College, like the rest of the world, looked drastically different during the pandemic. Last year millions of students were forced to attend school from home instead of in person like years past, leading to all sorts of challenges.
But despite teaching online, college tuition prices have largely remained the same or even increased during the 2020-2021 school year – especially at these 15 pricey colleges.
Steep tuition costs even led to several lawsuits from students and families who argued that the full college experience is necessary to justify the costs. While a few elite schools, including Rice, Harvard, and Stanford, even raised their undergraduate tuition costs by 4-5% during 2020-2021.
Using data from The National Center For Education Statistics, CBS News ranked the nation’s most expensive four-year colleges by their published out-of-state tuition. AceCashExpress.com has taken this data a step further by adding the average starting pay for new graduates from those colleges.
In the end, is it worth it to attend such an expensive out-of-state school or private university? To find out, here’s the latest data on the most expensive colleges in the United States.
Most Expensive Universities in America
1. University of Chicago- Chicago, Illinois
Avg. Tuition Costs – $81,531
Avg. Starting Pay – $65,800
2. Columbia University- New York City, New York
Avg. Tuition Costs – $79,752
Avg. Starting Pay – $73,700
3. Harvey Mudd College- Claremont, California
Avg. Tuition Costs – $79,539
Avg. Starting Pay – $91,400
4. Northwestern University- Evanston, Illinois
Avg. Tuition Costs – $78,654
Avg. Starting Pay- $64,600
5. Barnard College- New York City, New York
Avg. Tuition Costs – $78,044
Avg. Starting Pay- $60,000
6. Scripps College- Claremont, California
Avg. Tuition Costs – $77,588
Avg. Starting Pay – $56,100
7. Brown University- Providence, Rhode Island
Avg. Tuition Costs – $77,490
Avg. Starting Pay – $69,900
8. University of Southern California- Los Angeles, California
Avg. Tuition Costs – $77,459
Avg. Starting Pay – $66,100
9. University of Pennsylvania- Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Avg. Tuition Costs – $77,264
Avg. Starting Pay – $73,700
10. Dartmouth College- Hanover, New Hampshire
Avg. Tuition Costs – $77,152
Avg. Starting Pay – $73,300
11. Oberlin College- Oberlin, Ohio
Avg. Tuition Costs – $77,124
Avg. Starting Pay – $53,900
12. Duke University- Durham, North Carolina
Avg. Tuition Costs – $77,029
Avg. Starting Pay – $72,300
13. Washington University- St. Louis, Missouri
Avg. Tuition Costs – $76,910
Avg. Starting Pay – $66,100
14. Fordham University- Bronx, New York
Avg. Tuition Costs – $76,891
Avg. Starting Pay – $60,000
15. Trinity College- Hartford, Connecticut
Avg. Tuition Costs – $76,850
Avg. Starting Pay – $60,700
