College tuitions never seem to stop rising year after year. And believe it or not, it is not private college tuition that has increased the most over the years, but public colleges. According to data form the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), the average tuition and required fees for a four-year public institution has risen by 159.3% over the last 30 years, from $3,605 in the 1989-1990 academic year, to $9,349 in the 2019-2020 academic year; and this increase takes inflation into account because the dollar figures are in constant 2019-2020 dollars.
Since public colleges and universities possess the majority of undergraduate students in the country, BrokeScholar decided to conduct a study of the most expensive colleges in every state. Based on compiling all private four-year nonprofit colleges and four-year public colleges offering bachelor’s degrees in each state, the study determined which colleges were the most expensive in terms of tuition and required fees. Here, we’re going to focus on the most expensive public schools in every state.
Read on to find out what the most expensive public college or university is in every state.
The Most Expensive Public Colleges and Universities in Every State
There’s an important point to be made about cost of tuition at public colleges and universities: The cost varies depending on if the student lives in-state where the institution is located or if the student is out-of-state. Out-of-state public school tuition is invariably more expensive than the cost of in-state tuition. In general, if a public college’s in-state tuition is the highest in the state, then usually its corresponding out-of-state tuition is also the highest in the state. Let’s take a look now at the most expensive public colleges and universities in each of the 50 U.S. states. All dollar figures come from the NCES College Navigator and represent the academic year 2021-2022.
Below is a list of the most expensive public colleges and universities in 20 of the 50 states, ranked in order of the highest average cost of in-state and out-of-state tuition:
1. Most Expensive Public College in Virginia
Public college or university: University of Virginia-Main Campus
In-state tuition and required fees: $19,244
Out-of-state tuition and required fees: $53,626
Average of in-state and out-of-state: $36,435
2. Most Expensive Public College in Michigan
Public college or university: University of Michigan-Ann Arbor
In-state tuition and required fees: $16,178
Out-of-state tuition and required fees: $53,232
Average of in-state and out-of-state: $34,705
3. Most Expensive Public College in Vermont
Public college or university: University of Vermont
In-state tuition and required fees: $19,002
Out-of-state tuition and required fees: $43,890
Average of in-state and out-of-state: $31,446
4. Most Expensive Public College in Colorado
Public college or university: Colorado School of Mines
In-state tuition and required fees: $19,538
Out-of-state tuition and required fees: $40,838
Average of in-state and out-of-state: $30,188
5. Most Expensive Public College in Connecticut
Public college or university: University of Connecticut
In-state tuition and required fees: $18,524
Out-of-state tuition and required fees: $41,192
Average of in-state and out-of-state: $29,858
6. Most Expensive Public College in California
Public college or university: University of California-San Diego
In-state tuition and required fees: $14,700
Out-of-state tuition and required fees: $44,454
Average of in-state and out-of-state: $29,577
7. Most Expensive Public College in New Hampshire
Public college or university: University of New Hampshire-Main Campus
In-state tuition and required fees: $18,962
Out-of-state tuition and required fees: $37,202
Average of in-state and out-of-state: $28,082
8. Most Expensive Public College in Pennsylvania
Public college or university: Pennsylvania State University
In-state tuition and required fees: $18.898
Out-of-state tuition and required fees: $36,476
Average of in-state and out-of-state: $27,687
9. Most Expensive Public College in Oregon
Public college or university: University of Oregon
In-state tuition and required fees: $14,421
Out-of-state tuition and required fees: $40,464
Advertisement
Average of in-state and out-of-state: $27,443
10. Most Expensive Public College in Ohio
Public college or university: Miami University-Oxford
In-state tuition and required fees: $16,704
Out-of-state tuition and required fees: $37,379
Average of in-state and out-of-state: $27,042
11. Most Expensive Public College in South Carolina
Public college or university: Clemson University
In-state tuition and required fees: $15,558
Out-of-state tuition and required fees: $38,550
Average of in-state and out-of-state: $27,054
12. Most Expensive Public College in Massachusetts
Public college or university: Massachusetts College of Art and Design
In-state tuition and required fees: $14,200
Out-of-state tuition and required fees: $39,800
Average of in-state and out-of-state: $27,000
13. Most Expensive Public College in Maryland
Public college or university: University of Maryland, Baltimore
In-state tuition and required fees: $11,899
Out-of-state tuition and required fees: $41,275
Average of in-state and out-of-state: $26,587
14. Most Expensive Public College in Washington
Public college or university: University of Washington-Tacoma Campus
In-state tuition and required fees: $12,196
Out-of-state tuition and required fees: $40,026
Average of in-state and out-of-state: $26,111
15. Most Expensive Public College in Texas
Public college or university: The University of Texas at Austin
In-state tuition and required fees: $11,752
Out-of-state tuition and required fees: $40,996
Average of in-state and out-of-state: $26,374
16. Most Expensive Public College in New Jersey
Public college or university: New Jersey Institute of Technology
In-state tuition and required fees: $18,016
Out-of-state tuition and required fees: $34,034
Average of in-state and out-of-state: $26,025
17. Most Expensive Public College in Delaware
Public college or university: University of Delaware
In-state tuition and required fees: $15,020
Out-of-state tuition and required fees: $36,880
Average of in-state and out-of-state: $25,950
18. Most Expensive Public College in Indiana
Public college or university: Indiana University-Bloomington
In-state tuition and required fees: $11,333
Out-of-state tuition and required fees: $38,352
Average of in-state and out-of-state: $24,843
19. Most Expensive Public College in Minnesota
Public college or university: University of Minnesota-Twin Cities
In-state tuition and required fees: $15,254
Out-of-state tuition and required fees: $33,818
Average of in-state and out-of-state: $24,536
20. Most Expensive Public College in Rhode Island
Public college or university: University of Rhode Island
In-state tuition and required fees: $15,332
Out-of-state tuition and required fees: $33,354
Average of in-state and out-of-state: $24,343
Three of these public colleges are more specifically focused in their academics, namely, the Colorado School of Mines in Colorado; the Massachusetts College of Art and Design in Massachusetts; and the New Jersey Institute of Technology in New Jersey. The rest of these public schools tend to rank among the best colleges in terms of their academics and graduation rates. For example, the University of Virginia (UVA) has a graduation rate of 94%. And the University of Michigan-Ann Arbor boasts a graduation rate of 93%.
For a full breakdown of the most expensive colleges, both private and public, in all 50 states, check out the full study by BrokeScholar.
