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A student at a public college or university may pay less in tuition than a classmate sitting to the right or left due to the distinction between in-state and out-of-state rates.
But even for in-state students, these schools aren’t necessarily cheap. Enrollment at a public institution can come with a high price tag, as the cost of tuition for in-state students has more than tripled at National Universities over the last 20 years.
However, some schools are more expensive than others.
Across all of the 542 ranked public institutions that reported tuition and fees data to U.S. News in an annual survey, the average in-state tuition for the 2021-2022 academic year — including fees but not room and board — was $9,813. Comparably, the 10 priciest public schools for in-state students charged more than double that, with an average cost of $21,426.
[Read: How to Get In-State Tuition at Out-of-State Colleges.]
Two Regional Universities, which offer bachelor’s degrees, some master’s programs and limited doctoral options, topped the list for highest in-state tuition: the University of Texas of the Permian Basin, at $30,169, and Purdue University–Fort Wayne in Indiana, at $24,919.
The remaining schools are all National Universities, except for the Virginia Military Institute. Tied at No. 67 among National Liberal Arts Colleges, the school charged $19,210 for tuition and fees in 2021-2022. National Liberal Arts Colleges award a large proportion of degrees in the liberal arts fields of study.
Another Virginia school, William & Mary, ranks the highest among National Universities — research-focused institutions that offer bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees — featured on the list, with tuition costing $23,812.
[Read: What You Need to Know About College Tuition Costs.]
Three of the most expensive public schools for in-state students are located in Virginia, with representation from other states on the East Coast as well as in the Midwest, South and West.
Below is a list of the 10 ranked public schools where in-state students paid the highest tuition and fees for the 2021-2022 academic year. These figures do not include room and board, books, transportation and other costs. Any scholarships or grants a student might receive are also not factored into the data.
Unranked schools, which did not meet certain criteria required by U.S. News to be numerically ranked, were not considered for this report.
| SCHOOL (STATE) | IN-STATE TUITION AND FEES FOR 2021-2022 | U.S. NEWS RANK & CATEGORY |
| University of Texas of the Permian Basin (TX) | $30,169 | 64 (tie), Regional Universities West |
| Purdue University–Fort Wayne (IN) | $24,919 | 106 (tie), Regional Universities Midwest |
| William & Mary (VA) | $23,812 | 38 (tie), National Universities |
| Temple University (PA) | $20,291 | 103 (tie), National Universities |
| University of Virginia | $19,698 | 25 (tie), National Universities |
| Virginia Military Institute | $19,210 | 67 (tie), National Liberal Arts Colleges |
| Colorado School of Mines | $19,100 | 83 (tie), National Universities |
| University of Pittsburgh–Pittsburgh Campus (PA) | $19,092 | 59 (tie), National Universities |
| University of Vermont | $19,002 | 117 (tie), National Universities |
| University of New Hampshire | $18,962 | 136 (tie), National Universities |
Want more information? Access the U.S. News College Compass to find in-state tuition and fees, complete rankings and much more. Sign up for the U.S. News Extra Help: College Admissions free email newsletter to receive expert advice twice a month.
U.S. News surveyed more than 1,850 colleges and universities for our 2021 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 comes from the schools themselves, these lists are not related to, and have no influence over, U.S. News’ rankings of Best Colleges, Best Graduate Schools or Best Online Programs. The tuition and fees data above is correct as of Dec. 28, 2021.
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10 Colleges With the Highest In-State Tuition originally appeared on usnews.com
