The U.S. News Short List, separate from our overall rankings, is a regular series that magnifies individual data points in hopes of providing students and parents a way to find which undergraduate or graduate programs excel or have room to grow in specific areas. Be sure to explore The Short List: College and The Short List: Grad School to find data that matter to you in your college or grad school search.
Attending college in-state is typically one of the cheapest routes to earning a four-year degree.
In-state tuition and fees in the 2014-2015 academic year average $8,812, according to data reported by 413 ranked public colleges in an annual survey by U.S. News.
That’s less than the average of $20,105 for out-of-state tuition and fees among these schools.
While students still pay less at these 10 priciest in-state schools than they typically would out of state, the difference is modest.
Consider these 11 [tuition-free colleges.]
The University of Pittsburgh, tied with five other universities at No. 62 among National Universities, is the most expensive school for residents after topping the list last year as well. The Pennsylvania school charges $17,772 in tuition and fees.
In fact, nine of the 10 most expensive schools for resident are repeats from the 2013-2014 academic year. The exception is the University of Colorado–Colorado Springs, ranked No. 51 among Regional Universities (West).
Despite the high price tags at these schools, they still charge a fraction of the tuition and fees at private schools, which average $31,381 in 2014-2015, according to data collected by U.S. News.
Discover the 2015 [Best Value Schools.]
Below are the most expensive public colleges for in-state students, based on tuition and required fees. These figures do not include room and board, books, transportation and other costs. They also do not factor in any scholarships or grants a student might receive. Schools designated by U.S. News as Unranked were excluded from this list. U.S. News did not calculate a numerical ranking for Unranked programs because the program did not meet certain criteria that U.S. News requires to be numerically ranked.
| School name (state) | 2014-2015 in-state tuition and fees | U.S. News rank and category |
|---|---|---|
| University of Pittsburgh | $17,772 | 62 (tie), National Universities |
| College of William and Mary (VA) | $17,656 | 33 (tie), National Universities |
| Pennsylvania State University–University Park | $17,502 | 48 (tie), National Universities |
| Maine Maritime Academy | $17,120 | 8, Regional Colleges (North) |
| Colorado School of Mines | $16,918 | 88 (tie), National Universities |
| University of New Hampshire | $16,552 | 99 (tie), National Universities |
| University of Vermont | $16,226 | 85 (tie), National Universities |
| University of Colorado–Colorado Springs | $16,212 | 51 (tie), Regional Universities (West) |
| New Jersey Institute of Technology | $15,602 | 149 (tie), National Universities |
| University of Illinois–Urbana-Champaign | $15,602 | 42 (tie), National Universities |
Don’t see your school in the top 10? Access the U.S. News College Compass to find tuition, complete rankings and much more. School officials can access historical data and rankings, including of peer institutions, via U.S. News Academic Insights.
U.S. News surveyed nearly 1,800 colleges and universities for our 2014 survey of undergraduate programs. Schools self-reported myriad data regarding their academic programs and the makeup of their student body, among other areas, making U.S. News’ data the most accurate and detailed collection of college facts and figures of its kind. While U.S. News uses much of this survey data to rank schools for our annual Best Colleges rankings, the data can also be useful when examined on a smaller scale. U.S. News will now produce lists of data, separate from the overall rankings, meant to provide students and parents a means to find which schools excel, or have room to grow, in specific areas that are important to them. While the data come from the schools themselves, these lists are not related to, and have no influence over, U.S. News’ rankings of Best Colleges or Best Graduate Schools . The tuition and fees data above are correct as of Oct. 28, 2014.
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10 Colleges Where In-State Students Pay the Most Tuition originally appeared on usnews.com