You’ve seen quite a few lists recently ranking colleges around the country by this and that variable, well CollegeFinder is at it again with a list ranking the most expensive schools in each state. Immediately the mind pinpoints a few schools you know will surely be on there- NYU, UCLA, Harvard, Yale. Those are surely to cost an arm, leg, and a kidney, right? Wrong…well not really wrong, but in this case you’re wrong!
There are a few rules that are generally believed to be true when dealing with a school’s cost of attendance (including tuition, room and board, etc.): the harder to get into, the bigger the name, and private over public, the higher the price tag. Take a gander at the ten most expensive schools in the country then at the most expensive school in each state, and you’ll see that that’s certainly not the case. Is your school on there?

Ten Most Expensive Schools in the Country

New York – Sarah Lawrence College – $61,836
Illinois – University of Chicago – $60,096
New Hampshire – Dartmouth College – $59,976
Connecticut – Wesleyan University – $59,802
California – Harvey Mudd College – $59,713
Ohio – Oberlin College – $58,983
Missouri – Washington University in St. Louis – $58,395
Massachusetts – Bard College at Simon’s Rock – $58,385
New Jersey – Steven’s Institute of Technology – $58,360
Pennsylvania – Carnegie Mellon University – $58,310

Most Expensive School in Each State

Alabama – Birmingham Southern College
Total Cost (Out of State) – $43,484
Alaska – Alaska Pacific University
Total Cost (Out of State) – $40,110
Arizona – Southwest University of Visual Arts Tucson
Total Cost (Out of State) – $43,689
Arkansas – Hendrix College
Total Cost (Out of State) – $47,708
California – Harvey Mudd College
Total Cost (Out of State) – $59,714
Colorado – Colorado College
Total Cost (Out of State) – $52,834
Connecticut – Wesleyan University
Total Cost (Out of State) – $59,802
Delaware – University of Delaware
Total Cost (Out of State) – $40,330
District of Columbia – George Washington University
Total Cost (Out of State) – $57,585
Florida – University of Miami
Total Cost (Out of State) – $55,502
Georgia – Emory University
Total Cost (Out of State) – $56,080
Hawaii – University of Hawaii at Manoa
Total Cost (Out of State) – $36,893
Idaho – The College of Idaho
Total Cost (Out of State) – $32,855
Illinois – University of Chicago
Total Cost (Out of State) – $60,096
Indiana – University of Notre Dame
Total Cost (Out of State) – $55,855
Iowa – Grinnell College
Total Cost (Out of State) – $51,518
Kansas – Benedictine College
Total Cost (Out of State) – $33,500
Kentucky – Centre College
Total Cost (Out of State) – $45,100
Louisiana – Tulane University
Total Cost (Out of State) – $57,980
Maine – Bates College
Total Cost (Out of State) – $58,035
Maryland – Johns Hopkins University
Total Cost (Out of State) – $57,980
Massachusetts – Bard College at Simon’s Rock
Total Cost (Out of State) – $58,385
Michigan – University of Michigan
Total Cost (Out of State) – $49,922
Minnesota – Carleton College
Total Cost (Out of State) – $56,749
Mississippi – Millsaps College
Total Cost (Out of State) – $42,900
Missouri – Washington University in St. Louis
Total Cost (Out of State) – $58,395
Montana – Carroll College
Total Cost (Out of State) – $35,619
Nebraska – Creighton University
Total Cost (Out of State) – $43,976
Nevada – Sierra Nevada College
Total Cost (Out of State) – $40,646
New Hampshire – Dartmouth College
Total Cost (Out of State) – $59,976
New Jersey – Stevens Institute of Technology
Total Cost (Out of State) – $58,360
New Mexico – St. John’s College
Total Cost (Out of State) – $55,628
New York – Sarah Lawrence College
Total Cost (Out of State) – $61,836
North Carolina – Duke University
Total Cost (Out of State) – $57,406
North Dakota – North Dakota State University
Total Cost (Out of State) – $25,803
Ohio – Oberlin College
Total Cost (Out of State) – $58,983
Oklahoma – University of Tulsa
Total Cost (Out of State) – $44,279
Oregon – Reed College
Total Cost (Out of State) – $56,870
Pennsylvania – Carnegie Mellon University
Total Cost (Out of State) – $58,310
Rhode Island – Brown University
Total Cost (Out of State) – $56,376
South Carolina – Furman University
Total Cost (Out of State) – $53,572
South Dakota – Augustana College
Total Cost (Out of State) – $35,646
Tennessee – Vanderbilt University
Total Cost (Out of State) – $57,306
Texas – Southern Methodist University
Total Cost (Out of State) – $56,089
Utah – Westminster College
Total Cost (Out of State) – $37,100
Vermont – Bennington College
Total Cost (Out of State) – $57,990
Virginia – University of Richmond
Total Cost (Out of State) – $55,020
Washington – Whitman College
Total Cost (Out of State) – $54,065
West Virginia – Wheeling Jesuit University
Total Cost (Out of State) – $35,968
Wisconsin – Lawrence University
Total Cost (Out of State) – $49,170
Wyoming – University of Wyoming
Total Cost (Out of State) – $23,712