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First Semester 2026-27Data through Aug 31, 2026

Top Large College Instagram Accounts

Large schools ranked on follower growth and median engagement rate for First Semester 2026-27.

Large schools

Follower growth against schools their size, May 1 to Aug 31, 2026

  1. 1WL
    Washington University in St Louis
    @washu
    7.46 times the typical follower growth for a school this size (+3.51%). +26.16% follower growth. 80,533 → 101,598 followers. Typical for its size +3.51%
  2. 2CS
    Colorado Technical University-Colorado Springs
    @ctuniversity
    4.55 times the typical follower growth for a school this size (+3.40%). +15.48% follower growth. 14,179 → 16,374 followers. Typical for its size +3.40%
  3. 3UC
    University of Maryland Global Campus
    @umdglobalcampus
    3.67 times the typical follower growth for a school this size (+3.76%). +13.77% follower growth. 32,196 → 36,630 followers. Typical for its size +3.76%
  4. 4TU
    Tufts University
    @tuftsuniversity
    3.13 times the typical follower growth for a school this size (+3.42%). +10.68% follower growth. 87,405 → 96,741 followers. Typical for its size +3.42%
  5. 5UC
    University of Illinois Chicago
    @thisisuic
    2.92 times the typical follower growth for a school this size (+3.85%). +11.22% follower growth. 35,919 → 39,950 followers. Typical for its size +3.85%

Median engagement rate against schools their size, May 1 to Aug 31, 2026

  1. 1UF
    University of Florida
    @uflorida
    4.50 times the typical engagement rate for a school this size (0.46%). 2.07% median engagement. Typical for its size 0.46%
  2. 2MU
    Michigan State University
    @michiganstateu
    3.70 times the typical engagement rate for a school this size (0.54%). 1.98% median engagement. Typical for its size 0.54%
  3. 3EU
    East Carolina University
    @eastcarolinauniv
    3.35 times the typical engagement rate for a school this size (1.13%). 3.77% median engagement. Typical for its size 1.13%
  4. 4VU
    Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
    @virginia.tech
    3.01 times the typical engagement rate for a school this size (0.74%). 2.23% median engagement. Typical for its size 0.74%
  5. 5AU
    Appalachian State University
    @appstate
    2.90 times the typical engagement rate for a school this size (1.02%). 2.96% median engagement. Typical for its size 1.02%

How the rankings work

Two metrics, ranked separately each semester. Follower growth across the semester, and the median engagement rate per post.

How rankings work

Reach ranks every eligible US college Instagram account three times a year, First Semester (May to August), Second Semester (September to December) and Summer (January to April). Results are frozen when they publish and change only through a dated correction.

1,500

followers minimum at semester start

16

posts minimum for engagement

3 sizes

by full-time enrollment

Aug 31, 2026

data through

Computed Oct 19, 2026

  • Small, under 3,000 students
  • Medium, 3,000 to 9,999
  • Large, 10,000 or more

Follower growth

Growth is the change in followers across the semester as a percent of the starting count. It uses the counts closest to the first and last day, within 7 and 3 days.

Engagement rate

Engagement is the median of each post's likes plus comments divided by followers. The median keeps one viral post from winning a list.

Compared with schools their size

Large accounts grow and engage at lower rates, so each school is compared with up to 50 schools just bigger and 50 just smaller in followers. A score of 2.0× means double the typical result for that size.

Turn the size switch off on any list to rank on the raw percentages instead.

Who qualifies

  • At least 1,500 followers at the semester start for every list
  • At least 16 posts in the semester for engagement lists
  • A follower count near the semester start for growth lists
  • Size lists include 4-year schools only, grouped by IPEDS full-time enrollment
  • Standalone law, MD and DO schools are left out

Tied schools share a rank and are listed alphabetically.

The two metrics are ranked separately and never blended.

Badges

A badge marks a school that keeps showing up. Two or more semesters in a row in a list's top 10, repeat #1 finishes, or repeat top-10 finishes.

Corrections

  • Corrected Oct 21, 2026 University of Southern Indiana competes in NCAA Division I, so it now ranks on the Division I lists instead of Division II.
  • Corrected Oct 22, 2026 We were made aware that our most recent IPEDS-based records showed outdated NCAA divisions for some schools. We updated every school to its 2026-27 NCAA division, so some schools moved between the Division I, II and III lists, joined one, or left them.

See where your school ranks in every list

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