Prospective college students want to go to the school that will best equip them for success in their future. Among the factors students consider are school reputation, degree programs, amenities, and alumni networks. However, the most important consideration for many students is cost.
Many college students and their parents pay tens of thousands of dollars a year with the hope that their pricey college degree will help them land a lucrative career after they graduate. Some students who come from wealthy backgrounds can go to any school that accepts them without worrying about cost. But most college students rely on grants, scholarships, and student loans to fund their education — and even that is not always enough.
The price of a college education is more than four times higher than it was in 1985. Private colleges are particularly expensive, with total tuition, fees, and room and board all adding up to a net price of nearly $40,000 per year on average.
There are many additional factors that contribute to higher prices at some colleges and universities. Ken Redd of the Board of Directors at the National Association for College Admission Counseling told 24/7 Wall St. in an interview that colleges have raised prices as they’ve incorporated more technology, higher-priced faculty, and additional health resources for students. The college’s location is also a factor, as in places with higher costs of living, higher staff salary and upkeep costs are often passed on to the students.
24/7 Wall St. reviewed the net price — which includes tuition, fees, and on-campus housing and meal plans net of scholarships and grants — at each four-year college and university in America to determine the most expensive college in every state.
Click here to see the most expensive college in every state.
1. Alabama
> College: Tuskegee University
> Net price: $30,847
> Avg. Alabama 4-yr public university tuition and fees: $9,520
> 2017 undergraduate enrollment: 2,833
> Admission rate: 50.0%
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2. Alaska
> College: Alaska Pacific University
> Net price: $17,866
> Avg. Alaska 4-yr public university tuition and fees: $7,204
> 2017 undergraduate enrollment: 296
> Admission rate: 55.1%
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3. Arizona
> College: Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University-Prescott
> Net price: $34,120
> Avg. Arizona 4-yr public university tuition and fees: $10,138
> 2017 undergraduate enrollment: 2,606
> Admission rate: 76.3%
4. Arkansas
> College: John Brown University
> Net price: $22,338
> Avg. Arkansas 4-yr public university tuition and fees: $7,964
> 2017 undergraduate enrollment: 1,972
> Admission rate: 77.1%
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5. California
> College: San Francisco Art Institute
> Net price: $52,451
> Avg. California 4-yr public university tuition and fees: $8,558
> 2017 undergraduate enrollment: 299
> Admission rate: 92.6%
6. Colorado
> College: University of Denver
> Net price: $35,163
> Avg. Colorado 4-yr public university tuition and fees: $9,317
> 2017 undergraduate enrollment: 5,765
> Admission rate: 53.5%
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7. Connecticut
> College: Sacred Heart University
> Net price: $40,177
> Avg. Connecticut 4-yr public university tuition and fees: $11,832
> 2017 undergraduate enrollment: 5,603
> Admission rate: 57.2%
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8. Delaware
> College: Wesley College
> Net price: $23,823
> Avg. Delaware 4-yr public university tuition and fees: $10,334
> 2017 undergraduate enrollment: 1,446
> Admission rate: 60.5%
9. Florida
> College: Ringling College of Art and Design
> Net price: $49,828
> Avg. Florida 4-yr public university tuition and fees: $4,803
> 2017 undergraduate enrollment: 1,456
> Admission rate: 78.1%
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10. Georgia
> College: Savannah College of Art and Design
> Net price: $41,738
> Avg. Georgia 4-yr public university tuition and fees: $7,178
> 2017 undergraduate enrollment: 10,674
> Admission rate: 71.7%
11. Hawaii
> College: Hawaii Pacific University
> Net price: $28,706
> Avg. Hawaii 4-yr public university tuition and fees: $10,068
> 2017 undergraduate enrollment: 3,560
> Admission rate: 75.4%
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12. Idaho
