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These Are The Most Expensive Colleges in America

The fact that education doesn’t come cheap is well-known but there are some colleges that will set you back a considerable penny (loads to be precise) and in most cases, you would have to pay the full cost of your program of choice. Without much ado, these are the 17 most expensive colleges in America.


Campus of Bard College

Built in the 1850’s by Christian philanthropist John Bard, Bard College (formerly named St. Stephen’s College) started out as a male theological school for the Episcopal Church. In 1919, Bernard Iddings Bell, the acclaimed Episcopal priest, was appointed the school’s president and under his leadership, Bard adopted a broader and more secular curriculum which doubled the student enrollment. By the 1940’s, Bard had become a refuge for fleeing European intellectuals such as Hannah Arendt and Adolf Sturmthal and it would later be considered as one of the first adopters of progressive education.

Grounds of University of Southern California

USC is the oldest private research university in California and is a huge hub for economic activity in the Los Angeles Area, contributing no less than $8 billion yearly to the state of California. Several important technologies such as the antivirus software, VoIP and DNS which have gone on to revolutionize the world of computing, were first invented at USC.
The DCA is $ 72,070.

Click here to check out USC's reviews on Niche


Diana Center at Barnard College

Barnard College is one of the oldest women’s colleges in the world and was founded in the year 1889 to combat Columbia University’s male-only admission policy. The College named after the tenth president of Columbia University, Frederick P. Barnard who was a major proponent for co-education, was the first in the city of New York to establish a curriculum for women that was as challenging and as rigorous as that of the men’s.
The DCA is $ 72,257.

Click here to check out Barnard's reviews on Niche


Grounds of Georgetown University

Founded by a Jesuit priest, John Carroll, GU started out as a little college in 1792 and steadily evolved into the colossus it is today. Much of its expansion occurred after the Civil War under the leadership of Patrick Francis Healy, an African-American of mixed heritage, who modernized the curriculum by the addition of science courses and the lengthening of the medical and law programs. GU is currently home to the largest student-run organization called The Corp with annual revenues of over $5 million and the largest student-run financial institution. Notable alumni include Bill Clinton and King Felipe of Spain.
The DCA is $ 72,289.

Click here to check out Georgetown's reviews on Niche


The entrance gate of Smith College

Smith College is the largest women’s liberal arts college in America. Founded in 1875 as a result of the generous bequest of Sophia Smith, the daughter of a wealthy farmer, Smith College was set up to instruct females in arts and physical sciences so as to furnish women with the means of usefulness and honor. Today, Smith College has grown from a student population of 14 to over 2600 and was recently ranked as the 11th best liberal arts college in America by U.S News & World Reports.
The DCA is $ 72,292.

Click here to check out Smith's reviews on Niche


Grounds of Franklin W. Olin College of Engineering

Olin College is the newest college on this list, having only been founded in 1997 by the F. W. Olin Foundation. However regardless of the short time it was instituted, it has become a force to be reckoned with in the engineering field as it consistently churns out graduates with real-life project experience as a result of their innovative curriculum. The curriculum was developed unconventionally by the invitation of 30 students to collaborate with the faculty staff to develop the best teaching practices. All admitted students are offered the Olin Scholarship which covers half the tuition cost.
The DCA is $ 72,371.

Click here to check out Olin's reviews on Niche


Tulane University at New Orleans

Tulane started out as a public medical institution but was converted to a private comprehensive university as a result of the generous endowment of Paul Tulane, a retail and wholesale dry goods merchant. Tulane is considered the very top university in the state of Louisiana and has a very diverse student body where 85% of undergraduates are non-residents. Notable alumni include David Filo, co-founder of Yahoo and Jerry Springer.
The DCA is $ 72,574.

Click here to check out Tulane's reviews on Niche


Campus grounds of Carnegie Mellon University

The Carnegie Technical Schools was founded by the Scottish-American industrialist, Andrew Carnegie in 1900 to provide vocational training for the children of his employees as well as other working class people living in Pittsburgh. In 1967, Carnegie Tech merged with the Mellon Institute of Technology founded by the Mellon brothers, to become Carnegie Mellon University. Today, CMU has a bustling student population of over 13,000 students from 106 countries and an alumni body of over 105,000.
The DCA is $ 72,909.

Click here to check out CMU's reviews on Niche


A student cycling in Reed College

Reed College is a small liberal arts college located in Portland with a gorgeous campus that has a wooded natural canyon at its center. It was founded in the year 1908 from the estate of Simon and Amanda Reed and is well known for its extremely rigorous syllabus. All freshmen are required to take a Humanities course which encompasses the study of Greek, Roman and Hebrew histories and literature. Classes are often carried out in a conference style with intense discussions between the students and the teacher serving as a mediator rather than a lecturer.
The DCA is $ 73,040.

