The United States has a wide (various) of institutions that provide higher education. There are so many options that it can be difficult for international students (understand) the different choices. One of the more common questions (ask) by international students is: What is the difference between a public and a private university?
A public university (fund) by the public through the government of that state, while a private university is not. The most obvious difference is the price. Public universities are (expensive) than private universities. Private universities can cost well over $100,000 for a four-year degree. But compared to public universities, private universities tend to be more geographically "diverse", (draw) students from many different states as well as other countries because the tuition is same price for students regardless of whether or not they live in the state the university is located.
There are many (high) reputable private and public universities throughout America. According to US News Best Colleges rankings, the first 19 institutions ape private universities. That does not mean that there aren't reputable public universities in the USA. Thus, don't focus only the rankings.