With college costs soaring and student loan debt at a record high, more students and families are considering public schools simply because of the generally lower tuition.

At public, four-year institutions, average costs for the current school year, including room and board, were $21,370, according to the College Board, while tuition plus room and board at four-year private universities was more than double that: $48,510 on average.

Some public schools are far more affordable than others, particularly for those applying out of state. Personal finance site GOBankingRates ranked 100 public universities by out-of-state tuition costs, based on data from schools and U.S. News & World Report.

People assume a private school is better, but "these public schools are equally good and they have huge resources," said Andrew DePietro, the lead researcher and data analyst at GoBankingRates.

In addition, not only are the schools near the top of the list relatively less expensive, but most also have a high acceptance rate, making them particularly attainable for college-bound seniors.

Here are the public colleges that made the top 10: