Top 10 priciest colleges … and the cheapest

[Itsme]

Top 10 priciest colleges … and the cheapest

Hold on to your backpack. Here are the most expensive colleges -- and the ones that cost the least, based on tuition and required fees.

By Bankrate.com

No matter how much money you've got in your bank account, pricing out a year at college can cause anyone to go into sticker shock. True, it's an investment that pays dividends over a lifetime, but upfront costs are an important consideration for anyone thinking of going to school. Tuition alone can top $30,000 at some private colleges.

On average, the price of a private college is about four times that of a public university. And while there are plenty of exceptions, good schools can command higher tuition than their less-celebrated peers.

"Like anything else, it's supply and demand," says Jeff Selingo, business and politics editor at the Chronicle of Higher Education. With more students graduating from high school -- and a college degree considered essential to securing a good job -- colleges are able to charge more for their services.

While the sticker prices are surprising, they're not the full story, says Selingo.

"Few people actually pay what is advertised," he says. "What also goes into that is federal and state financial aid, college scholarships and institutional aid. There's a lot of money that's immediately deducted from that price."

Listed below are the most expensive colleges -- as well as those that will make the smallest impact on your pocketbook. All of the figures are based on tuition and required fees charged to first-time, full-time undergraduates at four-year colleges and universities, based on a nine-month academic year of 30 semester hours or 45 quarter hours.

The numbers represent 2004-05 costs gathered by the College Board. Prices for public colleges and universities are for in-state residents.

Most expensive private schools
SchoolPrice
1. Sarah Lawrence College -- Bronxville, N.Y.$32,416
2. Kenyon College -- Gambier, Ohio$32,170
3. Trinity College -- Hartford, Conn.$31,940
4. George Washington University -- Washington, D.C.$31,710
5. Hamilton College -- Clinton, N.Y.$31,700
6. Bowdoin College -- Brunswick, Maine$31,656
7. Wesleyan University -- Middletown, Conn.$31,650
8. Columbia University -- New York, N.Y.$31,472
9. Colgate University -- Hamilton, N.Y.$31,440
10. Pitzer College -- Claremont, Calif.$31,438



Most expensive public schools
SchoolPrice
1. Penn State University -- University Park, Pa.$10,856
2. University of Pittsburgh -- Pittsburgh, Pa.$10,830
3. University of Vermont -- Burlington, Vt.$10,226
4. University of New Hampshire -- Durham, N.H.$9,226
5. New Jersey Institute of Technology -- Newark, N.J.$9,180
6. Temple University -- Philadelphia, Pa.$9,102
7. University of Massachusetts -- Amherst, Mass.$9,008
8. Rutgers University -- New Brunswick, N.J.$8,564
9. University of Cincinnati -- Cincinnati, Ohio$8,379
10. Rutgers University -- Newark, N.J.$8,209



Least expensive private schools
SchoolPrice
1. National Hispanic University -- San Jose, Calif.$4,610
2. Arkansas Baptist College -- Little Rock, Ark.$5,074
3. Talladega College -- Talladega, Ala.$7,128
4. Lane College -- Jackson, Tenn.$7,176
5. Tougaloo College -- Tougaloo, Miss.$8,375
6. Judson College -- Elgin, Ill.$9,420
7. Paine College -- Augusta, Ga.$9,624
8. Augustine College -- Raleigh, N.C.$10,388
9. Barber-Scotia College -- Concord, N.C.$10,686
10. Wesleyan College -- Macon, Ga.$10,900



Least expensive public schools
SchoolPrice
1. University of Nevada -- Reno, Nev.$2,682
2. Florida State University -- Tallahassee, Fla.$2,890
3. San Diego State University -- San Diego, Calif.$2,936
4. University of Florida -- Gainesville, Fla.$2,955
5. Florida Atlantic University -- Boca Raton, Fla.$3,092
6. Texas A&M University -- Kingsville, Texas$3,109
7. Florida International University -- Miami, Fla.$3,156
8. University of South Florida -- Tampa, Fla.$3,167
9. University of Central Florida -- Orlando, Fla.$3,180
10. University of Nevada -- Las Vegas, Nev.$3,210


