Education can be claimed as one of the most valuable assets one can invest in. Of course, formal university education is not the only source making people qualified and clever, especially in the modern digital era. 

Sources are abundant for online and offline courses, providing you with a good knowledge of certain fields. And there are high chances to get employed with an informal educational background. This is true, especially for the newly-originated professions that are not yet taught in most universities. 

However, one can not argue the actuality of university degrees and their competitiveness, at least at the current period. So, in this article, you will find the Top 10 world’s most expensive universities list, which along with “Avoiding the worst global Universities” might serve as a source of navigation among global universities for you. 

US news announced the average private college tuition fees to be 35,492$ for the 2020-2021 academic year and prices for individual universities more than 60,000 $.

Well, what do these statistics give to us?

Does this mean any university with above 60,000$ tuition fee is expensive and below 60,000$ not expensive?

I guess the expensiveness of anything is considered by its price/quality ratio. If there is much inconsistency between those two indicators, the price can be regarded as expensive, with quality being less than the offered value. Otherwise, if the high cost and offered benefits are on the same level, the price is fairly justified. 

While quality is highly subjective, there are more or less universal ranking platforms with high authority, which can help to better orientate. For this reason, the below list of the Most Expensive Universities is presented to you along with their 2021 rankings. This might serve as another navigation for you in the abundance of Universities. 

The list is formed by US news research among the ranked universities. The list is organized based on tuition and fees Universities set for the 2020-2021 academic year. 

Top 10 Most Expensive Colleges’ list

College

Tuition and fees for 2020-2021

Place in US news 2021 ranking

Place in QS Rankings 2021 ranking

Place in Times Higher Ed 2021 ranking

Harvey Mudd College (US)

67, 255 $

not included

not included

not included

Kenyon College (OH)

61,100 $

# 28

not included

not included

Franklin & Marshall College (PA)

61,062 $

# 43

not included

not included

Vassar College (NY)

60, 930 $

# 13

not included

not included

Amherst College(MA)

60, 890 $

# 2

not included

not included

Colorado College

60, 864 $

# 25

not included

not included

Trinity College (US)

56, 960 $

# 244

# 108

# 164

Landmark College (US)

56, 860 $

not included

not included

not included

Imperial College London (UK)

50,000 $

# 20

# 9

not included

Boston college

60, 202 $

# 35

# 454

# 301- 350

Top 10 Most Expensive Universities’ list

University

Tuition and fees for 2020

Place in US news 2021 ranking

Place in QS Rankings 2021 ranking

Place in Times Higher Ed 2021 ranking

Columbia University (NY)

66,383 $

# 3

# 19

# 16

New York University (NY)

65,860 $

# 29

not included

# 39

University of Oxford (UK)

62,000 $

# 5

not included

not included

University of Southern California (US)

60, 890 $

# 70

# 129

# 62

Tufts University (MA)

60, 862 $

# 30

# 260

# 155

Brown University (RI)

60, 696 $

# 14

# 60

# 61

University of Chicago (US)

57, 000 $

# 15

not included

not included

Duke University (US)

55, 960 $

# 23

# 25

not included

Stanford University (US)

51, 000 $

# 3

# 2

# 4

Harvard University (US)

47, 074 $

not included

# 3

not included


The below two lists are for your better navigation among educational institutions. Colleges usually provide undergraduate studies only, and universities provide both. So, based on your educational level and interests, you may compare the top 10 most costly options for you along with their rankings. 

You may see inconsistency in University/College scores in different rankings. The same place is in a high position in one ranking and low position or not included in the other. 

Note that the three mentioned rankings classify universities based on different factors. Read the methodology for US News, QS Rankings, Times Higher Education for deeper insight.  

Also, it was not intended to, but the majority of universities and colleges on the list are located in the USA, as it continues to be one of the most popular and expensive education destinations. 

Education funding opportunities

Many students with the highest grades may not afford to study in the most prestigious and expensive universities. A brilliant mind does not always guarantee you have enough financial resources to fund your education, but it can increase your funding opportunities from special organizations.

Usually, you may benefit from the following education funding opportunities:

  1. The University Financial aid programs provide partial or full discounts on tuition fees based on social status, health and family state, admission exam grades, and many more. The core thing here is that you should be very careful with the Financial aid application deadlines. There are universities where you should apply for Financial aid before the University application or in a short deadline after it. 

  2. There are chances you may be eligible for sponsorships, loans, or scholarships provided by the Ministry of Education in your country or the country of your chosen University. 

  3. Scholarships are a very popular tool for education funding, and usually, the applicants' choice is made on their academic qualifications. However, there may be scholarships designed for specific locations or fields. Discover opportunities here.

  4. Assistantships such as performing teaching or research works is a good chance, too. In exchange for this type of job, you may receive a merit salary or tuition discounts. Note that assistantships work not for all kinds of specialties.

  5. If you have a working relationship when applying to University, you may benefit from the employer's contribution. Your employer may be interested in funding the employee's education to have better-qualified staff and more productivity later. In those cases, you probably should have oral or written agreements of working in the company for a significant time after graduation.

  6. Student loans are claimed to have less interest rates compared to regular loans. This can help you pay for your education in small parts throughout your studies, decreasing your financial load.  The option for partial payments rather than for the whole semester may also be available in your chosen University. So, you'd better ask many questions to the Registrar. 

The above list contains only a part of all opportunities you might have. There are plenty of other organizations that are meant to make education more affordable for local and international students.

Attending open doors in your chosen University and conferences related to student topics is a good way to have up-to-date information. Make sure you explore all the provided opportunities before giving up on your dream-education just because of the high costs. 


Published on Jan 08, 2021