Most Expensive Colleges and Universities in the U.S.
Writer & Editor
Editor & Writer
Writer & Editor
Editor & Writer
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Data Summary
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The most expensive college in the U.S. as of the 2021-2022 academic year was the University of Chicago. -
Universities with the most expensive college tuition charged students up to $64,000 per year, while total costs at these institutions exceeded $80,000 a year. -
Cost of attendance is one of the most important factors in students' college choice. -
Despite high sticker prices, these universities often offer generous financial aid packages.
The rising cost of attendance at U.S. colleges and universities has continued to be one of the most important factors students consider when choosing what school to attend.
According to data from the National Center for Education Statistics from nearly 2,000 U.S. institutions, the total cost at 200 of these schools exceeded $65,000 per year in 2021-2022 for out-of-state students living on campus. Five years prior, fewer than 100 schools cost that much.
Below, we take a closer look at the most expensive colleges in the U.S. and tell you just how much of that cost could be left up to you to pay after scholarships and grants.
The Most Expensive Colleges Ranked by Total Cost
Here are the top 25 four-year colleges and universities with the highest cost of attendance as of the 2021-2022 academic year:
| Ranking | School | Annual Cost of Attendance (2021-2022) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | University of Chicago | $84,126 |
| 2 | Northwestern University | $83,838 |
| 3 | University of Pennsylvania | $83,298 |
| 4 | Columbia University | $82,584 |
| 5 | Brown University | $82,570 |
| 6 | Wesleyan University | $82,245 |
| 7 | Harvey Mudd College | $82,236 |
| 8 | Yale University | $82,170 |
| 9 | Tufts University | $81,700 |
| 10 | University of Southern California | $81,659 |
| 11 | Washington University in St. Louis | $81,620 |
| 12 | Haverford College | $81,570 |
| 13 | Georgetown University | $81,515 |
| 14 | Oberlin College | $81,502 |
| 15 | Dartmouth College | $81,501 |
| 16 | Tulane University of Louisiana | $81,232 |
| 17 | Fordham University | $81,186 |
| 18 | Wellesley College | $81,090 |
| 19 | Southern Methodist University | $81,074 |
| 20 | Reed College | $80,970 |
| 21 | Vassar College | $80,830 |
| 22 | Barnard College | $80,693 |
| 23 | Boston College | $80,658 |
| 24 | Bennington College | $80,648 |
| 25 | Franklin and Marshall College | $80,618 |
Despite these institutions' high sticker prices, most students who attend actually pay much less. Many schools have generous financial aid packages for individuals below certain income thresholds and offer additional assistance based on merit. Some schools even commit to meeting 100% of students' demonstrated need, allowing them to avoid taking out loans.
But even when costs are high, many of the priciest schools have seen increasing enrollment amid national enrollment declines. Unsurprisingly, each of these schools is a private institution.
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Get to Know the Top 10 Most Expensive Colleges
Here are the top 10 most expensive colleges in the U.S. based on their total cost of attendance in the 2021-2022 academic year. Below, we list each school's tuition and fees, total cost of attendance, and the average net price students are expected to pay after being awarded Title IV grant aid.
1. University of Chicago
- Tuition and Fees: $62,241
- Total Cost of Attendance: $84,126
- Average Net Price: $36,991
Over the last five years, the University of Chicago's total cost of attendance has increased by approximately 16%. But soaring costs have left interested students undeterred. Between fall 2016 and fall 2021, full-time undergraduate enrollment at UChicago increased by 27%.
UChicago offers extensive financial assistance and meets 100% of students' demonstrated need without loans. At least one of the institution's aid offerings intended for low-income students is a full-ride scholarship that also offers funding for study abroad programs and networking opportunities.
2. Northwestern University
- Tuition and Fees: $60,768
- Total Cost of Attendance: $83,841
- Average Net Price: $22,095
Between 2016-2017 and 2021-2022, Northwestern University's total cost of attendance rose by nearly 20%. While costs grew considerably, full-time undergraduate enrollment only rose by 1.7%.
Despite high costs, the school boasted a more than $200 million financial aid budget during the 2021-2022 academic year. Northwestern additionally reports that approximately 61% of undergraduate students receive financial aid and that it will meet 100% of demonstrated need without loans.
3. University of Pennsylvania
- Tuition and Fees: $61,710
- Total Cost of Attendance: $83,298
- Average Net Price: $26,123
University of Pennsylvania's cost of attendance rose by 20% over the last five years. However, the institution's full-time enrollment of undergraduate students fell by nearly 3.5% between fall 2016 and fall 2021.
Despite decreasing enrollment, an increasing number of UPenn students graduate debt free. As of 2022, 80% of the institution's financial aid recipients graduated with zero debt compared to just 58% in 2008.
4. Columbia University
- Tuition and Fees: $63,530
- Total Cost of Attendance: $82,584
- Average Net Price: $22,058
Columbia University had one of the smallest increases in total cost of attendance on this list over the last five years. But that doesn't mean the rise in sticker price during the period was actually small. Between the 2016-2017 and 2021-2022 academic years, the New York City-based institution's cost of attendance rose by 15%.
Columbia saw an 8% increase in full-time undergraduate enrollment during the same period.
5. Brown University
- Tuition and Fees: $62,304
- Total Cost of Attendance: $82,570
- Average Net Price: $26,723
Brown University's total cost of attendance increased by 21% during the last five years. The Ivy League institution also saw enrollment increase by almost 5% between 2016-2017 and 2021-2022.
Brown commits to meeting 100% of students' demonstrated financial need without loans.
Brown graduates can expect a high return on investment based on their expected earnings net of debt and other costs 10 years after graduating.