By Erin Peterson, Bankrate.com

[ialsohaveadream]

Least expensive public schools
SchoolPrice
1. University of Nevada -- Reno, Nev.$2,682
2. Florida State University -- Tallahassee, Fla.$2,890
3. San Diego State University -- San Diego, Calif.$2,936
4. University of Florida -- Gainesville, Fla.$2,955
5. Florida Atlantic University -- Boca Raton, Fla.$3,092
6. Texas A&M University -- Kingsville, Texas$3,109
7. Florida International University -- Miami, Fla.$3,156
8. University of South Florida -- Tampa, Fla.$3,167
9. University of Central Florida -- Orlando, Fla.$3,180
10. University of Nevada -- Las Vegas, Nev.$3,210
Woot! Go Florida! My alma mater is on that list. :)

And how the hell does a school like Vermont have such a high cost, when state taxes in Vermont are ridiculously high?

[kimchicowboy]

how does ANY state school expect to be the affordable choice if their tuition is 5 digits? wow.

[Kevster]

Least expensive public schools
SchoolPrice
1. University of Nevada -- Reno, Nev.$2,682
2. Florida State University -- Tallahassee, Fla.$2,890
3. San Diego State University -- San Diego, Calif.$2,936
4. University of Florida -- Gainesville, Fla.$2,955
5. Florida Atlantic University -- Boca Raton, Fla.$3,092
6. Texas A&M University -- Kingsville, Texas$3,109
7. Florida International University -- Miami, Fla.$3,156
8. University of South Florida -- Tampa, Fla.$3,167
9. University of Central Florida -- Orlando, Fla.$3,180
10. University of Nevada -- Las Vegas, Nev.$3,210


My brother graduated from University of Nevada at Reno. The price they have there is definitely the in-state tuition. They do have a neighboring-county discount of 75% off the additional out-of-state tuition costs which greatly helped though. Another thing about it is that U-N is a fine school, much better than UNLV in my opinion.

[Airencracken]

My GF will most likely be going to pitzer next year. Le Sigh.

[AlpineJay]

Yay! My alma mater missed the list this year - they've consistently made it year after year.

Now they'll call me and probably ask for money.

[MrGreg]

My GF will most likely be going to pitzer next year. Le Sigh.

Dude. Seriously. Talk her out of it. If she really wants to go to a Claremont College, send her to Scripps or Pomona. If she's going to spend that much money on college, she should at least get a decent education.

[ShawnLee]

Dude. Seriously. Talk her out of it. If she really wants to go to a Claremont College, send her to Scripps or Pomona. If she's going to spend that much money on college, she should at least get a decent education.Split the difference and go to Claremont McKenna. Cheaper than Pitzer, just as stuck up. :P

I dispute the SD state one. Just because methinks that if SD state is up there, my alma mater should definitely be up there (CSU Fullerton, woot).

[jstreet]

Most expensive private schools
SchoolPrice
1. Sarah Lawrence College -- Bronxville, N.Y.$32,416
2. Kenyon College -- Gambier, Ohio$32,170
3. Trinity College -- Hartford, Conn.$31,940
4. George Washington University -- Washington, D.C.$31,710
5. Hamilton College -- Clinton, N.Y.$31,700
6. Bowdoin College -- Brunswick, Maine$31,656
7. Wesleyan University -- Middletown, Conn.$31,650
8. Columbia University -- New York, N.Y.$31,472
9. Colgate University -- Hamilton, N.Y.$31,440
10. Pitzer College -- Claremont, Calif.$31,438Oh man, we're only off by $706.

[Butch]

Dude. Seriously. Talk her out of it. If she really wants to go to a Claremont College, send her to Scripps or Pomona. If she's going to spend that much money on college, she should at least get a decent education.

:stupid:

As a Claremont Consortium alum, I'd have to echo this . . . but don't follow Shawn's suggestion if your sister wants to keep her soul!