Click here to check out Reed's reviews on Niche


Aerial view of Wake Forest University

Wake Forest University started out as the Wake Forest Manual Labor Institute and required students and staff to work on its plantation for half of each day. In 1838, the manual labor policy was stopped and its name was changed to Wake Forest College. Its admission process is described as ‘most selective’ with only 6% of applicants getting admitted each year.
The DCA is $ 73,246.

Click here to check out Wake Forest's reviews on Niche


School Building at University of Chicago

The University of Chicago was established in 1890 as a result of the extremely generous donations of the American Baptist Education Society and John D. Rockefeller, the oil magnate. Other wealthy Chicago residents such as Silas B. Cobb, the real estate tycoon, also added considerably to the donation pool and soon UC became a reality. As at today, UChicago is one of the universities in the world with the highest concentration of Nobel laureate affiliations with recipients serving as faculty members or students.
The DCA is $ 73,356.

Click here to check out UChicago's reviews on Niche


Gilman Hall at Johns Hopkins University

Johns Hopkins, a wealthy entrepreneur and abolitionist, bequeathed the sum of 7 million dollars to the establishment of a hospital and university in Baltimore; at the time, this was the highest donation ever gifted in America. The board of trustees, alongside the presidents from four notable collages, handpicked Daniel Coit Gilman to become the first president of the newly established university and he launched an audacious teaching method of integrating research with teaching. Today, John Hopkins University is considered the first research university in the USA and has led all US universities in annual research expenditures.
The DCA is $ 73,986.

Click here to check out John Hopkin's reviews on Niche


Leonard N. Stern School of Business at New York University

NYU is a private university with global centers that span 12 countries and 6 continents. It consistently receives more applications than any other private university or college in the United States and is ranked 7th by Times Higher Education World University Rankings for universities that produce high net –worth individuals. NYU is noted nationally for its commitment to sustainable practices like the use of wind energy to power 80% of its electrical needs and the planting of over 70,000 trees all over its campus. NYU is currently the only top 10 medical institution in the US to offer full-tuition scholarships to all admitted MD students.
The DCA is $ 74,024.

Click here to check out NYU's reviews on Niche


Architectural building at The New School

The New School was founded in 1919 as the New School of Social Research by a group of progressive New York university professors with the view of creating an institution where students could debate and discuss solutions to the important issues of the day. The New School has a rather unorthodox approach to teaching as it allows each student to explore and experiment with various courses before finally deciding on a major. Several of the New School’s buildings are extremely unique and have been certified historical landmarks by New York City.
The DCA is $ 74,506.

Click here to check out the New School's reviews on Niche


Aerial view of Southern Methodist University

SMU is located in the metropolitan city of Dallas and has a teeming student population of over 11,000. The first building in the SMU campus, Dallas Hall, was named in honor of the Dallas citizenry who pledged $300,000 to secure the school’s grounds; it has overtime become SMU’s centerpiece and features prominently in their logo. Notable alumni include Whitney W. Herd, founder of Bumble and Jerry Junkins, CEO of Texas Instruments.
The DCA is $ 74,592.

Click here to check out SMU's reviews on Niche


Campus ground of Harvey Mudd College

Harvey Mudd College is a relatively new college having been established in 1955. It is named after the mining titan, Harvey S. Mudd, who had the initial vision to set up an institution that provided students with a rigorous scientific and technological education incorporated with a study in the humanities. The Clinic Program, one which HMC is widely known for, gives students the opportunity to work on real-life engineering problems posed by either a sponsoring company or governmental body.
The DCA is $ 74,753.

Click here to check out Harvey Mudd's reviews on Niche


Buildings and lawn at Boston College

The most expensive college on our list is Boston College, a Roman Catholic research university located in Massachusetts. BC started out in the 1820’s as the brainchild of Benedict Joseph Fenwick, a Boston bishop, who saw the need to build up a generation of leaders that would serve the city of Boston in either a civic or spiritual capacity. The idea was abandoned for 30 years when the Boston Protestant elite wouldn’t support it but was soon rekindled 3 decades later. Today BC has become one of the top 50 colleges in America and is considered a historic district due to the collegiate gothic architecture of its buildings.
The DCA is $ 75,378.

Click here to check out BC's reviews on Niche

Before we end this article, we want to let you know that Study.com has put together a fantastic article that lists how and where to obtain financial aid that could help reduce the tuition cost.

What do you think; is quality education synonymous with expensive tuition cost? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.


1Direct cost of attendance (DCA) is the summation of the costs paid directly to the college namely; tuition fees, room and board charges. The figures cited were obtained from the colleges’ websites using the most expensive options for the 2018 – 19 academic year {The health insurance charge which is mandatory for all international students was not included in the DCA}.



Comments

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