Whats the difference between a state university and regular university?

Both of those schools are state schools. It is just one has the word state in it. the other does not. Prestige/quality of education is not dictated by state vs private (is this regular to you?). there are really good and really bad schools in all categories. In general, State universities are usually much cheaper (especially for state residents) than their private counterparts. Think USC vs UCLA.

State schools are schools that are funded by the state government. There are really good state schools (California's state universities are known to be good ones, by the way) and there are really bad state schools. State schools are generally cheaper than private schools, especially for in-state students, because they get more government funding. Private schools have to depend more on student tuition to cover operating expenses, so tuition is higher.