Those McKenna folks are soulless bloodsuckers ;)

[MikeD]

Woot! Go Florida!

Isn't this a "get what you pay for" type of thing?

If so, where's The U? ;)

(I ked, I ked!!!)

[mcs328]

I had an academic scholarship and grants to go to UMCP which made it a free ride as long as I kept up my grades the first 2 years. I think the yearly tuition was 5-6K. I also applied the George Washington Univ and got a scholarship there too in the amount of $15,000 but the tuition was $25K. I went to UMCP because coming from a financially poor family the "free" ride was better than risking my families finanicial stability. If I had a better finanicial safety net I might have gone to GW but these are the life choices an individual has to face eh? :)

[jstreet]

I had an academic scholarship and grants to go to UMCP which made it a free ride as long as I kept up my grades the first 2 years. I think the yearly tuition was 5-6K. I also applied the George Washington Univ and got a scholarship there too in the amount of $15,000 but the tuition was $25K. I went to UMCP because coming from a financially poor family the "free" ride was better than risking my families finanicial stability. If I had a better finanicial safety net I might have gone to GW but these are the life choices an individual has to face eh? :):stupid:

I'm only here b/c I pay 3% of that big number up top.

[AlpineJay]

I had an academic scholarship and grants to go to UMCP which made it a free ride as long as I kept up my grades the first 2 years. I think the yearly tuition was 5-6K. I also applied the George Washington Univ and got a scholarship there too in the amount of $15,000 but the tuition was $25K. I went to UMCP because coming from a financially poor family the "free" ride was better than risking my families finanicial stability. If I had a better finanicial safety net I might have gone to GW but these are the life choices an individual has to face eh? :)

Man, I recall GW being very expensive - in the 45K range two years ago with room & board and small allowances for books and travel (colleges like to call this the expected attending cost or something) when my brother was looking at it. In fact, cost was a big factor that deterred him from going there.

I think this list is also incorrectly presented. Oftentimes it's not the tuition that makes the difference in the total bottom line cost for an incoming freshmen - it's the room, board, and other expenses which wildly vary from one college to another based on its settings (I've noticed urban schools charge a lot more for room, for example). I looked up my alma mater's total cost, and the breakdown was as follows:

Tuition and Fees - $30,969
Room and Board - $9,030
Books and Supplies - $2,001
Total $42,000

This figure is for 2004-2005 but you can see how much cost is added to raw tuition. I know BU and GW were in the same ballpark as my alma mater tuition wise, but their bottom line cost was more expensive than mine due to higher room and board costs and fees. They should run the same figures for the cost of attendance and see who makes the top 10.

[DarkFury]

I also think that this list is kinda skewed....

There are 8 "public universities" in Florida and all of them roughly share the same "cost per credit hour"... so it's not surprising to see 6 of the Florida schools on the list, however what happened to the other 2 universities not listed: University of West Florida (Pensacola) and Florida A & M University (Tallahassee). Both of them have the same fee schedule as the other 6 listed, yet they didn't make the list. When I went to FAMU, my cousin went to FSU at the same time and we both paid the same fees to attend... back in 1988 - 1992. I doubt anything has changed much since then.

If "room and board" wasn't included... then something looks fishy with the list up there.

[jstreet]

This figure is for 2004-2005 but you can see how much cost is added to raw tuition. I know BU and GW were in the same ballpark as my alma mater tuition wise, but their bottom line cost was more expensive than mine due to higher room and board costs and fees. They should run the same figures for the cost of attendance and see who makes the top 10.GW's also got a new kind of scam running -- fixed tuition. They don't raise tuition, guaranteed, for your four year curriculum. They say this is to prevent surprise raises in tuition and protect against big changes necessitated by a change in the economy.

The scam of course is seen when evaluating how much they raised tuition previous to that system (about 4%). The school newspaper did a study that showed it would take a catastrophic change in the economy to create an environment where a 4-year stepped tuition would cost more than GW's fixed price.

This is likely the last year we'll be under $50k - they're citing $49,350 as the number now with a meagre $1350/year personal allowance.

