24 Most Expensive Colleges and Universities in the United States, Ranked

For those in cheaper housing markets, obtaining a high-level college degree has become more costly than owning a home.

The cost of attending college has also risen exponentially over the years—in the early 1980s, you could attend a four-year school for less than $1,000 (in today’s dollars).

Yet, some schools are particularly expensive due to their prestigious reputations. In identifying America’s most unaffordable universities, researchers considered not just tuition but also books, room and board, and other costs of attendance.

1. University of Southern California: $95,225

USC is a destination university, especially for those looking to make their mark in Hollywood. While Southern Cal is well regarded, you could argue whether its tuition should cost as much as Ivy-League alternatives.

As always, the justification for the $95,000+ tuition depends on what you study. If you follow in the footsteps of notable alumni like Neil Armstrong, George Lucas, John Singleton, and Jane Goodall, becoming a Trojan could be your best decision.

2. Washington University in St. Louis: $92,523

One of the most respected schools you may not have heard of, Washington University in St. Louis has produced Nobel Prize winners, Rhodes Scholars, and other accomplished alumni who parlayed their education into immense success.

Wash U ranks 24th of all universities and 18th best value among four-year American colleges, meaning its high tuition isn’t totally off base. The university estimates the total cost of an academic year to be more than $92,000, with $87,644 in university charges and nearly $5,000 in extraneous fees.

3. Columbia University: $92,063

Have you ever wanted to incur high student debt while facing the bankruptcy cost of living in New York City? Columbia University is the school for you. Columbia lists their annual tuition at around $63,060, with approximate cost-of-living valued at an additional $29,003, running 2023-2024 students a combined $92,063.

In all seriousness, it’s no wonder why Columbia’s student body (and their parents) are willing to pay the cost of attending New York City’s Ivy League representative. Its alumni include over 100 Pulitzer Prize winners, 34 presidents and prime ministers, and five of America’s Founding Fathers. That’s good (and expensive) company to keep.

4. Northwestern University: $91,290

Nestled in the outskirts of Chicago, Northwestern University has produced many accomplished alumni, including Warren Beatty, Zach Braff, Stephen Colbert, and director Frank Galati. That’s just the alums from the School of Communications, and those who graduate from Northwestern’s other programs (including its School of Medicine) also tend to be high achievers.

The cost of attending Northwestern is far north of the national average, with the university’s website listing a year’s worth of expenses – including fees, books, and all other necessities – at an estimated $91,290. The question becomes, is the motivator of more than $300,000 in student loans why Northwestern University’s alumni are so accomplished? Or do the accomplishments prove the value of a Northwestern education?

5. Harvey Mudd College: $89,115

Harvey Mudd College is, despite lesser name recognition, one of the most logical entrants on this list. It is a STEM-focused university, meaning its graduates emerge with real skills geared towards high-paying professions. The school claims to rank second of all universities in graduates’ mid-career salaries, and we have no obvious reason to doubt it.

An elite engineering school in Claremont, CA, will inevitably cost a pretty penny. However, its graduates will be well-positioned to make many pennies throughout their careers in the hard sciences.

6. University of Chicago: $89,040

The University of Chicago is one of the most storied institutions of higher learning in the United States. The school’s mathematics department is responsible for forming the International Congresses of Mathematicians, and U-Chicago is known as one of the most rigorous research universities in the world.

Its mascot, the Phoenix, is an ode to Chicago’s rebirth after the devastating 1871 fire. Graduates have also risen to the top of their fields, with numerous Nobel Prize winners in chemistry, physics, and other fields coming from the University of Chicago. After forking over $89,040, you’d sit alongside some esteemed alumni.

7. University of Pennsylvania: $89,028

You could attend UPenn for a year or purchase a Mercedes AMG outright. Notable alumni like Donald Trump, Elon Musk, and Tory Burch would likely advise you that a UPenn degree (even four years, which will cost you the equivalent of four Mercedes AMGs) is well worth the steep investment.

The university’s website states a student living on campus will pay just over $89,000 per school year. However, if Warren Buffett had chosen to invest two years of education at UPenn (he finished at the University of Nebraska), you might have been wise to follow suit.

8. Brown University: $88,948

Do you think Brown University has considered changing its name to Green University? With all due respect to namesake Nicholas Brown (who earned permanent naming rights with a mere $5,000 donation in 1804), Brown University is in the money business.

Charging students an average tuition of nearly $89,000 seems egregious, but what do you get in return? U.S. News & World Report ranks Brown ninth of all four-year American universities, positioning it 11th in value. Brown’s most significant pull factors are a six-to-one student-to-faculty ratio and a highly personalized learning experience.

9. Tufts University: $88,300

Tufts University is in one of the richest regions for higher education, in Medford, MA. It is one of the Not-Quite-Ivies, a solid school that isn’t quite as well regarded as Harvard or Yale.

U.S. News & World Report ranks Tufts as the 33rd-best school in terms of value, meaning its annual cost is a bit higher than the rankings would warrant. First-year attendees can expect to pay over $88,000 per school year.

10. Wellesley College: $88,291

Wellesley is one of the prestigious Seven Sisters, a group of East Coast colleges for women. During a time when the Ivy Leagues were for men only, Wellesley and the other Six Sisters offered a comparable education to an all-female student body.

Such a rich history does not come cheap, even as the school has had to reevaluate who is eligible for admission into this bastion of women’s education.

