The Most-Expensive Colleges in the U.S.

Tuition costs continue to climb, particularly at private universities. Some of the most expensive colleges and universities in the country raised their tuition for the 2010-11 school year by as much as 5% from the previous year.

Which college holds the title of having the most-expensive tution in America? Middlebury College in Middlebury, Vt. Tuition at Middlebury for the 2010-11 school year is $45,185, a 3.4% increase from the previous year’s cost of $43,690. The average published tuition and fees at private colleges and universities was $26,273 in 2009-10, according to the College Board.

Though tuition costs at many public and private colleges are rising faster than inflation, parents will be relieved to know that most students don’t pay the “sticker price” — a report by the College Board found that for the 2008-2009 school year (the most recent data available), private colleges collected roughly 67% of the published tuition.

Middlebury College may charge the highest tuition, but it’s far from the only institution charging more than $40,000 for one academic year. This year, 43 colleges and universities charge more than $40,000 per year for tuition, up from just 11 a year ago, according to an annual survey compiled by college-news website Campusgrotto.com. Here are the Top 10 most-expensive colleges by tuition for the 2010-11 school year:

Rank

Institution/ Location

2010-11 Tuition

2009-10 Tuition

Year-Over-Year Percent Change

1.

Middlebury College

Middlebury, Vt.

$45,185

$43,690

3.4%

2.

Connecticut College

New London, Conn.

$43,990

$42,335

3.9%

3.

George Washington University

Washington, DC

$42,860

$41,610

3.0%

4.

Sarah Lawrence College

Bronxville, N.Y.

$42,600

$41,040

3.8%

5.

Vassar College

Poughkeepsie, N.Y.

$42,560

$41,335

2.9%

6.

Bucknell University

Lewisburg, Pa.

$42,112

$40,594

3.7%

7.

Wesleyan University

Middletown, Conn.

$41,814

$39,822

5.0%

8.

St. John's College

Annapolis, Md./Santa Fe, N.M.

$41,792

$39,992

4.5%

9.

University of Richmond

Richmond, Va.

$41,610

$40,010

3.9%

10.

Colgate University

Hamilton, N.Y.

$41,585

$40,690

2.1%

Campusgrotto notes that some colleges, including Middlebury College, have a comprehensive fee that includes tuition plus room and board. Its tuition numbers were taken by taking their total comprehensive fee and subtracting by the amount of rebate the college gives to students who choose to live off campus, according to the survey.

See the complete list of Campusgrotto's Top 100 most-expensive college tuition here.