> College: Stevens-Henager College
> Net price: $25,998
> Avg. Idaho 4-yr public university tuition and fees: $7,013
> 2017 undergraduate enrollment: 111
> Admission rate: N/A
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13. Illinois
> College: School of the Art Institute of Chicago
> Net price: $45,728
> Avg. Illinois 4-yr public university tuition and fees: $13,738
> 2017 undergraduate enrollment: 2,889
> Admission rate: 59.3%
14. Indiana
> College: Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology
> Net price: $41,536
> Avg. Indiana 4-yr public university tuition and fees: $9,078
> 2017 undergraduate enrollment: 2,168
> Admission rate: 61.1%
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15. Iowa
> College: Grinnell College
> Net price: $29,492
> Avg. Iowa 4-yr public university tuition and fees: $8,358
> 2017 undergraduate enrollment: 1,712
> Admission rate: 20.2%
16. Kansas
> College: Kansas Wesleyan University
> Net price: $25,631
> Avg. Kansas 4-yr public university tuition and fees: $8,622
> 2017 undergraduate enrollment: 693
> Admission rate: 54.7%
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17. Kentucky
> College: Sullivan College of Technology and Design
> Net price: $27,930
> Avg. Kentucky 4-yr public university tuition and fees: $10,061
> 2017 undergraduate enrollment: 306
> Admission rate: 100.0%
18. Louisiana
> College: Tulane University of Louisiana
> Net price: $33,886
> Avg. Louisiana 4-yr public university tuition and fees: $8,868
> 2017 undergraduate enrollment: 7,871
> Admission rate: 25.5%
19. Maine
> College: University of New England
> Net price: $33,204
> Avg. Maine 4-yr public university tuition and fees: $9,461
> 2017 undergraduate enrollment: 4,423
> Admission rate: 83.1%
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20. Maryland
> College: Maryland Institute College of Art
> Net price: $41,386
> Avg. Maryland 4-yr public university tuition and fees: $8,921
> 2017 undergraduate enrollment: 1,749
> Admission rate: 57.1%
21. Massachusetts
> College: Worcester Polytechnic Institute
> Net price: $43,027
> Avg. Massachusetts 4-yr public university tuition and fees: $12,338
> 2017 undergraduate enrollment: 4,435
> Admission rate: 48.4%
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22. Michigan
> College: Kettering University
> Net price: $37,703
> Avg. Michigan 4-yr public university tuition and fees: $12,293
> 2017 undergraduate enrollment: 1,889
> Admission rate: 71.8%
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23. Minnesota
> College: University of St Thomas
> Net price: $31,470
> Avg. Minnesota 4-yr public university tuition and fees: $11,063
> 2017 undergraduate enrollment: 6,199
> Admission rate: 82.7%
24. Mississippi
> College: Millsaps College
> Net price: $23,413
> Avg. Mississippi 4-yr public university tuition and fees: $7,479
> 2017 undergraduate enrollment: 807
> Admission rate: 59.1%
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25. Missouri
> College: Conception Seminary College
> Net price: $32,239
> Avg. Missouri 4-yr public university tuition and fees: $8,153
> 2017 undergraduate enrollment: 75
> Admission rate: 100.0%
26. Montana
> College: Carroll College
> Net price: $26,636
> Avg. Montana 4-yr public university tuition and fees: $6,517
> 2017 undergraduate enrollment: 1,362
> Admission rate: 71.5%
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27. Nebraska
> College: The Creative Center
> Net price: $36,338
> Avg. Nebraska 4-yr public university tuition and fees: $7,763
> 2017 undergraduate enrollment: 51
> Admission rate: 74.0%
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28. Nevada
> College: Chamberlain University-Nevada
> Net price: $32,905
> Avg. Nevada 4-yr public university tuition and fees: $6,064
> 2017 undergraduate enrollment: 293
> Admission rate: 83.3%
29. New Hampshire
> College: Southern New Hampshire University
> Net price: $39,638
> Avg. New Hampshire 4-yr public university tuition and fees: $15,629
> 2017 undergraduate enrollment: 70,661
> Admission rate: 92.9%
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30. New Jersey
> College: Stevens Institute of Technology
> Net price: $38,469
> Avg. New Jersey 4-yr public university tuition and fees: $13,566
> 2017 undergraduate enrollment: 3,123
> Admission rate: 39.1%
31. New Mexico
> College: St. John’s College
> Net price: $31,845