11. Dartmouth College: $87,793

Dartmouth College is expensive, but its reputation for providing generous financial aid makes its annual cost a bit deceptive.

Researchers noted that Dartmouth College’s cost of attendance for students during the 2023-2024 school year was an estimated $87,793.

12. Reed College: $87,790

Reed College, the least well-known of the five most expensive schools in America, is a liberal arts college in Portland, OR. The school owns 28 scenic acres upon which students are encouraged to find themselves (this is Portland, after all) when they’re not in small classes with a 9:1 student-teacher ratio.

Reed is a progressive school, so the ROI for a degree well over $300,000 will depend on which major a student pursues. Many of the school’s featured alums appear to be in creative fields, so it’s fair to wonder whether most alumni ever out-earn their minimum student loan payments.

13. Wake Forest: $87,622

A private school nestled in the lush greenery of Winston-Salem, NC, Wake Forest offers more than 50 majors, 60 minors, and a vibrant campus life for nearly 9,000 students.

Its private nature and reputation for academic excellence make Wake one of the most expensive schools in the country, and it ranks 64th in terms of return on investment.

14. Franklin and Marshall College: $87,367

We can only assume that Franklin and Marshall were loan sharks because attending this private college in Lancaster, PA, costs students an arm and a leg.

Students are promised a hands-on, highly personalized education among only 1,900 other undergraduate attendees. Highly rated by U.S. News & World Report, Franklin and Marshall College may be only slightly overvalued by those who set the tuition rates.

15. Yale University: $87,150

A school you likely suspected of being on this list, Yale University is one of the most revered (in academic circles, at least) and historically significant American universities. More than 300 years old, Yale has produced multiple presidents, actors, scientists, Supreme Court justices, and other notable alumni.

The exorbitant tuition for 2024-2025 attendees may even come with entry into the secretive Skull & Bones society, setting you up for a long, lucrative career in your chosen field.

16. Haverford College: $86,540

Haverford, PA’s Haverford College is a small school with a big price tag.

Only eight miles from Philly, Haverford provides a tight-knit student experience with 56 academic programs. Haverford College is exclusive and expensive, with a 14% acceptance rate and an average SAT score of 1430-1540 among entrants.

17. Wesleyan University: $86,380

Founded 1831 in Middletown, CT, Wesleyan University once charged students $36 per year to attend. Times have changed drastically, and Wesleyan now charges more than $86,000 in total costs for students to attend its award-winning philosophy and arts courses. While it was founded as a Methodist university, Wesleyan is among the more progressive schools in the nation, lending it a reputation as a left-leaning institution (which may or may not affect how you view the value of the sky-high tuition).

U.S. News & World Report ranks Wesleyan as the sixteenth highest-value university in 2024, suggesting that its high sticker price is, for most, worth it.

18. Tulane University: $86,000+

Most Americans associate New Orleans with cajun food and Bourbon Street, but they should also recognize it as the home of one of America’s most costly four-year universities.

Tulane is a solid school (with no shortage of party opportunities), but serious questions about whether it warrants its Rodeo Drive-level price tag exist. U.S. News & World Report ranks Tulane 114th in value, which is not a ringing endorsement.

19. Vassar College: $85,220

One of the Seven Sisters, Vassar College was once a women-only university that began admitting men in 1969. Located in New York’s Hudson Valley, Vassar is a liberal arts college, so choose your major wisely.

With an annual price tag of more than $85,000, you don’t want to pick an academic course that will leave you destitute upon graduation—you’ll have some serious student loans to pay back.

20. Barnard College: $84,660

New York City’s Barnard College has a rich history dating to 1889, and its 9% acceptance rate signals the elite capabilities of its student body.

Barnard ranks 11th of all liberal arts colleges, and a relatively small student body has to shoulder the cost of operations (hence, the $86,000+ annual price, which only factors in tuition, meal plan, and housing).

21. Oberlin College & Conservatory: $83,588

Many Americans regard Oberlin as one of the most out-there universities one can attend, but there is no denying its academic gravitas. Ranked 51st among national liberal arts colleges, Oberlin’s tuition seems a bit big for its britches.

However, the school “meets 100 percent of the demonstrated need for every student,” meaning that the actual price of attendance may be far less than it seems at first glance.

22. Georgetown University: $82,000+

Researchers found that the return on investment of a Georgetown degree was 346th of 4,500 universities when evaluated after ten years. However, on a 40-year timeline, the value of a Georgetown degree rose to 23rd.

Between the school’s considerable research facilities, first-class law school, and proximity to countless job opportunities in Washington, D.C., Georgetown can justify its annual total cost. The cost is influenced by students’ selected living quarters, but with only tuition costing students around $65,000 annually, students living on-site can expect to pay at least $82,000 annually.

23. Boston College: $80,000+

Jesuit-founded Boston College blends high-level academics with Power 5 athletics and a healthy social scene. Students are also paying handsomely for proximity to Boston.

Though U.S. News & World Report ranks BC 51st in terms of value, the university will run students attending during the 2023-2024 academic year more than $80,000.

24. Southern Methodist University: $79,730

Are you surprised to see SMU on this list before, say, Harvard? We are, too. SMU is a fine academic institution that has produced governors, ambassadors, prominent lawyers, and other notable alumni.

However, its reputation as a rich kid school is evidenced by the nearly $80,000 2022-2023 price tag, which is difficult to explain when considering the quality of schools featured throughout this list.