25+ Most Expensive Colleges In The US In 2024

Finding the most expensive colleges in the U.S. isn’t easy due to changes in the fee structure by some percent every year. 

Since most people are perplexed by college tuition costs and later regret their choice of a school with low fees but high indirect costs, this is a common occurrence. 

In this post, we will list the most expensive colleges in the US after looking at the COA (Cost of Attendance), which is the whole cost of attending a college, including tuition fees, books, supplies, transportation, and other expenses.

So let’s read on to discover which American college is the most expensive! 

25+ Most Expensive Colleges In The US

Sr. No.	College Name	COA
1.	Harvey Mudd College	$89,115
2.	University of Pennsylvania	$89,028
3.	Columbia University	$88,942
4.	Wellesley College	$88,294
5.	Northwestern University	$87,804
6.	Dartmouth College	$87,793
7.	Brown University	$87,648
8.	Wake Forest University	$87,622
9.	Colorado College	$87,128
10.	Haverford College	$86,540
11.	Reed College	$86,040
12.	California Institute of the Arts	$85,307
13.	Vassar College	$85,220
14.	University of Chicago	$84,819
15.	Amherst College	$84,210
16.	Yale University	$83,800
17.	Kenyon University	$83,740
18.	Franklin & Marshall College	$83,506
19.	Georgetown University	$82,505
20.	Tufts University	$81,700
21.	Barnard College	$80,693
22.	Oberlin College	$80,414
23.	Boston College	$80,296
24.	John Hopkins University	$80,000
25.	University of Southern California	$79,355

Here you will find the 25 most expensive colleges in the US with their tuition fee, COA, location, and overview.

1. Harvey Mudd College

Location	Claremont, California
Tuition fee	$65,954
COA	$89,115

Harvey Mudd College was founded in 1955 by Harvey Seeley Mudd, a mining engineer. It is a private liberal college focused on engineering and science. 

With a 10% acceptance rate, Harvey Mudd has a competitive admission environment. 

Furthermore, it is known for its excellent academics with notable alumni like Donald D Chamberlin, George Nelson, Stanley G. Love, etc.

2. University Of Pennsylvania

Location	Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Tuition fee	$58,620
COA	$89,028

The University of Pennsylvania, known as UPenn, is a private research institution founded in 1740 by Benjamin Franklin.

 With an acceptance rate of 6%, the University of Pennsylvania seeks talented students, staff, and faculty from diverse backgrounds. 

It ranks 7th amongst the best national universities and has notable alumni like Elon Musk and John Legend.

3. Columbia University 

Location	New York
Tuition fee	$65,340
COA	$88,942

Columbia University, New York, was founded in 1754 with a merely 4% acceptance rate and a total of 8,148 undergraduate enrollments. 

It is ranked 18 among the best colleges in national universities. 

With around 17,000 international students at Columbia University. It is renowned for its placements, international students, and academics.

4. Wellesley College

Location	Wellesley, Massachusetts
Tuition fee	$64,000
COA	$88,294

Wellesley College is a private liberal college founded in 1870 by Henry and Pauline Durant. It is a private women’s college founded as a member of the seven sisters college. 

With an acceptance rate of 16%, Wellesley College is ranked 5th as the best national liberal arts college.

5. Northwestern University

Location	Evanston, Illinois
Tuition fee	$62,391
COA	$87,804

Northwestern University is the oldest chartered university in Illinois, founded in 1851. 

It is a private research university with merely a 7% acceptance rate and works on a quarter-based academic calendar, unlike many other American Universities. 

Furthermore, it is ranked as the 10th-best national university and 13th-best value school.

6. Dartmouth College

Location	Hanover, New Hampshire
Tuition fee	$63,684
COA	$87,793

Founded in 1769, Dartmouth College provided a liberal and vibrant study environment to students from across the world. 

Furthermore, it has 40+ academic departments and programs. It offers more than 60 majors to combine with minors in humanities, engineering, arts, social sciences, etc.

