• Funding: Public colleges are funded mostly by state governments, whereas private colleges rely heavily on private contributions, donations and tuition.
  • Size: Public colleges typically have more students and degree offerings than private colleges.
  • Class size: Private colleges typically have smaller class sizes than public colleges, although it should be pointed out that many public colleges offer smaller classes.
  • Demographics: Public colleges typically have more in-state students, due to in-state incentives, whereas private colleges tend to admit more out-of-state students. Of course, it depends on the school, though.