A growing number of colleges are joining the once-elite club of schools charging more than $50,000 per year.
For the 2012-13 academic year, 151 colleges charged annual tuition, fees, room and board totaling more than $50,000, according to College Board data analyzed by the Chronicle of Higher Education.
That’s up from 123 schools last year, 100 schools the year before and only 58 schools the year before that.
One college even priced out of the $50,000 range this year, charging more than $60,000. Sarah Lawrence College, in Bronxville, N.Y., boasted a $61,236 sticker price — which includes tuition, fees, room and board — after hiking costs by 3.5% this year.
Selective liberal arts colleges like Wesleyan University in Middletown, Vassar College, Williams College and Bowdoin College were among the most expensive schools, as were Ivy Leagues like Harvard University, Stanford University and Dartmouth College.
In addition to being the priciest schools in the nation, at least 146 of the 151 schools charging $50,000-plus increased their costs this year.
But hikes weren’t reserved for just the most expensive schools. Among the more than 3,000 schools in the Chronicle of Higher Education’s database, more than half increased tuition, fees, room and board this year.
Costs at Angelina College in Texas surged 46%, followed by a 26% jump at University of West Alabama and a 22% increase at University of Alaska-Southeast. Overall, 40 schools raised costs by 10% or more.
