Attending a top college in the U.S. could come with a hefty price tag — potentially even approaching six figures a year.
Princeton University, which costs full-time students an estimated total of $90,730 for tuition, fees, housing, food and other expenses this school year, was named the best university in America, according to U.S. News and World Report’s rankings of the best universities in the U.S. released Tuesday.
The lowest estimated all-in price at a top 10 university for the 2025-26 school year is $77,516 at Northwestern University, but you must be living with relatives and commuting, according to the school’s website. For students living on campus or in an off-campus apartment, Northwestern’s estimated cost of attendance for this school year is $96,236, according to the school.
Just 20 miles south of Northwestern, The University of Chicago had this year’s highest estimated cost of attendance of U.S. News’ top 10 schools, reaching $98,301 for students living on campus, according to the school’s website.
Not all students will pay the full cost of attendance, however. At Princeton, for example, 62% of undergraduate students receive financial aid, and the average grant for the class of 2025 was $62,200, according to the school’s website.
Of this year’s top 10 schools, the average amount full-time students paid for college after grant or scholarship aid from institutions and the government during the 2022-23 academic year ranged from $17,900 at Harvard University to $27,979 at the University of Chicago, according to the latest numbers available from the National Center for Education statistics.
Here’s how much it costs to attend the top 10 colleges in America, according to U.S. News.