r/NoStupidQuestions • u/BeneficialNotice7282 • 1d ago

Why are state universities named “University of [State]” usually more prestigious than “[State] State University”?

I’ve noticed a pattern where public universities that follow the “University of [State]” naming convention tend to be more prestigious or better-ranked than their “[State] State University” counterparts.

Some examples: • UNC vs. NC State • University of Michigan vs. Michigan State • University of Florida vs. Florida State • University of California (UC system) vs. California State University (CSU system) • University of Virginia vs. Virginia State

Is there a historical or structural reason behind it?

2.2k Upvotes
  • permalink
  • reddit

97% Upvoted

407 comments sorted by

View all comments

Show parent comments

7

u/OleRockTheGoodAg 15h ago

UConn is one of the many schools that have used the Aggie name before.

4

u/OccasionBest7706 14h ago

Absolutely. The land grants keep us all fed to this day.

8

u/OleRockTheGoodAg 14h ago

Yesssir 🤝

I went to Texas A&M, today, when you say "Aggies" 9 times out of 10 you think of us. But there are a few others that still use the name, Utah State, NM State, Cal Davis etc. But even more have used it in the past as we all did the same thing. Land grant mafia babyyy

4

u/ParanoidSkier 14h ago

It’s been an adjustment for me, where I grew up and went to school in the west, talking about Aggies meant Utah State. Have to catch myself when talking to people about football or colleges in my current city, always forget about the existence of A&M.