A public university is a university that is predominantly funded by public means through a national or sub national government, as opposed to private universities. A national university may or may not be considered a public university, depending on regions. In some regions of the world prominent public institutions are highly influential centers of research; many of these universities are ranked among the world best in the THES - QS World University Rankings and the Academic Ranking of World Universities, including the University of Toronto (right), the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich, and the University of California, Berkeley
