Ranked

880 the most expensive universities in the US

Ranked on total cost of attendance — tuition, fees, housing and living costs as the institution reports them.

#UniversityIn-stateCost of attendance BorrowPaying downSATAcceptance
41 Southern Methodist University Dallas, Texas $67,040 $85,606 21% 75% 1428 63%
42 Harvard University Cambridge, Massachusetts $61,676 $85,540 4% 71% 1553 4%
43 Colby College Waterville, Maine $69,600 $85,420 9% 87% 1501 7%
44 Pomona College Claremont, California $65,420 $85,300 9% 85% 1534 7%
45 Skidmore College Saratoga Springs, New York $67,290 $85,270 33% 86% 1405 21%
46 Bowdoin College Brunswick, Maine $67,832 $85,100 8% 90% 1520 7%
47 Mount Holyoke College South Hadley, Massachusetts $67,018 $84,926 44% 80% 1463 36%
48 Carleton College Northfield, Minnesota $68,892 $84,893 43% 92% 1517 20%
49 Williams College Williamstown, Massachusetts $68,560 $84,860 5% 81% 1533 8%
50 Occidental College Los Angeles, California $66,274 $84,800 37% 88% 1452 44%
51 Villanova University Villanova, Pennsylvania $67,776 $84,793 35% 90% 1460 27%
52 Northeastern University Boston, Massachusetts $66,162 $84,641 27% 79% 1497 5%
53 Connecticut College New London, Connecticut $67,242 $84,623 35% 91% 1432 37%
54 Union College Schenectady, New York $69,039 $84,561 44% 86% 1395 44%
55 Bard College Annandale-On-Hudson, New York $66,436 $84,553 32% 79% 1380 52%
56 Syracuse University Syracuse, New York $65,528 $84,517 32% 79% 1375 46%
57 New York University New York, New York $62,796 $84,374 19% 76% 1520 9%
58 Hamilton College Clinton, New York $68,960 $84,230 29% 90% 1506 14%
59 Swarthmore College Swarthmore, Pennsylvania $65,494 $84,103 11% 86% 1534 7%
60 Princeton University Princeton, New Jersey $62,688 $84,040 2% 86% 1553 5%
61 Loyola Marymount University Los Angeles, California $62,357 $83,943 29% 78% 1359 45%
62 George Washington University Washington, District of Columbia $67,710 $83,856 32% 80% 1433 47%
63 Bucknell University Lewisburg, Pennsylvania $67,812 $83,756 35% 90% 1410 29%
64 Carnegie Mellon University Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania $66,246 $83,654 34% 91% 1546 12%
65 Emory University Atlanta, Georgia $64,280 $83,622 11% 80% 1520 11%
66 Bates College Lewiston, Maine $66,590 $83,532 14% 88% 1468 13%
67 Grinnell College Grinnell, Iowa $68,106 $83,440 13% 89% 1486 15%
68 University of Notre Dame Notre Dame, Indiana $65,025 $83,271 25% 93% 1520 11%
69 Bryn Mawr College Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania $65,920 $83,250 49% 79% 1396 29%
70 Chapman University Orange, California $64,984 $83,146 60% 68% 1357 65%
71 Lafayette College Easton, Pennsylvania $65,398 $83,133 20% 91% 1424 31%
72 Macalester College Saint Paul, Minnesota $68,104 $82,991 36% 89% 1440 29%
73 Dickinson College Carlisle, Pennsylvania $65,650 $82,902 39% 88% 1391 42%
74 Fordham University Bronx, New York $64,915 $82,762 47% 77% 1418 59%
75 Massachusetts Institute of Technology Cambridge, Massachusetts $62,396 $82,730 7% 92% 1560 5%
76 Hobart and William Smith Colleges Geneva, New York $65,117 $82,602 74% 80% 1319 64%
77 Sarah Lawrence College Bronxville, New York $66,862 $82,467 40% 83% 1366 62%
78 Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Troy, New York $64,081 $82,404 51% 92% 1456 63%
79 Santa Clara University Santa Clara, California $61,293 $82,026 37% 88% 1426 48%
80 St. Lawrence University Canton, New York $65,900 $82,000 54% 85% 1371 54%

Questions

Most expensive in the US: which university leads?
Southern Methodist University — $85,606 total cost of attendance.
Where does this data come from?
The US Department of Education College Scorecard, which publishes what institutions charge, what students borrow and repay, and the test scores of admitted students. Nothing here is estimated — universities without a published figure are left out of the ranking.
Is the cheapest university the best value?
Not necessarily. Price is one half of value; the other is what graduates earn and whether they clear the debt. Each university page links to its earnings and repayment record.
All university data Cheapest tuition Best loan repayment Fewest borrowers Highest SAT Highest acceptance

Source: US Department of Education College Scorecard. Universities without a published figure for the ranked measure are not listed.