Hey, Here is a list I made when I was looking at grad schools. I am actually now enrolled at The University of Missouri. I was also accepted at the University of Vermont and chose to go to Mizzou. It's a fantastic program; it's just still a little off the radar. If you look at older posts you will find one where I describe my experience so far. Feel free to look at my LinkedIn and Instagram to see more details about the program and my experience. I would definitely say that it is a top-tier program and it could be a great Plan B for you as the program does not get many applications. It is actually well ranked; better than UVM who has much more applications. We actually had more assistantships than accepted students this year! It also fit your description. It is a large AAU public flagship institution. We are around 12-16 in our classes. This list is in no way complete. It's just programs that I was looking into. In the end, I applied to The University of Connecticut, The University of Vermont and the University of Missouri. I was not accepted at UConn, but got in UVM and Mizzou. I chose to come to Mizzou and I have not regretted it! If you do apply, make sure to start early enough. The application process is longer than other schools. You are required to submit answers to many questions. Let me know if you want to chat more about the program. I know the program at UVM very well as well and I have personal connections with students, alumni, faculty and staff of that program. Let me know if you want more info on that as well. Institution # of applications Cohort size % enrolled University of Connecticut 330 20 6% University of Maryland-College Park 150 10 7% Colorado State University 292 22 8% University of Vermont 183 16 9% University of Massachusetts – Amherst 150 15 10% Ball State University 200 30 15% Bowling Green State University 220 35 16% Western Illinois University 120 22 18% Miami University (Ohio) 130 25 19% Indiana University - Bloomington 200 40 20% Oregon State University 100 20 20% University of Wisconsin-La Crosse 140 35 25% The Ohio State University 200 50 25% University of Kansas 120 30 25% University of Nebraska 75 20 27% Baylor University 50 15 30% Iowa State University 75 28 37% Old Dominion University 60 25 42% University of Missouri-Columbia 58 28 48% Patrick https://www.linkedin.com/in/patrickarsenault https://instagram.com/paarsenault/