Sunday, October 29, 2006

Top 10 Most Expensive Colleges

CNN just recently listed the Top 10 Most Expensive Colleges in the nation. A college education gets pricier every year. Here is a list of 10 of the most expensive colleges and universities this year, based on the latest data from The Chronicle of Higher Education.

1. George Washington University, Washington D.C.
2006-07 tuition: $37,820
Increase from last year: 3.9%

2. University of Richmond, Richmond, Virginia
2006-07 tuition: $36,550
Increase from last year: 4.9%

3. Sarah Lawrence College, Bronxville, New York
2006-07 tuition: $36,088
Increase from last year: 6.0%

4. Kenyon College, Gambier, Ohio
2006-07 tuition: $36,050
Increase from last year: 6.2%

5. Vassar College, Poughkeepsie, New York
2006-07 tuition: $36,030
Increase from last year: 6.6%

6. Bucknell University, Lewisburg, Pennsylvania
2006-07 tuition: $36,002
Increase from last year: 9.8%

7. Bennington College, Bennington, Vermont
2006-07 tuition: $35,250
Increase from last year: 5.0%

8. Columbia University, New York, New York
2006-07 tuition: $35,166
Increase from last year: 5.8%

9. Wesleyan University, Middletown, Connecticut
2006-07 tuition: $35,144
Increase from last year: 5.9%

10. Trinity College, Hartford, Connecticut
2006-07 tuition: $35,130
Increase from last year: 4.5%

The average cost of a four-year private college jumped to $30,367 this school year, the first time the average has broken the $30,000 mark. By being a school whose tuition averages around the $30,000 mark, how would you rate your educational experience? Do you think colleges are charging too much for school given tight government budgets that have been cutting off non-tuition revenue from colleges?

1 comment:

Greg Delemeester said...

David.....if the government were to increase financial aid, what do you think will happen to the demand for a college education? That's right, the demand will increase. And what will happen to the price of a college education? That's right, it will go up! The analysis is equivalent to that of a tax on the cigaretter market. In this case, we have a subsidy that will be shared by the buyers and sellers. I suspect Marietta College would love it if Uncle Sam were to dole out more dollars to college students--that way Marietta College could simply raise its tuition in order to capture some of those subsidy dollars. It's not clear that the average student will be better off after all is said and done.