
| 73 | University of Toulouse | Toulouse, France | 110,000 | 1229 | Public | In-Person |
| 74 | Université du Québec | Quebec, Canada | 101,915 | 1968 | Public | In-Person/ Distance |
| 75 | Virtual University of Pakistan | Lahore, Islamabad, Pakistan | 100,000 | 2002 | Public | Distance |
| 76 | IU International University of Applied Sciences | Erfurt, Germany | 100,000 | 1998 | Private | Distance/In-Person |
| 77 | Vietnam National University, Ho Chi Minh City | Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam | 98,648 | 1995 | Public | In-Person |
| 78 | University of Belgrade | Belgrade, Serbia | 97,696 | 1808 | Public | In-Person |
| 79 | University of Vienna | Vienna, Austria | 91,715 | 1365 | Public | In-Person |
| 80 | Monterrey Institute of Technology and Higher Education | Monterrey, Nuevo León, Mexico | 91,200 | 1943 | Private | In-Person |
| 81 | University of Toronto | Toronto, Canada | 88,766 | 1827 | Public | In-Person |
| 82 | Aristotle University of Thessaloniki | Thessaloniki, Greece | 88,283 | 1925 | Public | In-Person |
| 83 | Complutense University of Madrid | Madrid, Spain | 83,000 | 1293 | Public | In-Person |
| 84 | Farhangian University | Iran | 80,000 | 2012 | Public | In-Person |
| 85 | Aix-Marseille University | Marseille, France | 80,000 | 1409 | Public | In-Person |
| 86 | University of Hagen | Hagen, Germany | 76,096 | 1974 | Public | Distance |
| 87 | Academic Center for Education, Culture and Research | Iran | 60,000 | 1980 | Private | In-Person |
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