Some US colleges now cost over $100,000 a year. These are the 35 most expensive schools in the US, ranked.

The University of Chicago has the highest tuition and fees at $79,395 for the 2026-27 academic year. janniswerner/Getty Images 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 .

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 other expenses raises the average to $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.