The Top 100 Colleges in the U.S., Ranked by Tuition

We took a look at the top 100 universities in the U.S. to give us a better picture of what tuition looks like in 2020. Out of those universities, we found the schools with the most expensive college tuition. Listing these national universities, including both private and public colleges, by tuition, we’ve found an incredible range that isn’t necessarily based on quality! See for yourself which are the most expensive colleges in the U.S., then decide whether there’s more bang for students’ bucks!

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The Top 100 Colleges in the U.S., Ranked by Tuition Transcript

What it Costs to Go to America’s Best Undergraduate Colleges

College Tuition Enrollment U.S. News Rank Private/Public In-State Tuition
Columbia University $61,850 6,202 3 Private — Ivy League
University of Chicago $59,298 6,552 6 Private
Tufts University $58,578 5,643 29 Private
Brown University $58,504 7,043 14 Private — Ivy League
Duke University $58,198 6,682 10 Private
University of Southern California $58,195 19,907 22 Private
Boston College $57,910 9,377 37 Private
University of Pennsylvania $57,770 10,183 6 Private — Ivy League
Brandeis University $57,561 3,639 40 Private
Cornell University $57,222 15,182 17 Private — Ivy League
Dartmouth College $57,204 4,417 12 Private — Ivy League
Carnegie Mellon University $57,119 6,947 25 Private
George Washington University $56,935 12,546 70 Private
Tulane University $56,800 6,773 40 Private
Northwestern University $56,691 8,231 9 Private
Southern Methodist University $56,560 6,479 64 Private
Georgetown University $56,058 7,459 24 Private
University of Rochester $56,026 6,535 29 Private
Boston University $55,892 18,515 40 Private
Pepperdine University $55,892 3,627 50 Private
University of Notre Dame $55,553 8,617 15 Private
Yale University $55,500 5,964 3 Private — Ivy League
Wake Forest University $55,440 5,225 27 Private
Villanova University $55,430 6,917 46 Private
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) $55,378 6,628 50 Private
Johns Hopkins University $55,350 6,064 10 Private
Washington University in St. Louis $55,292 7,751 19 Private
Lehigh University $55,240 5,047 50 Private
California Institute of Technology (Caltech) $54,600 948 12 Private
Drexel University $54,516 13,490 97 Private
Fordham University $54,093 9,645 74 Private
Stevens Institute of Technology $54,014 3,230 74 Private
Syracuse University $53,849 15,226 54 Private
Emory University $53,804 7,086 21 Private
Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) $53,790 4,602 3 Private
Santa Clara University $53,634 5,520 54 Private
Stanford University $53,529 7,087 6 Private
Northeastern University $53,506 13,909 40 Private
New York University $53,308 26,733 29 Private
Worcester Polytechnic Institute $52,322 4,668 64 Private
Vanderbilt University $52,070 6,861 15 Private
University of Miami $51,930 11,117 57 Private
Harvard University $51,925 6,788 2 Private — Ivy League
Princeton University $51,870 5,428 1 Private — Ivy League
University of Michigan — Ann Arbor $51,200 30,318 25 Public $15,558
University of San Diego $51,186 5,855 91 Private
University of Virginia $50,920 16,777 28 Public $17,891
Case Western Reserve University $50,904 5,262 40 Private
Loyola Marymount University $50,283 6,700 64 Private
American University $49,889 8,287 77 Private
Texas Christian University $49,250 9,445 97 Private
Rice University $49,112 3,992 17 Private
Baylor University $47,364 14,188 79 Private
Clark University $47,200 2,304 91 Private
College of William and Mary $46,283 6,377 40 Public $22,922
Saint Louis University $45,424 7,167 97 Private
Gonzaga University $45,140 5,317 79 Private
Marquette University $43,936 8,435 84 Private
University of California — Davis $43,484 30,872 39 Public $14,492
University of California — Irvine $43,481 29,736 36 Public $13,727
University of California — Santa Barbara $43,383 23,070 34 Public $14,391
University of California — Berkeley $43,176 30,853 22 Public $14,184
University of California — San Diego $43,162 30,285 37 Public $14,170
University of California — Santa Cruz $43,046 17,792 84 Public $14,054
University of California — Riverside $42,819 20,581 91 Public $13,827
University of California — Los Angeles $42,218 31,577 20 Public $13,226
University of Connecticut $39,894 19,133 64 Public $17,226
Michigan State University $39,766 39,423 84 Public $14,460
Colorado School of Mines $39,762 4,954 84 Public $19,062
University of Washington $38,796 32,099 62 Public $11,465
University of Texas — Austin $38,228 40,804 48 Public $10,818
Clemson University $38,112 19,669 70 Public $15,120
University of Wisconsin — Madison $37,785 32,648 46 Public $10,725
Texas A&M University — College Station $37,726 53,743 70 Public $11,232
University of Maryland — College Park $36,890 30,762 64 Public $10,778
Elon University $36,571 6,196 84 Private
Indiana University — Bloomington $36,514 33,301 79 Public $10,949
University of North Carolina — Chapel Hill $36,222 19,117 29 Public $9,043
University of Massachusetts — Amherst $35,710 23,515 64 Public $16,389
Pennsylvania State University — University Park $35,514 40,363 57 Public $18,450
University of Delaware $34,310 19,117 91 Public $13,680
Miami University — Oxford $34,307 17,326 91 Public $15,232
Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech) $33,794 16,049 29 Public $12,682
University of Pittsburgh $33,746 19,330 57 Public $19,718
University of Illinois — Urbana-Champaign $33,352 33,915 48 Public $16,210
University of Minnesota — Twin Cities $33,325 34,633 70 Public $15,027
Virginia Tech $32,835 27,811 74 Public $13,691
New Jersey Institute of Technology $32,750 8,532 97 Public $17,338
Rutgers University — New Brunswick $32,189 36,039 62 Public $15,407
Ohio State University — Columbus $32,061 46,820 54 Public $11,084
University of Iowa $31,568 23,989 84 Public $9,605
University of Georgia $31,120 29,611 50 Public $12,080
North Carolina State University — Raleigh $29,220 25,199 84 Public $9,101
Purdue University — West Lafayette $28,794 32,672 57 Public $9,992
University of Florida $28,658 35,491 34 Public $6,380
Stony Brook University — SUNY $28,528 17,522 91 Public $10,076
University of Buffalo — SUNY $27,850 21,607 79 Public $10,180
Binghamton University — SUNY $27,791 14,021 79 Public $10,201
National Average $26,593
Florida State University $21,673 32,472 57 Public $6,507
Maximum Federal Pell Grant for Undergraduates (Annually) $6,195
Brigham Young University — Provo $5,790 31,441 77 Private