> Avg. New Mexico 4-yr public university tuition and fees: $6,860
> 2017 undergraduate enrollment: 322
> Admission rate: 62.8%
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32. New York
> College: Jewish Theological Seminary of America
> Net price: $49,210
> Avg. New York 4-yr public university tuition and fees: $7,618
> 2017 undergraduate enrollment: 158
> Admission rate: 57.3%
33. North Carolina
> College: High Point University
> Net price: $39,101
> Avg. North Carolina 4-yr public university tuition and fees: $7,232
> 2017 undergraduate enrollment: 4,467
> Admission rate: 79.1%
34. North Dakota
> College: Trinity Bible College and Graduate School
> Net price: $20,408
> Avg. North Dakota 4-yr public university tuition and fees: $7,469
> 2017 undergraduate enrollment: 191
> Admission rate: 59.4%
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35. Ohio
> College: Cleveland Institute of Music
> Net price: $40,676
> Avg. Ohio 4-yr public university tuition and fees: $9,964
> 2017 undergraduate enrollment: 212
> Admission rate: 48.4%
36. Oklahoma
> College: Oklahoma City University
> Net price: $27,234
> Avg. Oklahoma 4-yr public university tuition and fees: $7,300
> 2017 undergraduate enrollment: 1,714
> Admission rate: 72.2%
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37. Oregon
> College: Lewis & Clark College
> Net price: $35,872
> Avg. Oregon 4-yr public university tuition and fees: $9,770
> 2017 undergraduate enrollment: 2,106
> Admission rate: 55.0%
38. Pennsylvania
> College: Drexel University
> Net price: $40,977
> Avg. Pennsylvania 4-yr public university tuition and fees: $14,099
> 2017 undergraduate enrollment: 15,534
> Admission rate: 74.6%
39. Rhode Island
> College: Rhode Island School of Design
> Net price: $39,777
> Avg. Rhode Island 4-yr public university tuition and fees: $11,436
> 2017 undergraduate enrollment: 1,976
> Admission rate: 34.1%
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40. South Carolina
> College: Erskine College
> Net price: $34,550
> Avg. South Carolina 4-yr public university tuition and fees: $12,167
> 2017 undergraduate enrollment: 575
> Admission rate: 75.9%
41. South Dakota
> College: Dakota Wesleyan University
> Net price: $20,948
> Avg. South Dakota 4-yr public university tuition and fees: $8,333
> 2017 undergraduate enrollment: 792
> Admission rate: 72.7%
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42. Tennessee
> College: Belmont University
> Net price: $35,382
> Avg. Tennessee 4-yr public university tuition and fees: $9,332
> 2017 undergraduate enrollment: 6,497
> Admission rate: 81.0%
43. Texas
> College: Baylor University
> Net price: $37,745
> Avg. Texas 4-yr public university tuition and fees: $8,566
> 2017 undergraduate enrollment: 14,316
> Admission rate: 39.7%
44. Utah
> College: Nightingale College
> Net price: $34,137
> Avg. Utah 4-yr public university tuition and fees: $6,423
> 2017 undergraduate enrollment: 326
> Admission rate: N/A
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45. Vermont
> College: Landmark College
> Net price: $51,032
> Avg. Vermont 4-yr public university tuition and fees: $15,623
> 2017 undergraduate enrollment: 461
> Admission rate: 36.2%
46. Virginia
> College: DeVry University-Virginia
> Net price: $33,227
> Avg. Virginia 4-yr public university tuition and fees: $12,167
> 2017 undergraduate enrollment: 227
> Admission rate: 95.0%
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47. Washington
> College: University of Puget Sound
> Net price: $40,065
> Avg. Washington 4-yr public university tuition and fees: $7,259
> 2017 undergraduate enrollment: 2,413
> Admission rate: 78.9%
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48. West Virginia
> College: Salem International University
> Net price: $19,540
> Avg. West Virginia 4-yr public university tuition and fees: $7,285
> 2017 undergraduate enrollment: 892
> Admission rate: N/A
49. Wisconsin
> College: Marquette University
> Net price: $32,377
> Avg. Wisconsin 4-yr public university tuition and fees: $8,622
> 2017 undergraduate enrollment: 8,335
> Admission rate: 84.3%
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50. Wyoming
> College: University of Wyoming
> Net price: $13,441
> Avg. Wyoming 4-yr public university tuition and fees: $4,311
> 2017 undergraduate enrollment: 9,791
> Admission rate: 95.1%
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