Size isn’t everything. Yet, when it comes to higher education, some universities stand out for their considerable enrollment numbers.
Among the 69 largest universities on our list, Indira Gandhi National Open University is the largest, with over seven million students enrolled. Beyond size, we’ll also look at the oldest among these large institutions and whether the largest are more likely to be public or private.
Top 10 Largest Universities by Country
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Each of the 69 universities depicted on the map is the largest in its country. However, the top 10 have significantly higher enrollment figures than the smallest.
University | Enrollment |
---|---|
Indira Gandhi National Open University | 7,140,000 |
National University, Bangladesh | 2,097,182 |
Anadolu University | 1,969,733 |
Universitas Terbuka | 1,045,665 |
Islamic Azad University | 1,000,000 |
Tribhuvan University | 604,437 |
Ramkhamhaeng University | 525,000 |
National Autonomous University of Mexico | 349,515 |
University of South Africa | 328,179 |
Spiru Haret University | 311,928 |
Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) in India leads the list with a staggering 7,140,000 enrolled students. The National University in Bangladesh follows IGNOU with 2,097,182 students. Next is Anadolu University in Turkey, with 1,969,733 students, and Universitas Terbuka in Indonesia, with 1,045,665 students. Iran’s Islamic Azad University and Pakistan’s Allama Iqbal Open University also have enrollment numbers that break the million mark.
Six of the top ten universities are in Asia, though the count extends to seven if we include Turkey’s Anadolu University.
As for the US, the largest university is Texas A&M. This institution doesn’t even rank among the largest 30 across the globe; however, spread across 5,115 acres, it ranks ninth in terms of the largest US campuses. Founded in 1876, it’s not anywhere near the oldest, though, which we’ll examine next.
10 Oldest Large Universities
While we’ve just highlighted the top 10 largest universities, most were relatively recently established in the 20th century. However, there are far older large universities:
- University of Lisbon: founded in 1288
- Sapienza University of Rome: 1303
- University of Vienna: 1365
- KU Leuven: 1425
- Universidad Autónoma de Santo Domingo: 1538
- National University of San Marcos: 1551
- National Autonomous University of Mexico: 1551
- University of Amsterdam: 1632
- University of Helsinki: 1640
- Lund University: 1666
The largest university in Portugal, the University of Lisbon, was established more than seven centuries ago, in 1288. We could argue that the current university was established much later — in 1911, 1930, or even in 2013. Successive mergers aside, the institution can trace its roots back to the original University of Coimbra in 1288.
Following the University of Lisbon are two more public universities: Sapienza University of Rome and the University of Vienna, both founded during the 14th century. Speaking of public universities, let’s dive into the types of large universities.
Are the Largest Universities More Likely to Be Public or Private?
The largest university in the US, Texas A&M, is a public university. This designation means the state owns the university, or the government provides a significant amount of its funding. While the majority of large universities are public, there are other types too:
- Public: 59 of the largest universities
- Private: 7
- Semi-private: 1
- Public (formerly private): 1
- Private, state-funded: 1
So, 59 of the 69 universities we’re looking at are public or publicly funded institutions.
Private universities, or institutions that are not operated, owned, or institutionally funded by governments, follow, with a count of seven. The largest is Spiru Haret University in Romania, the only private university in the top ten. Additionally, there is a single semi-private university (Islamic Azad University).
One university also transitioned from private to public status (University College Dublin), while the other is private but state-funded (Belgium’s KU Leuven).
Explore More Top University Stats
Although large universities have their appeal, we know that the biggest doesn’t always mean the best. Explore our Map of Top Colleges in the US for a different perspective.