Just how expensive is college in 2022?
The National Center for Education Statistics ranks the 50 most expensive four-year institutions in America by their published out-of-state tuition, annual fees and residential charges. (Note: All of the prices listed here are sticker prices — that is, before any loans, grants, work-study or any other financial aid.)
Here’s the latest data listing the most expensive colleges in America.
50. Landmark College
The 2020-2021 academic year at this Vermont school averaged $73,700.
Unlike many schools, which have a yearly application deadline, Landmark operates on a rolling admissions calendar. Also unlike most schools on this list, the institution specializes in students with learning disabilities.
49. Claremont McKenna College
Claremont McKenna College in Claremont, California, costs $73,775 per year.
A popular major is economics.
48. St. Lawrence University
For the 2020-2021 academic year, St. Lawrence University, in Canton, New York, charged a retail price of roughly $73,900.
A small school, the student body counts fewer than 2,400 undergraduates.
47. Carnegie Mellon University
The sticker price for the academic year 2020-2021 at this Pittsburgh school was $74,035.
It’s considered among the best design schools in the nation.
46. Occidental College
In Los Angeles, students paid an average of $74,056 for a year at Occidental College for the 2020-2021 academic year.
Economics and biology are popular majors.
45. Union College
For the academic year ending in 2021, this New York school charged around $74,085.
It claims to be the first liberal arts college to offer a curriculum in engineering.
44. Washington University in St. Louis
The sticker price for tudents at Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri, is $74,096 per year.
It’s ranked by Niche as No. 1 for dorms among all of America’s colleges.
43. New York University
Without aid, students at this Manhattan institution shell out $74,123 per year.
It consistently ranks among the best schools for film and photography.
42. Pepperdine University
Want to go to college in Malibu, California? Pepperdine charges a sticker price of $74,162 per year of schooling.
This private Christian school tends to attract students interested in a business major.
41. California Institute of Technology
Students at Caltech can expect a $74,199 bill each year, before aid.
It’s one of the hardest schools in the nation to get into, and it’s considered one of the best engineering schools in America.
40. Colorado College
Colorado College charges $74,256 annually.
It has no application fee, and does not require standardized test scores.
39. Trinity College
Before aid, a student at Connecticut’s Trinity College shells out $74,350 for a year of school.
Economics is a popular major.
38. Pitzer College
At Pitzer College in Claremont, California, students pay $74,408 annually.
At last look, the acceptance rate at this California school was 14%.
37. Carleton College
The latest annual sticker price for this Minnesota school is $74,499.
It’s often ranked as the best college in the state.
36. Hobart and William Smith Colleges
The retail price of a single year at these twin schools is $74,526.
Economics is a popular major.
35. George Washington University
The school puts a sticker price of $74,549 on a year of its education.
International relations is a popular major.
34. Boston University
Before aid, students at Boston University shell out a whopping $74,712 for tuition, fees and on-campus lodging.
Ranking among the best of America’s big colleges (with about 17,000 undergrads) the school attracts top students interested in physical therapy or a career in education.
33. Colby College
This undergrad-only institution typically charges $74,725 annually.
It’s ranked among the America’s best colleges with no application fee.
32. Fordham University
Fordham University in New York City costs $74,841 per year.
This Catholic school ranks highly for academics.
31. Yale University
This elite Ivy League institution in New Haven, Connecticut, charges its students $74,900 per year.
Its acceptance rate is just 6%.
30. Middlebury College
This small, liberal arts college in Vermont charges a sticker price of $74,946 yearly.
Economics is a popular major.
29. Bennington College
This liberal arts college in southwestern Vermont charges students $74,964 per year of schooling.
This very small school has about 690 undergrads.
28. Colgate University
As a student at Colgate University in central New York, you’ll pay, before financial aid, $75,050 annually.
Unlike some schools that don’t have room to house all freshmen, Colgate accommodates 100% of its first-year students on campus.
27. Tulane University
Tulane University in New Orleans costs $75,084 per year.
It’s ranked by Niche as America’s No. 1 party school.
26. Wake Forest University
The sticker price for this North Carolina school is $75,094.
Economics is a popular major.
