• The cost of a college education can often deter prospective students.
• The annual cost of attending some private colleges and universities has surpassed six figures.
• Harvey Mudd College is the most expensive US college in 2026, costing $102,312 a year to attend.

College can be a life-changing choice … and a lifelong investment.

When deciding where to apply to college, students have to contend with a factor beyond the prospect of education and careers: the sometimes astronomical cost of college tuition.

Today, over 42.8 million Americans owe a balance on their student loans, and the outstanding federal student loan balance totals nearly $1.7 trillion, according to the Education Data Initiative.

While some Americans are pushing back on the rising costs of higher education, others are coughing up more money — or taking out more loans — to attend some of the nation's most prestigious colleges.

Last year, the College Board reported that the average price of tuition and fees for undergraduate students at private nonprofit four-year institutions was $45,000 for the 2025-2026 school year, while the average price at a public four-year in-state school was $11,950.

That's just the start, however. When including housing and food costs, full-time students who live on campus at private four-year universities and colleges pay $60,920 a year. Adding the costs of books, transportation, and additional expenses increases that number to an average of $65,470, the College Board reported.

We've listed the most expensive colleges in the US, from small liberal arts schools to Ivy League universities, and ranked them based on the annual cost of tuition, fees, room, and board, as reported by the institutions.

The totals do not include other potential costs, such as books, transportation, and health insurance.

The costs of housing and food can look different for students who live at home with family or in off-campus housing, but they help provide a full picture of what college expenses can be, especially for first-year students, who are sometimes required to live on campus and opt into a school meal plan.

In creating this list, we used rankings from US News & World Report, The College Investor, and Best Colleges, which we confirmed using each school's official tuition listings for the 2026-2027 school year.

Columbia University, which ranked 12th in 2025, was excluded from this ranking because the school has not released its official cost of attendance as of May 27.

See how much it costs to attend the 30 most expensive schools in the US in 2026.

30. Hamilton College

Location: Clinton, New York

Tuition and fees: $75,960

Room and board: $19,290

29. Colby College

Location: Waterville, Maine

Tuition and fees: $75,790

Room and board: $19,480

28. Boston University

Location: Boston

Tuition and fees: $74,594

Room and board: $20,740

27. Bowdoin College

Location: Brunswick, Maine

Tuition and fees: $74,968

Room and board: $20,432

26. Pomona College

Location: Claremont, California

Tuition and fees: $72,080

Room and board: $23,590

25. Pepperdine University

Location: Malibu, California

Tuition and fees: $75,202

Room and board: $20,490

24. Swarthmore College

Location: Swarthmore, Pennsylvania

Tuition and fees: $73,204

Room and board: $22,566

23. Dartmouth College

Location: Hanover, New Hampshire

Tuition and fees: $74,123

Room and board: $21,778

22. Williams College

Location: Williamstown, Massachusetts

Tuition and fees: $76,640

Room and board: $19,320

21. Northwestern University

Location: Evanston, Illinois

Tuition and fees: $73,062

Room and board: $22,941

20. Wellesley College

Location: Wellesley, Massachusetts

Tuition and fees: $72,930

Room and board: $23,206

19. Cornell University

Location: Ithaca, New York

Tuition and fees: $74,970

Room and board: $21,348

18. Amherst College

Location: Amherst, Massachusetts

Tuition and fees: $76,040

Room and board: $20,320

17. Haverford College

Location: Haverford, Pennsylvania

Tuition and fees: $75,482

Room and board: $20,959

16. Boston College

Location: Newton, Massachusetts

Tuition and fees: $77,644

Room and board: $18,834

15. Trinity College

Location: Hartford, Connecticut

Tuition and fees: $76,150

Room and board: $20,330

14. Duke University

Location: Durham, North Carolina

Tuition: $73,740

Fees, room, and board: $22,857

13. Colgate University

Location: Hamilton, New York

Tuition and fees: $77,290

Room and board: $19,356

12. Vanderbilt University

Location: Nashville

Tuition and fees: $73,206

Room and board: $23,690

11. Georgetown University

Location: Washington, DC

Tuition and fees: $74,732

Room and board: $22,180

10. Vassar College

Location: Poughkeepsie, New York

Tuition and fees: $77,160

Room and board: $19,800

9. Washington University in St. Louis

Location: St. Louis

Tuition and fees: $72,722

Room and board: $24,272

8. Brown University

Location: Providence, Rhode Island

Tuition and fees: $77,552

Room and board: $19,464

7. Tufts University

Location: Medford, Massachusetts

Tuition and fees: $76,558

Room and board: $20,594

6. Wesleyan University

Location: Middletown, Connecticut

Tuition and fees: $76,620

Room and board: $21,660

5. Barnard College

Location: New York City

Tuition and fees: $75,592

Room and board: $23,258

4. Claremont McKenna College

Location: Claremont, California

Tuition and fees: $75,720

Room and board: $23,270

3. University of Southern California

Location: Los Angeles

Tuition and fees: $77,336

Room and board: $21,952

2. University of Chicago

Location: Chicago

Tuition and fees: $79,395

Room and board: $21,414

1. Harvey Mudd College

Location: Claremont, California

Tuition and fees: $77,530

Room and board: $24,782

Editor's note: This story was originally published in November 2025. It was most recently updated in May 2026 to reflect pricing for the 2026-2027 school year.

Read the original article on Business Insider