College tuition expenses in the US are reaching new heights.
Today, a bachelor's degree at several of America's top schools can disbursal upward of nearly fractional a myriad dollars complete four years. And the trend doesn't appear to be slowing down.
In June, The Princeton Review collected a catalog of 15 US colleges alongside sticker prices exceeding $100,000 annually for their 2026 Best Colleges release.
The numbers, collected through organizational surveys of complete 2,000 colleges, contain the annual expenses of tuition, fees, housing, food, transportation, books, and another expenses for all undergraduate student.
For many, the choice to act one of these schools comes alongside an attached lifelong dedication — in the form of student debt debt.
But many others at several of these institutions additionally advantage from generous financial aid, ranging from loan-free packages to free tuition or more, for families below an earnings threshold.
At several of these schools, the funding is additionally matched by high earnings following graduation.
See which schools are in the six-figure club — and what benevolent of alleviation they recommendation their students.
15. Haverford College
Sticker price: $100,026
Average need-based scholarships and grants: $70,718
Average out-of-pocket cost: $29,308
Students from families earning under $65,000 a twelvemonth may obtain financial alleviation through loan-free financial aid packages from Haverford College.
14. Colgate University
Sticker price: $100,224
Average need-based scholarships and grants: $72,605
Average out-of-pocket cost: $27,619
With a disbursal of attendance complete $100,000 per year, Colgate University provides liberated tuition for families earning under $175,000 and loan-free financial aid packages for families earning under $200,000.
13. Georgetown University
Sticker price: $100,864
Average need-based scholarships and grants: $58,163
Average out-of-pocket cost: $42,701
Located in the bosom of DC and recognized for its influential network on Capitol Hill, Georgetown University promises to encounter 100% of students' demonstrated need through financial aid packages.
12. New York University
Sticker price: $100,998
Average need-based scholarships and grants: $60,191
Average out-of-pocket cost: $40,807
NYU, akin another New York City schools, has several of the highest tuition expenses in the US, driven by the local disbursal of living. The school, however, covers complete tuition for families making under $100,000.
11. Wesleyan University
Sticker price: $101,030
Average need-based scholarships and grants: $72,372
Average out-of-pocket cost: $28,658
Despite being among the most costly colleges in the US, Wesleyan offers loan-free financial aid packages to admitted students.
10. Vassar College
Sticker price: $101,051
Average need-based scholarships and grants: $67,214
Average out-of-pocket cost: $33,837
Vassar College in Poughkeepsie, New York, is additionally among the costliest to attend. The academy keeps its commitment to encounter 100% of demonstrated need for admitted students through financial aid packages.
9. Claremont McKenna College
Sticker price: $101,990
Average need-based scholarships and grants: $68,936
Average out-of-pocket cost: $33,054
Claremont McKenna College, which ranks among the most selective schools in the US, additionally has several of the highest expenses of attendance, although the academy is committed to gathering 100% of students' demonstrated need through financial aid packages.
After graduation, however, students of the social science-focused academy position among the highest-earning graduates in the US.
8. Fordham University
Sticker price: $102,188
Average need-based scholarships and grants: $41,919
Average out-of-pocket cost: $60,269
President Donald Trump attended Fordham University for two years, and it's among the colleges alongside the highest disbursal of attendance in the US, mostly driven by the elevated disbursal of living in the New York City area.
7. Smith College
Sticker price: $102,226
Average need-based scholarships and grants: $73,031
Average out-of-pocket cost: $29,195
Smith College, the largest women's university in the country, now offers loan-free financial aid packages for students, and students alongside families making under $150,000 obtain liberated tuition.
6. Washington University
Sticker price: $102,260
Average need-based scholarships and grants: $75,880
Average out-of-pocket cost: $26,380
Washington University in St. Louis, which has among the highest expenses of attendance in the US, additionally provides a completely liberated undergraduate learning to students from Missouri and parts of southernmost Illinois alongside families making under $75,000 a year.
5. Barnard College
Sticker price: $103,000
Average need-based scholarships and grants: $60,320
Average out-of-pocket cost: $42,680
Barnard College, a women's broad arts university in New York City, provides its students alongside admission to Ivy League resources through its historic alliance alongside Columbia University and is additionally committed to meeting students' demonstrated need.
4. University of Southern California
Sticker price: $103,162
Average need-based scholarships and grants: $50,322
Average out-of-pocket cost: $52,840
Despite being among the most costly colleges in the US, the University of Southern California additionally offers its students several relief.
First-year students alongside families earning under $80,000 can obtain liberated tuition, although they're motionless liable for covering the disbursal of their food and housing, which is affected by Los Angeles' elevated disbursal of living.
3. University of Chicago
Sticker price: $103,821
Average need-based scholarships and grants: $78,651
Average out-of-pocket cost: $25,170
The University of Chicago is America's third-most costly university by complete disbursal of attendance.
Beginning next fall, undergraduate students from families earning up to $125,000 volition obtain liberated tuition, fees, housing, and meals, and families earning under $250,000 volition additionally get liberated tuition.
2. Duke University
Sticker price: $103,975
Average need-based scholarships and grants: $70,439
Average out-of-pocket cost: $33,536
Despite being the second-most costly university in the US by complete disbursal of attendance, Duke University offers complete tuition grants to students from South and North Carolina alongside families earning $150,000 or small yearly, as fine as loan-free financial aid packages for students from the Carolinas alongside families earning $65,000 or small a year.
1. Harvey Mudd College
Sticker price: $104,512
Average need-based scholarships and grants: $64,941
Average out-of-pocket cost: $39,571
Harvey Mudd College is the most costly university in the US, alongside a sticker cost of $104,512 per year.
However, the STEM-focused California university additionally has the fourth-highest-paid graduates in the country.
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Kristine Villarroel is a newsman on Business Insider's Editorial Partnerships team.Her reporting frequently turns data into accessible stories concerning how money, education, policy, and location form Americans’ lives. She covers stories on college costs and degree outcomes, state-by-state comparisons, public officials’ salaries, the rising disbursal of living, travel, food, and real estate.She has earlier worked penning concerning culture, entertainment, music, and tech. Her activity has been featured on Teen Vogue and Wired. She graduated from the University of Florida alongside a flat in journalism. There, she worked as publishing company of The Independent Florida Alligator. Email Villarroel at [email protected] and prosecute her on X @ktnedelvalle