Sources:

What Is the Most Expensive College in the U.S.?

Columbia University is the most expensive university in the USA. It has the most expensive tuition for both national universities and liberal arts colleges in general, at a grand total of $61,850. Columbia University, which ranks as the third-best college in the nation in a list by U.S. News & World Report, is by far the most expensive school in the U.S., beating out the second-place University of Chicago by $2,552 as well as all of its fellow Ivy League schools. Part of why Columbia University is the most expensive college in America may be its location; it’s on a beautiful campus in the middle of Manhattan in famously expensive New York City.

What Is the Least Expensive Private School in the US?

The least expensive private college in the United States is Brigham Young University — Provo, with a 2020 tuition of only $5,790. It ranks as the least expensive among all private colleges, including national universities, regional universities, and liberal arts colleges. “People are motivated to come (to BYU) because we’re private and cheap,” said admissions counselor Kent Norris in an interview.

What Is Ivy League Tuition Like in 2020?

Ivy League colleges, which are renowned for being some of the most prestigious and expensive colleges in the world, have some pretty high tuition:

  • Brown University: $58,504
  • Columbia University: $61,850
  • Cornell University: $57,222
  • Dartmouth College: $57,204
  • Princeton University: $51,870
  • University of Pennsylvania: $57,770
  • Yale University: $55,500

Princeton University, despite ranking as the No. 1 national university in the U.S., is $9,980 cheaper than Columbia University. It’s also the cheapest among the Ivy League schools.

The Top 10 Most Expensive Colleges in the U.S. out of the Top 100 National Universities

Of the category of “national universities,” these are the most expensive universities with the highest college tuition, including both public and private universities but not liberal arts colleges. See the list of the most expensive private U.S. colleges and universities.

  1. Columbia University tuition: $61,850
  2. University of Chicago tuition: $59,298
  3. Tufts University tuition: $58,578
  4. Brown University tuition: $58,504
  5. Duke University tuition: $58,194
  6. University of Southern California tuition: $58,195
  7. Boston College tuition: $57,910
  8. University of Pennsylvania tuition: $57,770
  9. Brandeis University tuition: $57,561
  10. Cornell University tuition: $57,222

The Top 10 Most Affordable Schools Out of the Top 100 National Universities

Out of the country’s highest-rated national universities, these are the cheapest colleges in the U.S. with the lowest tuition. Colleges like BYU are unique in that they’re both private and incredibly cheap, whereas most others on our list are state schools with both cheap out-of-state and in-state tuition.

  1. Brigham Young University — Provo: $5,790
  2. Florida State University: Out-of-state tuition $21,673, in-state tuition $6,507
  3. Binghamton University — SUNY: Out-of-state tuition $27,791, in-state tuition $10,201
  4. University of Buffalo — SUNY: Out-of-state tuition $27,850, in-state tuition $10,180
  5. Stony Brook University — SUNY: Out-of-state tuition $28,528, in-state tuition $10,076
  6. University of Florida: Out-of-state tuition $28,658, in-state tuition $6,380
  7. Purdue University — West Lafayette: Out-of-state tuition $28,794, in-state tuition $9,992
  8. North Carolina State University — Raleigh: Out-of-state tuition $29,220, in-state tuition $9,101
  9. University of Georgia: Out-of-state tuition $31,120, in-state tuition $12,080
  10. University of Iowa: Out-of-state tuition $31,568, in-state tuition $9,605

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