Nebraska has 40 colleges including 24 four-year colleges, 16 community colleges, and 0 trade schools. By control type, 16 schools are public and 24 schools are private. 141,114 students enrolled in Nebraska colleges according to IPEDS.

For 4-year colleges, commonly said to as colleges, there are 24 schools are active in Nebraska (8 public and 16 private). 96,051 students enrolled in the schools, by gender, 40,667 men and 55,384 women students.

These colleges have an average acceptance rate of 75.14% and an average SAT score of 1,131. The average tuition & fees for in-state students is $9,208 and for out-of-state students is $17,152. The average enrollment is about 4,002 students per college. On average, each college offers about 68 programs.

5 Prominent Nebraska Colleges

The following table lists major colleges in Nebraska that have high enrollment, good academic reputation, and recognized by Nebraska residents. It includes 3 public institutions and 2 private institutions.

University of Nebraska-Lincoln, located in Lincoln, is generally considered the flagship institution in Nebraska. It offers wide range of programs in both undergraduate and graduate levels, including 117 graduate programs and 43 online programs. Its total enrollment is approximately 24,393 including 1,697 online students.

University of Nebraska-Lincoln has the highest enrollment among these colleges, with a student population of 24,393 students. It offers the largest number of programs of 288.

Of the major colleges in Nebraska, 2 law schools and 1 medical schools are affiliated with these colleges. Creighton University has both a law school and a medical school. You can check the law schools and medical schools in the table below.

Notable public institutions

Prominent private institutions

  • Creighton University: Most selective Nebraska College, with an admission rate of 79.75% and an average SAT score of 1,325
  • Concordia University-Nebraska: Offering offering 84 programs; $40,640 tuition & fees; 85.72% acceptance rate; and 3,479 student population.
Comparison of Nebraska Major Colleges
NameGraduate ProgramsDistance LearningTuition & FeesAdm. RateSAT ScoreEnrollOffered ProgramsLaw SchoolMedical School
University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Lincoln
YesYes$28,58487.49%120024,393288Visit
Creighton University
Omaha
YesYes$48,85679.75%13258,581157VisitVisit
University of Nebraska at Omaha
Omaha
YesYes$23,20686.98%14,972162
University of Nebraska at Kearney
Kearney
YesYes$16,48489.49%10305,88161
Concordia University-Nebraska
Seward
YesYes$40,64085.72%3,47984