7. Brown University 

Location	Providence, Rhode Island
Tuition fee	$65,656
COA	$87,648

Brown University, founded in 1764, is a private league University with a campus size of 143 acres.

It is known for its innovative and centered learning and ranks 13 among the best national universities with a 6% acceptance rate.

8. Wake Forest University 

Location	Winston Salem, North Carolina
Tuition fee	$64,758
COA	$87,622

Wake Forest University was founded by the Baptist State Convention of North Carolina in 1834. Its total undergraduate enrollment is 5,472, with an acceptance rate of 25%. 

Wake Forest offers 45 postgraduate and undergraduate programs each and has a great academic reputation and liberal arts curriculum.

9. Colorado College

Location	Colorado Springs, Colorado
Tuition fee	$67,932
COA	$87,128

Colorado College was founded by Thomas Neilson Haskell in 1874. It is a private liberal arts college providing 42 majors and 33 minors. 

Colorado College is counted among the leading liberal arts colleges in the world and has 27 ranking among the best national liberal arts colleges. 

10. Haverford College

Location	Haverford, Pennsylvania
Tuition fee	$67,522
COA	$86,540

Haverford College is a private liberal arts College that started as a college for Quaker men in 1833. However, by 1869, it started the enrollment of female students. 

It offers B. A, Bachelor’s in science degree in 31 majors across social sciences, humanities, and natural sciences. 

Furthermore, it is ranked 18 among the best national liberal arts colleges.

11. Reed College

Location	Portland, Oregon
Tuition fee	$66,710
COA	$86,040

Reed College was founded in 1908 in Portland with money donated by Simon and Amanda Reed. It has notable alumni like Steve Jobs and Gary Snyder. 

Furthermore, it has an acceptance rate of 44% and ranks 13 among the most innovative schools. 

It stands at 72, ranks as the best national liberal arts College, and is known for its deeply collaborative academic environment.

12. California Institute Of The Arts

Location	Santa Calitra, California
Tuition fee	$56,074
COA	$85,307

California Institute of the Arts (CalArts) was founded in 1961, as the first degree-granting institute of learning for visual and performing arts students in the US. 

It is one of the finest colleges in the world for arts and media studies and has a 19% acceptance rate.

13. Vassar College

Location	Poughkeepsie, New York
Tuition fee	$66,870
COA	$85,220

Vassar College is a coeducational private college founded in 1861 by Matthew Vassar in New York. 

It ranks 13 among the best national liberal arts colleges and remained the second degree-granting institution of higher studies till 1969. 

It is renowned for its beautiful campus and excellent academics, along with being one of the seven sister schools.

14. University Of Chicago

Location	Chicago, Illinois
Tuition fee	$63,810
COA	$84,819

The University of Chicago is a private institute in Chicago founded by John D Rockefeller in 1890.

It has 7 international campuses across the globe and a main campus in the south region of Chicago. 

Furthermore, it provides 53 undergraduate majors and 47 minors. It is ranked 6th amongst the best national universities and holds a 6% acceptance rate.

15. Amherst College

Location	Amherst, Massachusetts
Tuition fee	$66,650
COA	$84,210

Founded in 1821, Amherst College is a private liberal arts College and the third-oldest institution of higher studies in Massachusetts. 

With a 9% acceptance rate, Amherst College is popular among students for its creative approach to academics and offers 41 majors in arts, natural sciences, social sciences, and humanities major programs.

16. Yale University 

Location	New Haven, Connecticut
Tuition fee	$64,700
COA	$83,800

Yale University is yet another excellent Ivy League University founded in 1701 by Elihu Yale. It is the third oldest institution for higher education in the USA. 

It is known for its selective admissions with a 5% acceptance rate. Yale University stands 3rd among the best national universities and has a total undergraduate enrollment of 6,536.

17. Kenyon College 

Location	Gambier, Ohio
Tuition fee	$66,490
COA	$83,740

Kenyon College is a private liberal arts college in Ohio founded by Episcopal Bishop in 1824. 

It ranks 31 in the best national liberal arts college and 19 in best undergraduate teaching. 