6. Wesleyan University
- Tuition and Fees: $62,049
- Total Cost of Attendance: $82,245
- Average Net Price: $21,270
Wesleyan University's total cost of attendance increased the most of all the institutions on this list over the last five years, rising by nearly 22% between the 2016-2017 and 2021-2022 academic years.
Wesleyan commits to meeting 100% of students' demonstrated need and has a no-loan policy for students whose parental income is $120,000 per year or less. The institution awards more than $72 million in need-based aid every year.
7. Harvey Mudd College
- Tuition and Fees: $60,703
- Total Cost of Attendance: $82,236
- Average Net Price: $39,850
Harvey Mudd College saw the smallest increase in total cost of attendance over the last five years: 14.3%. Meanwhile, full-time undergraduate enrollment increased by just about 9% between fall 2016 and fall 2021.
Graduates of Harvey Mudd can look forward to a promising return on their investment, according to recently collected outcomes data. Harvey Mudd ranks in the top 75 institutions of more than 4,500 due to graduates' expected earnings net of debt and other costs 10, 15, 20, 30, and 40 years after graduating.
8. Yale University
- Tuition and Fees: $59,950
- Total Cost of Attendance: $82,170
- Average Net Price: $18,647
Yale University's cost of attendance increased by 19.7% between the 2016-2017 and 2021-2022 academic years. Full-time undergraduate enrollment also increased considerably at the Ivy League institution, rising by 19.4%.
Despite its high costs, 86% of the university's 2018 class graduated with zero student loan debt, and typically about 84% graduate from the institution debt free. Yale's dedication to financial aid may be the reason that this institution has the lowest average net price of the top 10 most expensive schools, at less than $19,000 a year.
9. Tufts University
- Tuition and Fees: $63,000
- Total Cost of Attendance: $81,700
- Average Net Price: $30,479
Tufts University saw both its total cost of attendance and full-time undergraduate enrollment increase by nearly 20% over the last five years.
Tufts commits to meeting 100% of students' demonstrated need through scholarships, grants, and loans.
10. University of Southern California
- Tuition and Fees: $61,503
- Total Cost of Attendance: $81,659
- Average Net Price: $36,808
The University of Southern California's cost of attendance increased by 17% over the last five years. USC additionally saw its enrollment figures increase by 11% between 2016-2017 and 2021-2022.
USC is a need-blind institution, meaning students' financial needs are not factored into admissions decisions. More than 75% of the aid the school offers comes in the form of grants and scholarships that do not need to be repaid.
The Most Expensive Colleges by Net Cost
As seen above, a majority of the most expensive institutions today — including Ivy Leagues — offer significant financial aid to their students through scholarships and grants. This helps bring down the total cost of attendance and the remaining fees paid by the student, which are called net costs.
While students can get a decent understanding of just how expensive their school is by looking at the total cost of attendance, the net cost is often a more helpful metric when it comes to college planning. So, below, we've ranked the top 25 most expensive four-year institutions by their net cost of attendance as of the 2021-2022 academic year.
A majority of the institutions in the top 25 are private, nonprofit institutions. Four are for-profit schools, and not a single public institution makes the top 25.
| Rank | School | State | Annual Net Cost of Attendance (2021-2022) | Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ringling College of Art and Design | FL | $50,747 | Private, Nonprofit |
| 2 | School of Visual Arts | NY | $50,183 | Private, For-Profit |
| 3 | Manhattan School of Music | NY | $47,969 | Private, Nonprofit |
| 4 | Moore College of Art and Design | PA | $46,750 | Private, Nonprofit |
| 5 | Yeshiva University | NY | $46,632 | Private, Nonprofit |
| 6 | Art Center College of Design | CA | $46,201 | Private, Nonprofit |
| 7 | California Institute of the Arts | CA | $46,083 | Private, Nonprofit |
| 8 | School of the Art Institute of Chicago | IL | $46,067 | Private, Nonprofit |
| 9 | Howard University | DC | $45,837 | Private, Nonprofit |
| 10 | Pratt Institute | NY | $45,816 | Private, Nonprofit |
| 11 | Emerson College | MA | $45,609 | Private, Nonprofit |
| 12 | Berklee College of Music | MA | $45,467 | Private, Nonprofit |
| 13 | West Coast University, Los Angeles | CA | $45,392 | Private, For-Profit |
| 14 | Worcester Polytechnic Institute | MA | $45,005 | Private, Nonprofit |
| 15 | Dominican University of California | CA | $44,990 | Private, Nonprofit |
| 16 | Rhode Island School of Design | RI | $44,371 | Private, Nonprofit |
| 17 | Savannah College of Art and Design | GA | $44,270 | Private, Nonprofit |
| 18 | Sacred Heart University | CT | $43,871 | Private, Nonprofit |
| 19 | Fairfield University | CT | $43,569 | Private, Nonprofit |
| 20 | Santa Clara University | CA | $43,228 | Private, Nonprofit |
| 21 | New York Film Academy | NY | $42,649 | Private, For-Profit |
| 22 | Tulane University of Louisiana | LA | $42,217 | Private, Nonprofit |
| 23 | Platt College, Aurora | CO | $41,975 | Private, For-Profit |
| 24 | Lafayette College | PA | $41,937 | Private, Nonprofit |
| 25 | Hult International Business School | MA | $41,820 | Private, Nonprofit |
What Students Should Know About Paying for College
While it may be overwhelming to see the exorbitant costs of many institutions, you can access a number of resources available to help curb your out-of-pocket expenses.
Regardless of your financial situation, you should first fill out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, otherwise known as the FAFSA. Our FAFSA guide will tell you everything you need to know about when to fill out and how it can help you secure scholarships, loans, and grants to fund your education.
Should you need to take out federal or nonfederal student loans, think carefully about what type of degree you are pursuing. Consider opting for a high-value degree with a decent return on investment.
