The higher-education institutions listed below represent the biggest colleges and universities in the United States by enrollment. The 2011 AS&U Higher Education 20 — a compilation of the nation's 20 largest higher education institutions — also provides the following data:
| Rank | Institution | Location | Enrollment (Fall 2009) | Enrollment (Fall 2008) | 1-Year Change (%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | University of Phoenix | Online | 380,232 | 301,323 | 26.19% |
| 2 | Kaplan University | Online | 71,011 | 45,153 | 57.27% |
| 3 | Arizona State University | Tempe | 68,064 | 67,082 | 1.46% |
| 4 | Miami Dade College | Miami | 59,120 | 57,222 | 3.32% |
| 5 | Ohio State University | Columbus | 55,014 | 53,715 | 2.42% |
| 6 | Houston Community College | Houston | 54,942 | 48,169 | 14.06% |
| 7 | Strayer University | Online | 54,325 | 45,491 | 19.42% |
| 8 | University of Central Florida | Orlando | 53,401 | 50,121 | 6.54% |
| 9 | University of Minnesota | Twin Cities | 51,659 | 51,140 | 1.01% |
| 10 | University of Texas at Austin | Austin | 50,995 | 49,984 | 2.02% |
| 11 | University of Florida | Gainesville | 50,691 | 51,474 | -1.52% |
| 12 | Texas A & M University | College Station | 48,702 | 48,039 | 1.38% |
| 13 | Michigan State University | East Lansing | 47,071 | 46,510 | 1.21% |
| 14 | Ashford University | Online | 46,835 | 25,605 | 82.91% |
| 15 | Northern Virginia Community College | Annandale | 46,619 | 42,663 | 9.27% |
| 16 | Lone Star College System | The Woodlands, Texas | 46,504 | 41,345 | 12.48% |
| 17 | Liberty University | Online/Lynchburg, Va | 46,312 | 33,604 | 37.82% |
| 18 | University of Washington | Seattle | 45,943 | 39,675 | 15.80% |
| 19 | Pennsylvania State University | University Park | 45,185 | 44,406 | 1.75% |
| 20 | Tarrant County College District | Fort Worth, Texas | 44,355 | 39,596 | 12.02% |
| 21 | University of Illinois | Urbana-Champaign | 43,881 | 43,246 | 1.47% |
| 22 | New York University | New York City | 43,404 | 42,189 | 2.88% |
| 23 | Indiana University | Bloomington | 42,347 | 40,354 | 4.94% |
| 24 | College of Southern Nevada | North Las Vegas | 42,108 | 40,310 | 4.46% |
| 25 | University of Michigan | Ann Arbor | 41,674 | 41,028 | 1.57% |
| 26 | University of Wisconsin | Madison | 41,654 | 41,620 | 0.08% |
| 27 | Purdue University | West Lafayette, Ind. | 41,052 | 41,433 | -0.92% |
| 28 | Walden University | Online | 40,714 | 34,779 | 17.06% |
| 29 | Austin Community College District | Austin, Texas | 40,248 | 35,798 | 12.43% |
| 30 | University of South Florida | Tampa | 40,222 | 46,189 | -12.92% |
| 31 | Florida State University | Coral Gables | 39,785 | 38,682 | 2.85% |
| 32 | Florida International University | Miami | 39,610 | 38,759 | 2.20% |
| 33 | Valencia Community College | Orlando | 39,008 | 35,460 | 10.01% |
| 34 | University of Arizona | Tucson | 38,767 | 38,057 | 1.87% |
| 35 | University of California, Los Angeles | Los Angeles | 38,550 | 38,220 | 0.86% |
| 36 | Rutgers University | New Brunswick | 37,366 | 36,041 | 3.68% |
| 37 | Broward College | Fort Lauderdale, Fla. | 37,360 | 33,448 | 11.70% |
| 38 | University of Maryland, University College | Online/Adelphi, Md. | 37,347 | 34,172 | 9.29% |
| 39 | University of Maryland, College Park | College Park | 37,195 | 37,000 | 0.53% |
| 40 | University of Houston | Houston | 37,000 | 36,014 | 2.74% |
| 41 | Riverside Community College | Riverside, Calif. | 36,586 | 36,146 | 1.22% |
| 42 | Temple University | Philadelphia | 36,507 | 35,490 | 2.87% |
| 43 | California State University, Fullerton | Fullerton | 36,262 | 36,996 | -1.98% |
| 44 | Pima Community College | Tucson, Ariz | 35,880 | 34,136 | 5.11% |
| 45 | University of California, Berkeley | Berkeley | 35,830 | 35,396 | 1.23% |
| 46 | East Los Angeles College | Los Angeles | 35,717 | 34,065 | 4.85% |
| 47 | California State University, Long Beach | Long Beach | 35,557 | 37,891 | -6.16% |
| 48 | American River College | Sacramento, Calif. | 35,413 | 34,610 | 2.32% |
| 49 | California State University, Northridge | Northridge | 35,198 | 36,208 | -2.79% |
| 50 | University of North Texas | Denton | 35,003 | 34,850 | 0.44% |