Some Us Colleges Now Cost Over $100,000 A Year. These Are The 35 Most Expensive Schools In The Us, Ranked.
janniswerner/Getty Images
- The cost of a college education can often deter prospective students.
- The annual cost of attending some private colleges and universities has surpassed six figures.
- Harvey Mudd College is the most expensive US college in 2026, costing $102,312 a year to attend.
College can be a life-changing choice — and a lifelong investment.
When deciding where to apply to college, students have to contend with a factor beyond the prospect of education and careers: the sometimes astronomical cost of college tuition.
Today, over 42.8 million Americans owe a balance on their student loans, and the outstanding federal student loan balance totals nearly $1.7 trillion, according to the Education Data Initiative.
Last year, the College Board reported that the average price of tuition and fees for undergraduate students at private nonprofit four-year institutions was $45,000 for the 2025-2026 school year, while the average price at a public four-year in-state school was $11,950.
That's just the start, however. When including housing and food costs, full-time students who live on campus at private four-year universities and colleges pay $60,920 a year. Adding the costs of books, transportation, and other expenses raises the average to $65,470, the College Board reported.
We've listed the most expensive colleges in the US, from small liberal arts schools to Ivy League universities, and ranked them based on the annual cost of tuition, fees, room, and board, as reported by the institutions.
The totals do not include other potential costs, such as books, transportation, and health insurance.
The costs of housing and food can look different for students who live at home with family or in off-campus housing, but they help provide a full picture of what college expenses can be, especially for first-year students, who are sometimes required to live on campus and opt into a school meal plan.
In creating this list, we used rankings from US News & World Report, The College Investor, and Best Colleges, which we confirmed using each school's official tuition listings for the 2026-2027 school year.
See how much it costs to attend the 35 most expensive schools in the US in 2026.
littleny/Getty Images
Location: New York City
Tuition and fees: $68,576
Room and board: $26,438
Total cost: $95,014
Jennifer Yakey-Ault/Getty Images
Location: Lewiston, Maine
Tuition and fees: $74,235
Room and board: $20,800
Total cost: $95,035
Patrick McDermott/NHLI via Getty Images
Location: Clinton, New York
Tuition and fees: $75,960
Room and board: $19,290
Total cost: $95,250
Feng Cheng/Shutterstock
Location: Waterville, Maine
Tuition and fees: $75,790
Room and board: $19,480
Total cost: $95,270
Elijah-Lovkoff/Getty Images
Location: Boston
Tuition and fees: $74,594
Room and board: $20,740
Total cost: $95,334
Andrew Dale/Shutterstock
Location: Brunswick, Maine
Tuition and fees: $75,008
Room and board: $20,432
Total cost: $95,440
Sandra Foyt/Shutterstock
Location: Claremont, California
Tuition and fees: $72,080
Room and board: $23,590
Total cost: $95,670
Laser1987/Getty Images
Location: New Orleans
Tuition and fees: $75,134
Room and board: $20,538
Total cost: $95,672
christiannafzger/Getty Images
Location: Malibu, California
Tuition and fees: $75,202
Room and board: $20,490
Total cost: $95,672
Spiroview Inc/Shutterstock
Location: Swarthmore, Pennsylvania
Tuition and fees: $73,204
Room and board: $22,566
Total cost: $95,770
Edward Fielding/Shutterstock
Location: Hanover, New Hampshire
Tuition and fees: $74,123
Room and board: $21,778
Total cost: $95,901
pics721/Shutterstock
Location: Williamstown, Massachusetts
Tuition and fees: $76,640
Room and board: $19,320
Total cost: $95,960
pics721/Shutterstock
Location: Evanston, Illinois
Tuition and fees: $73,062
Room and board: $22,941
Total cost: $96,003
Wangkun Jia/Shutterstock
Location: Wellesley, Massachusetts
Tuition and fees: $72,930
Room and board: $23,206
Total cost: $96,136
Amy Lutz/Shutterstock
Location: Ithaca, New York
Tuition and fees: $74,970
Room and board: $21,348
Total cost: $96,318
Mark Yarchoan/Shutterstock
Location: Amherst, Massachusetts
Tuition and fees: $76,040
Room and board: $20,320
Total cost: $96,360
aimintang/Getty Images/iStockphoto
Location: Haverford, Pennsylvania
Tuition and fees: $75,482
Room and board: $20,959
Total cost: $96,441
Feng Cheng/Shutterstock
Location: Newton, Massachusetts
Tuition and fees: $77,644
Room and board: $18,834
Total cost: $96,478
dashikin/Shutterstock
Location: Hartford, Connecticut
Tuition and fees: $76,150
Room and board: $20,330
Total cost: $96,480
hapabapa/Getty Images
Location: New York City
Tuition and fees: $76,960
Room and board: $19,650
Total cost: $96,610
Stephen B. Goodwin/Shutterstock
Location: Hamilton, New York
Tuition and fees: $77,290
Room and board: $19,356
Total cost: $96,646
wdstock/Getty Images
Location: New York City
Tuition and fees: $70,949
Room and board: $25,805
Total cost: $96,754
Grindstone Media Group/Shutterstock
Location: Nashville
Tuition and fees: $73,206
Room and board: $23,690
Total cost: $96,896
Orhan Cam/Shutterstock
Location: Washington, DC
Tuition and fees: $74,732
Room and board: $22,180
Total cost: $96,912
Brian Logan Photography/Shutterstock
Location: Poughkeepsie, New York
Tuition and fees: $77,160
Room and board: $19,800
Total cost: $96,960
Kit Leong/Shutterstock
Location: St. Louis
Tuition and fees: $72,722
Room and board: $24,272
Total cost: $96,994
iroqin/Shutterstock
Location: Providence, Rhode Island
Tuition and fees: $77,652
Room and board: $19,464
Total cost: $97,116
Ashwin Swar/Shutterstock
Location: Medford, Massachusetts
Tuition and fees: $76,558
Room and board: $20,594
Total cost: $97,152
Vineyard Perspective/Shutterstock
Location: Middletown, Connecticut
Tuition and fees: $76,620
Room and board: $21,660
Total cost: $98,280
Jay Yuan/Shutterstock
Location: Durham, North Carolina
Tuition and fees: $76,759
Room, and board: $22,029
Total cost: $98,788
Wangkun Jia/Shutterstock
Location: Los Angeles
Tuition and fees: $77,336
Room and board: $21,952
Total cost: $99,288
Here Now/Shutterstock
Location: New York City
Tuition and fees: $76,142
Room and board: $23,258
Total cost: $99,400
Katherine Carey/Shutterstock
Location: Claremont, California
Tuition and fees: $76,220
Room and board: $23,270
Total cost: $99,490
Jacob Boomsma/Getty Images
Location: Chicago
Tuition and fees: $79,395
Room and board: $21,414
Total cost: $100,809
Jim Brown/Getty Images
Location: Claremont, California
Tuition and fees: $77,530
Room and board: $24,782
Total cost: $102,312
Editor's note: This story was originally published in November 2025. It was most recently updated in September 2026 to reflect pricing for the 2026-2027 school year.
Popular Products
-
Fireproof Document Bag with Zipper Cl...$60.87$31.78 -
Acrylic Desktop File Organizer with 5...$100.99$69.78 -
Child Safety Cabinet Locks - Set of 6$83.56$41.78 -
Travel Safe Lock Box with 4-Digit Cod...$146.99$78.78 -
Dual Laser Engraver$5,068.99$3034.78