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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Yay! There’s my alma mater coming in at #7!!! Yeah Hop!!! Man, when I graduated in 2001, I think Tuition was about $32K and R&B was almost $8K. Nice to see that tuition has gone up 25%. Thank god I was a broke @ss Chinamen and they gave me enough in grants to pay for 2 years. Don’t worry though, Mayor Bloomberg routinely gives them several million dollars per year in donations.
Huh. When I picked a school, Sarah Lawrence and Skidmore were both on my list, but I picked Bard, which was the most expensive choice. Maybe the others just offered me more aid, but I thought it had the highest sticker price at the time. Has it slipped in outrageous cost since then? (Barely even makes the list now! This is the worst upset since we lost the #1 ranking in “Reefer Madness” from TPR.)
Thus the bumper sticker: “My kid and my money go to Carnegie Mellon”
#7 Hopkins – class of ’02. If I had to do it all over again, I wouldn’t.
As a GW alum, I can vouch for the fact that they do have lots of financiad aid/scholarship money . . . but I also knew a fair few kids who were paying full tuition. It was amazing the things those people could do and not get in trouble with the school, whereas the kids on financial aid were dealt with much more harshly. (This is totally anecdotal on my part, clearly, but I know of several instances of both)
Also, I knew a professor who was of the opinion that GW deliberately kept their prices high because they thought people would believe they were getting a better education if they were paying more.
This was not the case.
Jeebus. When I was looking at colleges 17 years ago, Bennington was the most expensive in the country at $25k/year.
Oh Vassar (#16).
Four years ago our tuition was only about $42,000. And yet still, they have the audacity to ask my parents for donations. Repeatedly.
I don’t know how accurate this list is in determining the most expensive schools, as this is purely based upon tuition only costs.
I know for a fact that students at Stevens Institute of Technology are paying upwards of $47,000+ with combined tuition room&board…but because the tuition alone is about $35,000, it’s rather low on the list (#85)
Sweet! My Tufts Education has appreciated $16k in value in just 6 years.
Now if I can just figure out how to sell it back, maybe I can pay off my student loans.
I was surprised to see that some colleges that I’d expect to see as the most expensive, were in the bottom 15% of the top 100.
$65,000 to attend Full Sail University
UChicago – #18, but like many of the other schools, the financial aid was very generous – I ended up with a grand total of $5000 in student loans after I graduated in 1992. (Then, tuition/fees/R&B was about $17K – 18K a year.)
The University of Rochester is $48060 for tuition, room and board ($37250 of that is tuition). Factor in books and fees and the place is estimated to cost $50550 in 2008-2009.
Tuition for two classes in a part-time program is over $9000 a semester.
This makes me wonder what other schools got left off the list.
Dont forget these aren’t universitys these are only schools of higher learning that only have an undergrad program
@bwilliams18: No, you’re wrong there.
Thank Science for LSU’s Legacy scholarship. 75 percent off the out of state because both my parents graduated here, and then I got another 8 grand a year off, dropping it down to 4 grand a year. I’m actually paying more in off campus apartment than I am for school!
this is very interesting, here in London, UK, for myself, University tuition fees are a standard £3000, which is about $4600, plus about $1400(converted) for room and board a month, which works out at about $15800 all in a year, Then again, it is different for international students who can pay upwards of $50,000 for tuition alone.
Something George Washington does a terrible job advertising is that they also give the most financial aid in the country per student. Almost no one pays full tuition, and most get tons of money. That’s the only way I could afford to go there.
wow, I’m impressed that MIT isn’t on that list…I’m still feeling the pain from those student loans…
I would never discourage someone from applying to a college based on price. If you’re a qualified student, the college wants you, and the college has the means to fund financial aid, the school could be well within your means. On paper, I went to a moderately expensive school but the truth is that the portion I had to pay was never more than 50% of the ‘list’ price.
As far as what degrees from those fancy schools get you; it’s hard to describe but there is some value there even if it doesn’t directly translate into employability. I was a graduate teaching assistant for three years and the trait that always jumped out at me was writing skills.
I distinctly recall a few occasions when grading papers thinking that English had to be the second language for the student, but I knew they were native Midwesterners. They were all graduates, with good grades, from public universities. I think it’s really hard to get through a private school, especially a small one, and still have that sort of deficiency.
@JiminyChristmas:
I think you’re absolutely correct about the writing instruction at fancy-pants schools. Smaller classes are crucial in fostering writing skills. It’s the expensive universities and tiny community colleges who can best offer the one-on-one instruction a student needs when transitioning from high school to more scholarly writing.
Yikes. Luckily my dad payed for my college. Like his dad did for him, and like I probably will for my kids. Now I’m out and debt free at 22 with a good job. Not a bad chain to get going.
where is Stanford on the list?? its one of the best universities out there.
oh, that’s right.
“Families earning less than $45,000 need not make tuition contribution”
-Stanford Report, March 15, 2006
The new GI Bill (signed into law July ’08) provides for the cost of tuition up to the cost of the most expensive “in state” tuition. Those funds can be applied to a state school (meaning tution free for the student) or they can be applied to a private school, significantly reducing the amount to be funded by other means.