With a 37% acceptance rate and 1875 undergraduate enrollment. It is renowned for its academics with alumni like Kornfeld.

18. Franklin & Marshall College

Location	Lancaster, Pennsylvania
Tuition Fee	$65,841
COA	$83,506

Franklin & Marshall College is a private liberal arts college founded in 1787. It was founded by Benjamin Franklin and John Marshall. 

Furthermore, It is renowned for its undergraduate program and ranks 39 among the best colleges for national liberal arts. 

It offers 62 majors and minors in humanities, natural sciences, and related fields.

19. Georgetown University

Location	Washington D.C.
Tuition fee	$62,052
COA	$82,505

Georgetown University was founded in 1789 by Bishop John Caroll. It provides 100 scholarships and fellowships each year to deserving students. 

Furthermore, it has an acceptance rate of 12% and ranked 297 in QS world university rankings in 2024.

20. Tufts University 

Location	Greater Boston
Tuition fee	$66,358
COA	$81,700

Tufts University was founded by Christian Universalists in 1852. It offers 90+ undergraduate majors and 1200 undergraduate honors theses in archives. 

It is known for helping faculty and students with bold and innovative ideas. With an 11% acceptance rate, it is ranked 27th among the best-value schools.

21. Barnard College

Location	New York City
Tuition fee	$64,078
COA	$80,693

Barnard College was founded in 1889 by a group of young women students and their leader Annie Nathan Meyer. 

It is a women’s liberal art college known for its excellence in arts and science, with an 18th ranking among the best national liberal art colleges.

22. Oberlin College

Location	Oberlin, Ohio
Tuition fee	$61,106
COA	$80,414

Founded in 1833, Oberlin College is a conservatory of music in Oberlin, Ohio, and is also renowned as a private liberal arts college. 

With the motto of learning and labor, It is also known for its funding of progressive student activism. 

Oberlin College stands 39 among the best national liberal arts colleges providing intellectual and artistic explorations. 

23. Boston College

Location	Chestnut hill, Massachusetts
Tuition fee	$62,950
COA	$80,296

Founded in 1863, Boston College is a private Jesuit research university in America. 

It was operated as the first institution for higher education in the city of Boston. 

Known for its international collaboration, scientific inquiry, and liberal arts, Boston College ranks 36 among the best national universities.

24. John Hopkins University 

Location	Baltimore, Maryland
Tuition fee	$62,840
COA	$80,000

John Hopkins University was founded in 1876 as the first research university in America. 

It is a private research university providing 60 undergraduate programs and 31 graduate programs. 

With an 8% acceptance rate, it ranks 7th as the best national universities

25. University Of Southern California 

Location	Los Angeles, California
Tuition fee	$66,640
COA	$79,355

Founded in 1880, The University of Southern California is ranked 25 among the best colleges in national universities. 

You will find 22 undergraduate, graduate, and professional schools and one liberal arts school with a total of 20,790 enrollment for undergraduate programs.

How To Pay The Fees Of The Most Expensive Colleges In The US?

It’s difficult to pay the fees of the most expensive colleges in the U.S. for most students, and to deal with this issue, the colleges have designed financial aid. 

You can visit the college’s official website to inquire about specific information related to financial aid for your desired program. 

Financial aid comes in the form of scholarships divided into need-based and merit-based subcategories. 

Many colleges provide 100% scholarships while others give half relief. Financial aid often comes as student loans, grants, and fellowships as well. 

You can fill out the (FAFSA) Free application for federal student aid and CSS profile after inquiring about the requirements of your desired college for financial aid.

Related Read:

• Best College Majors To Pursue
• How Many Colleges Are In The US
• State with The Most Colleges in the US

Wrapping Up! Most Expensive Colleges In The US (2024)

That’s it! We sincerely hope that this post has assisted you in learning about the most expensive colleges in the US and the actual costs associated with attending them. 

Make sure to apply for aid if you want to attend one of these pricey colleges. 

Considering the ROI of these universities, it’s not awful to choose them even though some individuals avoid them. 

If you are hesitant, though, enroll in a community college or simply choose a student loan.

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