The 30 Most Expensive Colleges In America

30. Williams College, Williamstown, Massachusetts

It’s not the most expensive liberal arts institution in america, but Williams College is – according to the 2015 edition of Best Colleges – the best. The publication ranks it number one of all liberal arts colleges in the country. Last year (2014) wasn’t any different, Williams College was also chosen as first place in an article published by Forbes.

Founded in 1793, it’s also one of the oldest colleges in the country. One of the major draw-cards of the institution, which no doubt contributes to its high ranking, is class sizes: Williams has small classes, with a student to teacher ratio of 7:1. Set on a rural campus of 450 acres, Williams College costs $61,070 per year to attend, including room and board. According to Forbes 65% of all students at Williams are receiving some degree of financial aid.

29. Boston College, Massachusetts

Boston College enrols over 14,000 students in total, with an acceptance rate in 2014 of 34 percent. It’s a private Jesuit Catholic research university, founded in 1863, and set on a campus of 338 acres. Boston lays claim to some visually striking buildings, with some of the earliest examples of Collegiate Gothic architecture in North America residing on its main campus site. A year of study at Boston College, including board and room, costs $61,096. Boston College has a Presidential Scholars Program, which is a competitive undergraduate program offered only to a small subset of early action applicants. According to Forbes over 58% of the students are receiving financial aid.

28. Barnard College, New York City, New York

Barnard – a private liberal arts college – is for women only. And while the campus space takes up just a tiny four acres, Barnard students do get to enjoy rather an urban lifestyle right in the midst of Manhattan. A year at Barnard costs $61,100 if you take lodging into account, and currently it hosts an enrolment figure of around 2,360.

Approximately 95 percent of students live on campus, getting to call the Upper West Side home for the duration of their studies. Actress Cynthia Nixon and late T.V host Joan Rivers are among Barnard’s notable alumni.

27. Brandeis University, Waltham, Massachusetts

In 1948 – the time of its founding – Brandeis became the only non-sectarian institution to be founded by the Jewish community. Its mission was to be open to all, and to meet rigorous academic standards at the same time. The private institution now enrols 5,808 students in total, around 3,500 of them undergraduates, housed within its 235 acre suburban campus. A year of study at Brandeis costs $61,100 including board.

26. Vassar College, New York

Vassar was founded in 1861 as a women’s college, becoming coeducational in 1969. Now days 98 percent of students live on the college’s campus, which spans 1,000 acres of the scenic Hudson Valley area and includes more than 100 buildings. The total number of students attending the college is around 2,400, with each forking out $61,140 in fees (including board) each year. Vassar is characterized by “an unusual degree of flexibility” with no core curriculum and a high degree of intellectual freedom that aims to shape students into original thinkers.

25. Amherst College, Massachusetts

The 2015 edition of Best Colleges ranks Amherst second among all National Liberal Arts Colleges in the country. Its high standing and excellent reputation may help account for its fees: a year at Amherst costs $61,206 including room and board. The acceptance rate at Amherst is 14 percent, and it enrols less than 2,000 students. Established in 1821, Amherst prides itself on high academic standards and takes the motto “Let them give light to the world”. The institution is set on a 1,000 acre campus giving plenty of space (including open waters and a wildlife sanctuary) to its relatively small number of students.

24. Tufts University, Massachusetts

Tufts University costs $61,277 – room and board included – to attend each year. Founded in 1852, it has a total enrolment of over 10,000 students, with a suburban campus set across 150 acres. Tufts’ mission is unique in that they believe “the world will not fit into neatly labeled categories and solutions will not come from a single point of view” hence driving their students towards interdisciplinary thought. The acceptance rate at Tufts in 2014 was 17.4 percent.

23. University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Only 10 percent of applicants got good news from the University of Pennsylvania in 2014, with the Ive League college being one of the more selective in the country for its undergraduate programs. It’s no wonder it has some prestige attached: it was founded all the way back in 1740 by none other than Benjamin Franklin. These days the university makes it into the top 30 most expensive, with an annual cost of $61,412 including board. Among its notables, the University of Pennsylvania (or Penn, as it’s known) counts numerous world leaders and politicians, business people, and 28 Nobel Prize winners.

22. Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Even if you’ve never set foot on the grounds of Carnegie Mellon, you might well have caught a glimpse of the university without knowing it: it’s regularly used as a filming location, and its 140 acre campus has acted a backdrop for movies including The Dark Knight Rises, Dogma and Wonder Boys.

It was founded in 1900 by industrialist and philanthropist Andrew Carnegie, and takes the motto of “My heart is in the work”. Students keen to attend can be expected to foot an annual bill of $61,422 including their room and board.

21. Bard College at Simon’s Rock, Great Barrington, Massachusetts

This small college was founded in 1964, and resides on a rural 275 acre campus in the small town of Great Barrington. Simon’s Rock is an “early college” – meaning students can enrol after completing tenth or eleventh grade, rather than attending after they graduate high school. Because of its unique mission (according to the school themselves, they are the “only four-year, liberal arts college specifically designed for younger scholars”) it maintains a small enrolment of less than 400 students. The cost of attendance per annum totals $61,490 including board.

20. Wesleyan University, Middletown, Connecticut

Wesleyan University is a private liberal arts college in Middletown, Connecticut. Admission is selective, and the annual cost of attendance is $61,498. Tuition and fees carry a yearly cost of $48,272, while the other $13,226 is required for room and board. Transformers director Michael Bay earned his degree at Wesleyan, which doesn’t exactly instil much confidence (unless you happen to like the crashing apocalypse of chaos cinema). Still, they must be doing something right: they’re redeemed for turning out Matthew Weiner, the acclaimed creator of AMC’s Mad Men.

19. Fordham University, New York City, New York

A private, nonprofit, coeducational research university, Fordham was founded in 1841. It enrols approximately 15,000 students who carry out their studies across three New York campuses: Rose Hill in the Bronx, Lincoln Center in Manhattan and Westchester in West Harrison. The university operates a shuttle van between campuses which, random fun fact, makes so many trips it covers a distance equivalent to traveling around the world 18.5 times every year. Among Fordham’s notable alumni are Denzel Washington, Donald Trump, David Copperfield and Lana Del Rey. Attendance costs come in at $61,588, including $15,965 for room and board.

18. Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois

Northwestern University had 21,596 students enrolled in 2013, but despite its size it maintains a relatively low acceptance rate of 12.9 percent. If you manage to graduate from this Illinois institution, you’ll be among some notable alumni of the entertainment industry in particular: Northwestern’s list of former students includes the likes of Warren Beatty, Zach Braff, Zooey Deschanel, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Anne-Margaret and Charlton Heston. The cost to attend? For one year at Northwestern you’re looking at $61,640 of which $47,251 is for tuition and fees and $14,389 for room and board.

17. Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, New York

With a to-the-point motto of “Knowledge and Thoroughness”, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute was founded on the principles of applying science to everyday life. That was in 1824, and the university still holds to those values today. Rensselaer claims the title of the oldest technological university in the English-speaking world, and courses today cover six main schools of study: architecture; engineering; humanities, arts, and social sciences; information technology and web science; science; and management & technology. Attendance at the New York institution (which also has additional campuses in Hartford and Groton, Connecticut) costs $61,703 per annum. Of the costs, $13,620 constitutes room and board.

16. Drexel University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Founded in 1891, Drexel is a private research university with a total of four campuses: three in Philadelphia and one in Sacramento. Drexel’s total enrolment numbers exceed 25,000 and, because of its size, it warrants a high acceptance rate. In fact, 2013 saw 74.9 percent of all applicants accepted, so chances of getting in are pretty good. Once you’re in, though, you’re still expected to pay up, with Drexel costing $61,731 a year to attend ($14,715 of which is room and board). Drexel puts a high emphasis on practical, on-the-job training as well as in-class education, and their cooperative education program sends students to more than 1,200 employers worldwide for six months at a time.

15. Pitzer College, Claremont, California

For $61,750 a year, you can secure a place at Pitzer College in Claremont, California – provided you fit into the 13 percent acceptance rate, of course. Pitzer is a private residential liberal arts college with an emphasis on the social sciences, behavioral sciences, international programs, and media studies. Along with Claremont McKenna College, Harvey Mudd College, Pomona College and Scripps College (three of which are in the top 10 most expensive), Pitzer is one of the Claremont Colleges group. All full-time students are required to live on campus unless they’ve been given school permission to move off-site. Room and board for Pitzer’s 1,081 enrolled students is reportedly $14,730 a year, while attendance costs $47,020 in fees and tuition.

