Here are the 25 most expensive colleges for 2008-2009, based on total cost (tuition + room and board), as compiled by CampusGrotto.com. Whooie, this is some pricey book-learnin’.
Highest Total Cost 2008-2009
College | Total Cost
1. Sarah Lawrence College | $53,166
2. George Washington University | $50,312
3. New York University | $50,182
4. Georgetown University | $49,689
5. Connecticut College | $49,385
6. Bates College | $49,350
7. Johns Hopkins University | $49,278
8. Skidmore College | $49,266
9. Scripps College | $49,236
10. Middlebury College | $49,210
11. Carnegie Mellon University | $49,200
12. Boston College | $49,020
13. Wesleyan University | $49,000
14. Colgate University | $48,900
15. Claremont McKenna College | $48,755
16. Vassar College | $48,675
17. Haverford College | $48,625
18. University of Chicago | $48,588
19. Union College (NY) | $48,552
20. Colby College | $48,520
21. Mount Holyoke College | $48,500
22. Tufts University | $48,470
23. Bard College at Simon’s Rock | $48,460
24. Franklin & Marshall College | $48,450
25. Bard College | $48,438
No thanks, I prefer my in-state tuition and debt-free-at-25 method of matriculation. But if you do have to go into debt, there’s an educated way to go about. This post talks about how you to maximize the lower-interest, i.e. federal, ones first before you go into those private student loans. Incidentally, if you do get a federal student loan and you end up having a problem or question about it, the FSA ombudsman is a good place to start to get it resolved.
However, if you, like many, get a private student loan, be sure to shop around first. Don’t just go with the list of “preferred lenders” provided by your bursar’s office. Sometimes, as State Attorneys General have discovered, banks and lenders will essentially pay colleges to get on those lists, and placement isn’t for those with the best terms for students, but those with the best goodies for the administrators printing out those lists.
Most Expensive Colleges for 2008-2009 [CampusGrotto] (Photo: Getty)
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I go to Colgate (#14 on the list) and I can tell you from experience its true. If I wasn’t on financial aid (for which Colgate is really good for), I would be in about 200k of debt right now. But you guys have to understand that the parents of the typical people who attend these colleges are in those 5% of Americans that Obama doesn’t want to give tax breaks to
. As in, trust fund kids with too much money and expensive cars on their hands.
@YasirGadhero: Let’s not bring partisan politics into this thread, please. It’s off topic and likely only going to cause trouble.
It’s funny. They got something wrong. I’m paying much more than most of those colleges at Columbia University in Manhattan, and it’s not even on that list. It’s muuuuuuuch more expensive than 40 of them. Maybe we are getting ripped off because it’s not official and they shouldn’t charge that much?
I have to say, going to Bates (woohoo #6!) may not be worth it in terms of cost, but I wouldn’t have had it any other way. I was lucky enough to have parents willing to pay full sticker price tuition (and those who pay full price subsidize financial aid, and the university subsidizes everyone) and for me, this is the best possible place that I could be. I’m lucky that I’ll graduate with little to no debt, I have a great degree that will open doors for me (well, if I’m in the northeast) and when I’m applying to grad schools, I can get my foot in the door.
For me? Worth it. I know you can shine and rise to the top from anywhere, but I like having that little extra boost, and I’m lucky that my parents could give it to me.
Thanks to the Government I haven’t paid any expenses towards college except those beyond room and board. I got my Undergrad with Georgia’s Hope Scholarship and am working on my Grad with GI Bill and Army Tuition Assistance.
I am 25 and debt free, that is pretty hard to beat. I really couldn’t imagine what it would be like to be 25 and in over $200,000 of debt from school, especially now when we are in a recession and there isn’t as many job openings now. Were I am from you can buy a nice house with that kind of money.
Went to a small private school for undergrad, then a big state school for both grad degrees, and came out with $10K total debt for 10 years of education. The first school was nearly comparable with some of those listed in terms of cost, but it was easy to get 60% of tuition in grants and scholarships (and the only people getting less in those areas than I was had parents with six figure salaries).
But, there are other advantages to small schools . . . for instance, I knew every prof. I had a class with and am still in touch with many of them eight years later. Those connections have gotten me more connections within my field and to other fields. And everyone on campus knew the college president, we were all on a first name basis with him, and that connection has helped as well.
Sure they cost a lot, but most of them are ultra rich private schools with massive endowments. The “sticker price” is not what you pay out of pocket.
Another thing; you will notice that the most expensive schools are ones in major cities; of course it costs more to live in NYC than it does in the middle of no where. The benefits of culture gained via living in an urban environment far outweigh the money saved by going to school for 4 years in a frat house on the farm.
100k for a top tier education? That isn’t crap. I own a car which costs more than that. You should attend the best school you can get into, period.
“This post talks about how you to maximize the lower-interest, i.e. federal, ones first before you go into those private student loans.”
What? This shows what a “cheap” public school education gets you…
Overpaying for a college education is a major mistake.
I graduated from Mount Holyoke (one of the schools on the list in 2000. The grants and aid that they provided made it significantly cheaper than going to my state school. The number listed is rarely the actual price paid by students. In fact, a few years ago the Princeton Review listed MHC as a “best buy” based on the average price paid by students to attend.
I find it strange that people are ready to pay those prices. Why don’t you come to study to Europe? In most countries it is free and there are a lot of international and english speaking programs in universities.