Many American teens aspire to go to college, keen to further their studies to get ahead in the world. However, the cost of college can be pretty frightening, with many students finishing with substantial debts.
It’s worth remembering that many students qualify for at least partial financial aid, so the advertised sticker price is only sometimes representative of the total price; many college attendees pay less than the published fees.
With that in mind, these are the 15 most expensive places to study in the United States, according to the National Center for Education Statistics.
Harvey Mudd College
Annual Cost: $77,000
Harvey Mudd College in Claremont, CA, has some of the highest college fees anywhere in the nation. The private liberal arts college is primarily known for its science and engineering courses.
University of Pennsylvania
Annual Cost: $76,800
Famous for being America’s first university, the University of Pennsylvania can trace its roots back to the 1740s. The private Ivy League college offers a wide array of courses and is particularly acclaimed for its research contributions.
Amherst College
Annual Cost: $76,800
Located in central Massachusetts, Amherst College was founded in 1821 and is one of the oldest higher educational establishments in the state. It has an acceptance rate of around 11% and a relatively small undergraduate cohort of fewer than 2,000.
University of Southern California
Annual Cost: $77,500
The University of Southern California is a private liberal arts institution in Los Angeles. It’s the state’s oldest private research university and is mainly known for its photography and film courses.
Tufts University
Annual Cost: $76,500
Situated in the Greater Boston area, MA, Tufts University is one of the country’s top-ranking colleges for art. The medium school has about 6,000 undergraduates studying diverse subjects; popular majors include social sciences, engineering, biomedical sciences, and computer and information sciences.
Dartmouth College
Annual Cost: $76,500
The prestigious Dartmouth College is an Ivy League institution in New Hampshire. It’s one of nine colleges from the colonial era, born before the American Revolution. The college’s alums include several Pulitzer Prize and Nobel Prize winners, as well as political figures and CEOs.
Brown University
Annual Cost: $76,500
Another pricey colonial-period educational establishment in New England, Brown University, is in Providence, Rhode Island. The private, nonprofit college is especially known for English studies, and popular courses include computer science, applied mathematics, and biology.
Northwestern University
Annual Cost: $76,300
Northwestern University is the state’s oldest chartered university in Cook County, IL. A leading research and teaching institution, it’s mainly known for communications studies and journalism.
University of Chicago
Annual Cost: $76,300
The University of Chicago is a pretty competitive establishment, with an acceptance rate of around 6.5%. In general, hopeful students should achieve a GPA of at least 4.48. As well as its Chicago location, the university has overseas campuses in London, Paris, Hong Kong, Beijing and Delhi.
Wellesley College
Annual Cost: $76,200
Based in Massachusetts, Wellesley College is a member of the Seven Sisters Colleges, a group of academic institutions that were historically women’s colleges. As well as a wide range of courses, the college boasts more than 150 clubs and associations. It also has a long hoop-rolling tradition.
Georgetown University
Annual Cost: $76,100
Georgetown University in Washington, D.C., is one of the nation’s top Catholic colleges. The private Jesuit university is also the country’s oldest Catholic higher education facility.
Vassar College
Annual Cost: $76,000
Vassar College in Poughkeepsie, NY, was originally a place of learning for women; it’s been coeducational since the 1960s. Famous alums include Anne Hathaway, Meryl Streep and Jane Fonda.
Haverford College
Annual Cost: $76,000
Lying just outside Philadelphia, PA, Haverford College was founded in 1833 as a men’s college for Quakers. Today, the private liberal arts college also admits women as well as people of any beliefs. It has about 1,500 undergraduates.
Reed College
Annual Cost: $76,000
Reed College in Portland, OR, may have a high sticker price, but it ranks highly as a college with no application cost. It has a graduation rate of about 76%, and former attendees include Steve Jobs, James Beard, and Barbara Ehrenreich.
Bard College
Annual Cost: $75,900
Bard College is a residential college in Red Hook, NY. The liberal arts college offers particularly impressive courses in performing and fine arts. The acceptance rate is around 60%, and many students come from public schools.
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Andrew Herrig is a finance expert and money nerd and the founder of Wealthy Nickel, where he writes about personal finance, side hustles, and entrepreneurship. As an avid real estate investor and owner of multiple businesses, he has a passion for helping others build wealth and shares his own family’s journey on his blog.
Andrew holds a Masters of Science in Economics from the University of Texas at Dallas and a Bachelors of Science in Electrical Engineering from Texas A&M University. He has worked as a financial analyst and accountant in many aspects of the financial world.
Andrew’s expert financial advice has been featured on CNBC, Entrepreneur, Fox News, GOBankingRates, MSN, and more.