14. Haverford College, Pennsylvania

Haverford College was founded by a group of Quakers in 1833, but today has no formal religious affiliations. The yearly cost of attendance at Haverford is $61,784, $47,434 of which is for fees and tuition. Almost all of Haverford’s 1,190 students – around 99 percent – live on campus, and are liable to foot a bill for room and board totalling $14,350 per annum. Housing options at the college are varied, though, and include apartments, traditional dormitories, and themed houses – including the Spanish themed La Casa Hispanica, and a substance-free area dubbed Cadbury House.

13. Oberlin College, Oberlin, Ohio

Progress is the defining mission of Oberlin College, a private liberal arts college in Ohio that has a strong and significant claim to fame: it’s considered to be the first higher learning institution in the US to break the gender and race boundaries by regularly admitting female and black students. Be that as it may, it doesn’t mean attendance at Oberlin is cheap. The annual cost is $61,788, of which $48,682 goes towards fees and tuition and the rest towards board. Oberlin is comprised of the College of Arts and Sciences and the Conservatory of Music – the latter being the oldest continuously operating conservatory in the country.

12. Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland

The annual cost for attending Johns Hopkins University is $61,806 – which you can break down to $47,560 in fees and tuition and $14,246 in boarding costs. A private research university in Baltimore, Maryland, it was founded in 1876 and named after its primary benefactor, entrepreneur, abolitionist, and philanthropist Johns Hopkins. “The truth will set you free,” says the University’s motto, and the truth seems to be that Johns Hopkins is a worthy institution indeed. Among its long list of notable alumni, Johns Hopkins boasts 36 Nobel Prize winners – the first being U.S. President Woodrow Wilson, who received his Ph.D. in history and political science from the university. It can also lay claim to some famous fictional characters: Dr Hannibal Lecter and Dr Gregory House both “attended” Johns Hopkins.

11. Trinity College, Hartford, Connecticut

Trinity College was founded in 1823 – the second-oldest college in Connecticut after Yale – and became a coeducational institution in 1969. These days, a year of study comes with a bill of $61,806, including $49,106 for tuition and fees and $12,700 for board. Study away is a key part of Trinity’s mission, and more than half of Trinity students study abroad during their time in college. Trinity even has a campus in Rome, Italy, in addition to its 100 acre main campus in the Connecticut city of Hartford.

10. Scripps College, Claremont, California

Ladies only at this $61,940-per-year institution. The progressive liberal arts women’s college boasts a beautiful 30 acre campus that’s listed on the National Register of Historic Places, due to its unique Spanish Colonial Revival Style architecture designed by renowned architect Gordon Kaufmann. For the $14,562 in room and board charged to students annually, they at least get to enjoy a peaceful and aesthetically pleasing setting: Scripps’ grounds regularly land it on lists of the most beautiful colleges in the country, including those ranked by Forbes and Travel+Leisure. Established in 1926, the college now hosts 1,009 students. Scripps is a member of the Claremont Colleges consortium, which also counts among its members two other colleges in our top 10 most expensive list, namely Claremont McKenna and Harvey Mudd.

9. University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California

At $62,031, the University of Southern California snags the number nine spot on the most expensive colleges list. $13,334 is what room and board will set back each student per year, while another $48,697 is required for tuition and other fees. Founded in 1880, the university has an enrolment of around 41,000 (18,316 undergraduates), with an urban campus set upon 226 acres. Being California’s oldest private research university, it’s no wonder the institution can lay claim to some highly notable alumni: Neil Armstrong, George Lucas, John Wayne, and Frank Gehry are among the college’s past students.

8. Claremont McKenna College, Claremont, California

Claremont McKenna has been turning out graduates in the fields of liberal arts since 1946. Initially it was a men’s college, becoming co-educational in 1976. In the 2015 edition of Best Colleges, Claremont McKenna scored eighth place out of all National Liberal Arts Colleges in the country – though to attend doesn’t exactly come cheap. The total cost for a year equals $62,215, of which $47,395 is for fees and tuition and $14,820 covers room and board. Claremont McKenna currently hosts an enrolment of 1,316 undergraduate students.

