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 public college as an out-of-state student typically costs more than enrolling as a resident.
On average, out-of-state tuition and fees in the 2014-2015 academic year cost $20,105, according to data reported by 413 ranked public colleges in an annual survey by U.S. News.
But out-of-state students at these 10 priciest public universities aren’t just looking at a $20,000 price tag. Instead, they pay around twice that much, with tuition and fees averaging $38,240 in the 2014-2015 academic year, according to data collected by U.S. News.
Consider these [11 tuition-free colleges.]
The University of Virginia, tied at No. 23 among National Universities, is the priciest school for out-of-state students, charging more than $42,000. It’s joined by two more Virginia schools, the College of William and Mary, tied at No. 33 for National Universities, and the Virginia Military Institute, tied with four other schools at No. 64 among National Liberal Arts Colleges.
California schools claim five of the 10 spots on this list, with tuition for nonresidents topping $36,000 at each. And after a three-year tuition freeze, tuition at California public universities is likely to start increasing over the next five years.
Nonresidents paying the sticker price at these 10 most expensive public schools will shell out more than what they’d pay at many private universities, where tuition and fees average $31,381 for the 2014-2015 school year, according to data collected by U.S. News.
Attend an out-of-state college while paying [in-state tuition.]
Below are the most expensive public colleges for out-of-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. Unranked programs did not meet certain criteria that U.S. News requires to be numerically ranked.
| School name (state) | 2014-2015 out-of-state tuition and fees | U.S. News rank and category |
|---|---|---|
| University of Virginia | $42,184 | 23 (tie), National Universities |
| University of Michigan–Ann Arbor | $41,811 | 29, National Universities |
| College of William and Mary (VA) | $39,360 | 33 (tie), National Universities |
| University of Vermont | $37,874 | 85 (tie), National Universities |
| University of California–Irvine | $37,635 | 42 (tie), National Universities |
| Virginia Military Institute | $37,574 | 64 (tie), National Liberal Arts Colleges |
| University of California–Davis | $36,774 | 38 (tie), National Universities |
| University of California–Santa Barbara | $36,624 | 40 (tie), National Universities |
| University of California–Riverside | $36,286 | 113 (tie), National Universities |
| University of California–Santa Cruz | $36,276 | 85 (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 Dec. 2, 2014.
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10 Most Expensive Universities for Out-of-State Students originally appeared on usnews.com
