There Are Now 38 Colleges Where The Cost Of A Four-Year Degree Is $250,000

Graduates Celebrate On The Southbank
Getty Images | Dan Kitwood

We can all agree that the cost of college is getting way out of hand.

But when you take a step back and look at just how expensive a four-year degree has gotten, the numbers might blow your mind.

Business Insider looked at college attendance costs across the country and discovered that there are now 38 schools where a four-year degree costs a quarter of a million dollars. Wow!

In their analysis, Business Insider considered cost of attendance, which is a fancy way of saying the total estimated costs a college expects you’ll have to pay per year. This includes room and board, books, travel back home, fees, health insurance and all the other little items that you need to spend money on when you’re studying.

Their analysis doesn’t factor in financial aid—and plenty of institutions offer students generous financial aid packages. With scholarships and grants, the cost of attendance will be much lower for most students.

Even still, there’s no way around it—a $250,000 sticker price is still pretty scary.

Some of the schools that made the list include University of Southern California, with an estimated cost of attendance of $66,565; New York University, with an estimated cost of attendance of $66,640; and Colgate University, with an estimated cost of attendance of $65,030.

Here’s the full list of schools and their annual estimated cost of attendance from Business Insider:

Connecticut College

Estimated cost of attendance: $65,000

Colgate University

Estimated cost of attendance: $65,030

University of Rochester

Estimated cost of attendance: $65,032

Bennington College

Estimated cost of attendance: $65,090

Boston University

Estimated cost of attendance: $65,110

Boston College

Estimated cost of attendance: $65,114

Carnegie Mellon University

Estimated cost of attendance: $65,310

Washington University in St. Louis

Estimated cost of attendance: $65,366

Johns Hopkins University

Estimated cost of attendance: $65,386

Drexel University

Estimated cost of attendance: $65,397

Franklin and Marshall College

Estimated cost of attendance: $65,410

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute

Estimated cost of attendance: $65,427

Williams College

Estimated cost of attendance: $65,480

Vassar College

Estimated cost of attendance: $65,490

Occidental College

Estimated cost of attendance: $65,530

Bard College at Simon’s Rock

Estimated cost of attendance: $65,587

Bard College

Estimated cost of attendance: $65,924

Brandeis University

Estimated cost of attendance: $65,950

Barnard College

Estimated cost of attendance: $65,992

Tufts University

Estimated cost of attendance: $65,996

University of Pennsylvania

Estimated cost of attendance: $66,000

Oberlin College

Estimated cost of attendance: $66,012

Georgetown University

Estimated cost of attendance: $66,115

Dartmouth College

Estimated cost of attendance: $66,174

Amherst College

Estimated cost of attendance: $66,186

Northwestern University

Estimated cost of attendance: $66,340

Duke University

Estimated cost of attendance: $66,381

Trinity College

Estimated cost of attendance: $66,440

Southern Methodist University

Estimated cost of attendance: $66,484

Haverford College

Estimated cost of attendance: $66,490

University of Southern California

Estimated cost of attendance: $66,565

New York University

Estimated cost of attendance: $66,640

Scripps College

Estimated cost of attendance: $66,664

Claremont McKenna College

Estimated cost of attendance: $66,685

Sarah Lawrence College

Estimated cost of attendance: $66,990

University of Chicago

Estimated cost of attendance: $67,584

Columbia University

Estimated cost of attendance: $68,300

Harvey Mudd College

Estimated cost of attendance: $69,967

 

 

About the Author

Sarah Kuta

Sarah Kuta is an award-winning writer and editor based in Colorado. She writes regularly about how to find deals, save money and find side gigs. Reach her at sarah@dontwasteyourmoney.com. More.

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