7. Dartmouth College, Hanover, New Hampshire

With $48,498 charged in fees and $13,839 in room and board (a total of $62,337), Dartmouth College ranks at number seven most expensive. And given that more than 90 percent of students live in on-campus housing, the latter is fairly non-negotiable. Founded all the way back in 1769, Dartmouth is one of nine Colonial Colleges established prior to the American Revolution – and if you add to the long-running history its Ivy League status, there’s surely enough prestige to match the high price of attendance. The acceptance rate at Dartmouth in 2014 was 11.5 percent.

6. Sarah Lawrence College, Bronxville, New York

Established in 1926, Sarah Lawrence is a private liberal arts college located 15 miles north of Manhattan. The college prides itself on high academic standards and low student-to-faculty ratio: 92.5 percent of its classes have fewer than 20 students. In the fields of the arts, Sarah Lawrence has some well-known names amongst its alumni, including Director J. J. Abrams, actress Sigourney Weaver, musician and artist Yoko Ono, and fashion designer Vera Wang. Undergraduate enrolment at the college is currently 1,471. In Forbes’ list of top colleges, Sarah Lawrence scrapes in to the top 100 at number 99.

5. Columbia University, New York City, New York

Columbia University falls under the “Ivy League” banner, so it’s no wonder the fees reflect a reputation of academic excellence, selectivity, and social elitism. Students who managed to squeeze within the 6.9 percent acceptance rate in 2014 will be liable for about $63,440 in costs: $51,008 for fees and tuition and $12,432 for room and board. Still, the prestige doesn’t seem to be unfounded. In a 2014 study of America’s “Smartest Colleges”, conducted by Business Insider, Columbia ranked number four out of the 1,339 schools that were analyzed. So going there does make you smart… or you have to be smart to go there. Probably both.

4. New York University, New York City, New York

“To persevere and to excel” is the motto of New York University, and that’s surely what students of this nonsectarian institution are encouraged to do. The reward of that perseverance is a degree; the cost of the excellence is $63,472 a year. $46,690 of that is for tuition and $16,782 for room and board. If you can score a place, you’ll be among a sea of 11,000 other undergraduate and graduate residents: New York University reportedly has the seventh largest university housing system in the US. It’s also one of the country’s largest private nonprofit institutions for higher education.

3. University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois

Established in 1890 – part thanks to a donation from famed oil magnate John D. Rockefeller – the University of Chicago has history and prestige to back up its high fees. A year of study costs a total of $63,585! An amount of $49,380 in fees and tuition plus $14,205 in room and board. Acceptance rates for the University of Chicago are quite low, too: in fact, this year’s enrolments for the Class of 2018 had the lowest acceptance rate in the college’s history, at just 8.4 percent.

2. Bard College, New York

If you factor in the $13,772 per annum that it costs to secure a room and board at Bard, the liberal arts college winds up second on the most expensive list. Tuition and fees total $49,854 bringing the annual cost to $63,626. “I shall give thee the crown of life,” reads Bard’s motto – and for that price, you’d hope so. Bard isn’t just a place for quality education, also boasting a beautiful campus consisting of over 70 buildings, many of them historical and in the Collegiate Gothic style.

1. Harvey Mudd College, Claremont, California

If you’re on a budget then Harvey Mudd is not for you. Sorry. On the other hand, if you have a cool $64,527 a year to spare and want to head to a top-ranking college with a good reputation, then pack your bags and be prepared to enter the field of science, mathematics or engineering. Harvey Mudd excels at all three, with a specific mission of teaching “science with a conscience”. That is, humanities and the social sciences are impressed upon every student, so they better understand the impact of their work on society. Tuition and fees come in at $48,694 per year, while another $15,833 is needed for board. Financial aid is available based on merit and need.

Source: www.shockpedia.com/30-expensive-colleges-america/?utm_source=Outbrain&utm_medium=CPC&utm_campaign=30ExpensiveCollegesAmerica