25. Cornell University
Cornell University in Ithaca, New York, a member of the Ivy League, charges out-of-state students $75,128 per year.
The application process is quite competitive, with acceptance rates at about 11%.
24. University of Rochester
In Rochester, New York, students at this school can expect a $75,305 sticker price in their mailboxes each year.
It ranks among the best colleges for nursing and music education in America.
23. Connecticut College
Before financial aid, students pay $75,315 for a year at Connecticut College.
It has no application fee.
22. Barnard College
The sticker price for a student at Barnard in New York City is $75,335 for a year of school.
Niche ranks it as America’s No. 1 women’s school.
21. Boston College
If you want to call yourself a Boston College Eagle, you’ll pay an average up to $75,422 per year.
It’s ranked among America’s best Catholic colleges.
20. Scripps College
The students of California’s Scripps College pay a sticker price of to $75,474 per year.
It’s ranked as the sixth-best women’s school in the nation.
19. Franklin and Marshall College
The sticker price for students is $75,512 annually at Franklin and Marshall College in Lancaster, Pennsylvania.
Liberal arts and political science are among the popular majors.
18. Southern Methodist University
A student at Southern Methodist University in Texas faces a retail price of $75,650 per year.
Famous alumni include Kourtney Kardashian and former first lady Laura Bush.
17. Wesleyan University
As a student at Wesleyan University in Connecticut, before scholarships, you’ll pay $75,800 for a year of school.
At last look, the acceptance rate was 16%.
16. Oberlin College
A student at Oberlin College in Ohio can expect a $75,888 sticker price.
The SAT is not required, but students who get accepted tend to have scores in the 1280-1480 range.
15. Bard College
Upstate New York’s Bard College costs $75,921 per year, pre-financial aid.
Most incoming students come from public high schools.
14. Reed College
Reed College in Portland, Oregon, costs $75,950 each year.
It’s ranked by Niche as among America’s best colleges with no application fee.
13. Haverford College
On average, Haverford College in Pennsylvania charges its students $75,966 annually.
SAT scores for applicants are optional.
12. Vassar College
Vassar College in Poughkeepsie, New York, charges a sticker price, on average, of $76,000 per year.
More than half of students get some kind of financial aid.
11. Georgetown University
Tuition, fees, and campus housing at this university in the nation’s capital will run you $76,106 per year before financial aid
It’s ranked by Niche as America’s No. 2 Catholic college, behind only Notre Dame.
10. Wellesley College
Before financial aid, a year at this liberal arts school in Massachusetts costs students an average of $76,220 each.
It’s consistently ranked as one of the best women’s colleges in America.
9. University of Chicago
A student at the University of Chicago pays $76,302 per year. It is America’s most expensive four-year university.
Niche ranks it as America’s No. 3 college for economics.
8. Northwestern University
Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois, charges an average sticker price of $76,317 per year.
It consistently ranks highly for journalism and communications studies.
7. Brown University
Another Ivy League school, Brown University, in Providence, Rhode Island, typically charges $76,476 annually.
It has a 7% acceptance rate and is known for English studies.
6. Dartmouth College
Dartmouth College, an Ivy League university in New Hampshire, typically charges $76,480 per year.
It has an 8% acceptance rate.
5. Tufts University
With no financial aid, a student at Tufts University in Medford, Massachusetts, pays $76,492 per year.
It ranks among the best schools for art in America.
4. University of Southern California
Before financial aid, out-of-state Trojans pay $77,459 for a year of school at USC.
It’s a top school for film and photography.
3. Amherst College
Amherst College in central Massachusetts has a sticker price of $76,800 per school year.
The school has an 11% acceptance rate.
2. University of Pennsylvania
Another Ivy League school, the University of Pennsylvania, costs students $76,826 annually.
The University of Pennsylvania has an 8% acceptance rate.
The Philadelphia school was recently ranked by Niche as the best college for business in America.
1. Harvey Mudd College
Harvey Mudd is California’s most expensive college. The school in Claremont costs students $77,339 per year.
That said, about 70% of Harvey Mudd students receive some kind of financial aid — a combination of grants, scholarships, loans and work-study.