[ufcrusher]

Woot! Go Florida! My alma mater is on that list. :)

And how the hell does a school like Vermont have such a high cost, when state taxes in Vermont are ridiculously high?

Yes, but which of the Florida schools? All I have to say is:
Orange............................................................................Blue
Orange............................................................................Blue
Orange............................................................................Blue
Lets go Gators!


Or another favorite....
Two bits, four bits, six bits, a dollar...all Florida Gators stand up and Holler!


Not that anyone couldnt tell what school is my Alma Mater.

[cheapchinese]

wow.. i didn't know UNLV and san diego state was that cheap

[ialsohaveadream]

Isn't this a "get what you pay for" type of thing?

If so, where's The U? ;)

(I ked, I ked!!!)
Oooooh, that was low. :)

And it costs BIG bank to go to The U. The thing is, I'm such a rabid fan that I immediately ruled out attending FSU, despite their scholarship offer. If Notre Dame had sent me info, I would've burned it and peed on the flames. ;)

[Prisoner 24601]

Wow, University of Spoiled Children is not on there??? I thought that would be one of the priciest!

[Jihforce]

i hit a deer with my car once...poor guy tried crossing the street and slipped in front of my car. Went over my hood, roof and landed on my trunk lid...poor thing.

[DarkFury]

i hit a deer with my car once...poor guy tried crossing the street and slipped in front of my car. Went over my hood, roof and landed on my trunk lid...poor thing.
Ummm.... is this a mispost for the "deer in the house" thread? :shrug:

[ialsohaveadream]

Ummm.... is this a mispost for the "deer in the house" thread? :shrug:
Nah...it turns out, the deer went to GWU. Jihforce was pointing out that the deer was probably depressed over high tuition costs. :)

[JackHammer]

The Cooper Union should top the least expensive private school. It's fricken free as long as you can get your ass in.

[Airencracken]

She actually has pomona as her first choice and pitzer as her second scripps as third, mckenna as fourth UCLA as fifth.

[Markel]

Yes, but which of the Florida schools? All I have to say is:
Orange............................................................................Blue
Orange............................................................................Blue
Orange............................................................................Blue
Lets go Gators!

Or another favorite....
Two bits, four bits, six bits, a dollar...all Florida Gators stand up and Holler!
:stupid:

Never attended either (UF/FSU), but had a brother and sister go to UF - my brother was in the days of Spurrier (as QB).

[A Day]

Did I just hear someone has Pomona on their list above UCLA? well I guess it depends on your major but still...

Anyways, wheres USC on that list, their way up there too, I KNOW their in the 30g range

[Airencracken]

She's majoring in Neuroscience. Pomona gets more ppl into UCLA med school than UCLA (same with pitz and scripps). :heh:

[cheapchinese]

UCSD's not bad

[zippyjuan]

These lists are for in-state tution. My alma matter, Colorado, used to have the second highest out of state tuition for public institutions behind Michigan at the time. Right now non- residents pay almost $22,000 in tuition for full time. Glad I was in state!

[Merlin]

Most expensive public schools
SchoolPrice
1. Penn State University -- University Park, Pa.$10,856
2. University of Pittsburgh -- Pittsburgh, Pa.$10,830
3. University of Vermont -- Burlington, Vt.$10,226
4. University of New Hampshire -- Durham, N.H.$9,226
5. New Jersey Institute of Technology -- Newark, N.J.$9,180
6. Temple University -- Philadelphia, Pa.$9,102
7. University of Massachusetts -- Amherst, Mass.$9,008
8. Rutgers University -- New Brunswick, N.J.$8,564
9. University of Cincinnati -- Cincinnati, Ohio$8,379
10. Rutgers University -- Newark, N.J.$8,209

Why is Rutgers listed twice? (8. & 10.)

[Cubsfan]

Why is Rutgers listed twice? (8. & 10.)
2 different campuses?

[AlpineJay]

New Brunswick campus is their main one, and Newark is their health sciences campus and their satellite campus.