In addition to the tuition, the student gets a housing allowance pegged to that of a Sergeant(E-5) (Average approx $1100/month) for housing, and another $1,000 a year for books, lab fees, etc).
Service Members need to serve for 36 months to be elligible for the full amount, although benefits begin to accrue after as little as 90 days of ative duty and hit 50% after 12 monhs. For those who make the Armed Forces a career, the tutition benefit can be passed on to a spouse or child.
@Dave_Surfs:
Wow Dave,
I didn’t know that. I used my GI BILL to finish my private uni education. I am debt free which is very nice… I still have some left over and want to go for my Masters.
I have a decent job but I always wanted to go back for my Masters but never really had a reason.
Does this apply new law apply as I got out in 01. I served 5 years in the military.
Would be nice to have a debt free Masters too.
@ShampaMelpomene:
Shampa,
It depends on when in ’01 you got out. This bill requires active duty service after 9/11, and any benefits you derive from it would be reduced by the amount of old GI bill benefit you’ve used. That having been said, it’s definitely worth your time to contact the local VA rep and clarify the specifics of your case. The new bill may not fund your entire Masters, but you may have some $ still coming your way if you were on active duty post 9/11. Best of Luck!
Umm… Bennington College costs $48,950 for tuiton, room and board… so it should probably be on the list.
http://www.bennington.edu/go/about-bennington/facts-and-figures
What these high tuitions only manage to achieve is pre-determining that a only a select group of people will be able to attend these institutions. What an elitist way to run a college. Either you get financial aid or you’re affluent enough to pay the tuition. How about all the intelligent kids in between? Hey Obama and McCain-this is our future we’re talking about…how about equal access to all who qualify??
Strange that University of Southern California isn’t on here… On my financial aid document our estimated cost of attendance is 51,968, which would place it at #2. Maybe the fact that California living is expensive is taken into account. But to answer the previous question posted before mine, between 60 and 75% of students receive financial aid, although this likely varies from school to school.
What a waste of money. It seems like all the comments show how proud everyone is to have spent so much money for their educations. Woo-hoo! I went to a stupid little Big 10 state school which happened to be one of the top engineering schools and I didn’t have to go into huge debt for it.
The University of Southern California’s cost of attendance for 2008-2009 school year is $52,000. Fortunately, their financial aid office offered me $50,000 in grants. But lets admit that mostly all private schools are swimming in “private donations” that is why they are able to give large amounts of money for an outpriced school.
76 % of the students at Mt. Holyoke get aid — average aid in grants and loans is 35 K grants / 4K in loans
If you want to go to one of these great schools, get accepted, then figure put how to pay for it. I would like to see the stats on average starting salaries and % who go to grad schools from these places– the raw cost is not enough info. A proud graduate of the oldest of the Sisters!
School tuition is in a ‘bubble’ just like housing and commodities were recently–and has been fueled by the existence of easy credit and loans. Now that loans for college are drying up, schools will have to do what all businesses do–lower prices. No one is exempt from the rules of the marketplace and basic economics.
Most of the private schools are going with a family cap. In other words if you are Joe the Plumberand total family income is $250k then Harvard would cost you $25k.
Yale, MIT, Tufts, Michigan and a whole bunch of great schools also offer courses ON LINE for FREE– Google Open Courses– it is amazing! Not everyone will go for the regular route. Post USA economic debacle we may see prices / costs come down– Thanks George Bush!
To think that in many countries the education is free or almost free. What do we need to do to get there? I went to two Universities during my undergrad that cost me one semester $800 and $1,000 the other (without room and board) but never like the one I finished and it’s cheaper than the universities listed above. It’s also the same cost for grad.
Hi there, I went to Suffolk University in Boston Mass. I (my Dad) remember paying around $28,000 k a year. Seems like the tuition have stayed the same. My brother went to NYU in the late 90′s and payed similar to what the tuition is right now.
I’m a freshman at Wesleyan University (#13) this year, and am receiving a substantial amount of financial aid. (It’s cheaper than going to my state university) However, there is a portion of the student body that does pay full price. (maybe 20%? i don’t really know)
The price seems ridiculous, but most of the top schools are “need-blind” by now, and really do an amazing amount to facilitate attendance by students who come from poor backgrounds.
I currently attend Mount Holyoke College, and let me say you get what you pay for. The dorms are amazing, the food is always good with many different options for meals, plus the resources you have available and the opportunities for you are endless. Let me just say that going to an elite, expensive college is definitely worth it now and it will be worth it down the road even if I do have some debt. I have the security of knowing that if I do well here that I will have many more doors open after graduation then my friends who went to state colleges. My resume will be worth so much more than theirs. Thousands of people graduate from state schools each year. Only a handful graduate from Mount Holyoke, which is the oldest women’s college in the US and one of the most renowned. You can say that you were happy with your state school experience, however you don’t know what you’re missing. ;]
- A Mount Holyoke Student
A curious fact I learned on a visit to Duke: A Duke education (~$45000+/year) actually costs the university around $75000/year, but various endowments, etc help make up the difference. Harvard and Princeton, though, really should be sending every student (except the absolute wealthiest) to school for free with their combined $70 billion endowment. There’s a bill in Congress that would require nonprofits to spend 5% of endowments yearly to keep tax-exempt status, and Ivies would be practically free for everyone if they were required to do that…but I agree, most private schools are very generous with aid
Why would somebody go to a private college to begin with at double to quadruple the cost? Take UNC/Dook, eight miles apart. UNC is a third the cost. Do you really think you are going to learn dramatically more at one school versus the other? Just a complete rip off.
@BelindaDesomma:
Because, in a lot of cases, private schools can actually be cheaper after financial aid is factored in. Or because the name recognition can get you into a better graduate program (med school, law school, PhD) without having to do the same amount of work those without the name recognition to fall back on have to do to stand out from the pack. Sometimes the connections fostered at a “privileged” school can be the difference between a good entry-level job and one that doesn’t make ends meet. Etc, etc. There’s lots of reasons and only an individual will know which one is best for her/him.
@ArmandDampner: also, its about size. most public schools have a giant student body. My parents might be paying $49,385 for me to go to Conn, but its got a student body of 1900 which is where I’m comfortable.
As many have already mentioned, few actually pay the full tuition—meaning only the ‘rich’ kids who don’t qualify for aid do. Another example of how the wealthy subsidizes education and everything else. No one actually calculates these things when talking about increasing taxes on the wealthy (and 250K a year is not exactly very wealthy in expensive areas like NY and CA). Does anyone who benefit actually thank the wealthy for their extra share of contributions? Of course not, just vote to tax ‘em more. No wonder they hate the rest of us. It’s fundamentality not fair to get the same education and some have to pay 200K for their degrees and others pay almost nothing. If you can’t afford the high tuition, go to a less expensive state school, many are just as competitive and prestigious (UC Berkeley, for example). Don’t demand your deserve the most expensive when you don’t pay for it.
I attend Carnegie Mellon University, and what they did for me is they took the total cost of the tuition, boarding, etc. and subtracted my EFC from the FAFSA. They actually gave me a little more than that too. It’s called the undergraduate grant. I believe that I have to stay above a 3.0 to maintain it.
After spending $100K+ on my college education at a top 10 Engineering School, I do feel like I got ripped off. I would advise student to go to an in-state public school and pay a lot less. In the end, if you are talented you will rise to the top regardless of where you went to school. Plus if you need the additional Ivy League credentials, there is always grad school.
It’s funny because my sister went to a technical college and is a Registerd Nurse and makes over 60,000 a year and I went to a four year college and teaching for 35, 000 per year. I am trying to figure out the facts. How is it possible that I have more education then her but making less money?
I have two sons who are going off to college in te next 2 years. I have saved 200K for their education.
I believe that a better investment would be to purchase shares of beaten down high dividend paying American companies (VZ,T,PM, etc) with the money and sending their butts to community college for 2 years. 100K each will go a long way toward funding their retirement.
I laugh when I see people singing the praises of their school and saying “It’s worth the $200,000″…it’s similar to when someone buys a car or house..they always got the best deal or price..funny….in the end if you are a savvy, well educated consumer you can weed out the poor choices (ie, very expensive privates that really offer little except that they are “private”) from the best value (ie, small, public, inexpensive, exclusively undergraduate)….to me you should pursue the most intensive, least expensive undergraduate program available and then as a well educated and more mature student pursue your advanced degree at the larger research Universities….University of Minnesota-Morris, Truman State (MO), St. Mary’s (MD) and other small, public, academically intensive and inexpensive Universities offer the best deals in the nation
I went to Scripps and paid full freight. I am lucky enough that my parents could afford it, but I know that several of my friends who couldn’t got excellent aid packages. And I appreciate Scripps offering some diverse and wonderful people those packages or my time there wouldn’t have been the same.
Our son applied to several private schools last year and chose Springhill in Mobile, AL and even though it cost 31K.yr, he was able to get 18.5/yr for academics with a 3.2 gpa in hs. Great little Catholic School that winds up being the same as state college after aid.
So let’s see.. I could pay $50,000 a year to go to a small liberal arts school that hardly anyone other than it’s graduates has heard of.. Or I could go to an outstanding public school such as The University of North Carolina or the University of Virginia and pay less than that for 4 years at a school ranked in the top 25 universities in the nation by US News and World Report..
Fordham University now costs 48,000$ and change. When I graduated in 98 it cost about 34,000$ Scary how much it’s gone up, although the name has really opened doors for me. Jesuit colleges are, unfortunately, notoriously stingy with any kind of aid. Thank god for parents.
My current boss started his business over thirty years ago. He sold it a year ago for upwards of $50 million. He barely graduated high school. Hope you have fun paying off your loans.
You may also want to look into McGill University in Montreal Canada. It is a superb university, ranked amoungst the top 20 universities in the world…better than many american schools, and the tuition/fees for an international student is about $15,000/academic year
My son is in his first year at Drexel University in Philadelphia, PA. Total Tuition, with room and books, $57,000.00 for 2008-2009