Top 50 National Universities Tuition Comparison

A national university is a 4-years (or high) school that offers diverse areas of major programs for both undergraduate and graduate programs such as University of California and Princeton University.
Here, we introduce the 2023 Top 50 National Universities and compare them with admission and tuition information. Stanford University ranks first in Top 50 National Universities ranking and Harvard University is placed in second. (Ranking data from College Evaluator)

Academic Comparison Between Top 50 National Universities

Top 50 National Universities Comparison
10 public and 40 private schools are included in the Top 50 National Universities ranking. The average acceptance rate of the schools is 19.10% where Harvard University has the tightest acceptance rate of 3.00% and Brigham Young University has the highest rate of 67.00%.
The average SAT score of the schools is 1,485 where Massachusetts Institute of Technology has the highest SAT score of 1,560. Total 1,122,942 students are attending the Top 50 National Universities where New York University is the largest with 58,226 students and California Institute of Technology is the smallest with 2,397 students.
The average graduation rate is 90.88% and the average students to faculty ratio is 10.16:1 at those colleges.
The following table compares the key academic facts between the Top 50 National Universities with acceptance rate, SAT scores, graduation rates, student population, and students to faculty ratio.
Table. Top 50 National Universities Key Academic Facts
RankNameAcceptance RateSAT ScoreGraduation RatePopulationStudent-Faculty Ratio
1Stanford University
Stanford, CA
4.00%1,55096%17,6805:1
2Harvard University
Cambridge, MA
3.00%1,55097%31,3457:1
3Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Cambridge, MA
4.00%1,56096%11,9343:1
4Princeton University
Princeton, NJ
6.00%1,54098%8,4785:1
5Yale University
New Haven, CT
5.00%1,54097%14,5676:1
6Columbia University in the City of New York
New York, NY
4.00%1,53097%33,7766:1
7University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA
7.00%1,54096%28,0386:1
8California Institute of Technology
Pasadena, CA
3.00%-93%2,3973:1
9University of Chicago
Chicago, IL
5.00%1,54096%18,8325:1
10Duke University
Durham, NC
6.00%1,55096%17,6206:1
11Dartmouth College
Hanover, NH
6.00%1,55094%6,7617:1
12Northwestern University
Evanston, IL
7.00%1,53095%23,4096:1
13Brown University
Providence, RI
5.00%1,54096%10,6966:1
14Georgetown University
Washington, DC
12.00%1,50095%20,93511:1
15Rice University
Houston, TX
9.00%1,54092%8,2856:1
16Cornell University
Ithaca, NY
7.00%1,53094%25,5829:1
17Vanderbilt University
Nashville, TN
7.00%1,53093%13,7968:1
18Carnegie Mellon University
Pittsburgh, PA
11.00%1,54093%15,0575:1
19University of Notre Dame
Notre Dame, IN
13.00%1,51096%13,1399:1
20Tufts University
Medford, MA
10.00%1,51094%13,29310:1
21Washington University in St Louis
Saint Louis, MO
12.00%1,53093%16,9737:1
22Johns Hopkins University
Baltimore, MD
7.00%1,55095%32,0496:1
23University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA
12.00%1,52092%49,3189:1
24New York University
New York, NY
12.00%1,53087%58,2268:1
25Emory University
Atlanta, GA
11.00%1,50090%14,7799:1
26Tulane University of Louisiana
New Orleans, LA
11.00%1,45086%14,0478:1
27Boston College
Chestnut Hill, MA
17.00%1,49091%15,57714:1
28Georgia Institute of Technology-Main Campus
Atlanta, GA
17.00%1,48092%43,85914:1
29Lehigh University
Bethlehem, PA
37.00%1,41087%7,26310:1
30Boston University
Boston, MA
14.00%1,44089%36,10411:1
31University of Virginia-Main Campus
Charlottesville, VA
19.00%1,49094%26,00515:1
32The University of Texas at Austin
Austin, TX
31.00%1,37088%51,99117:1
33Northeastern University
Boston, MA
7.00%1,50091%28,16715:1
34Case Western Reserve University
Cleveland, OH
27.00%1,49084%12,1429:1
35Villanova University
Villanova, PA
23.00%1,44091%10,87011:1
36University of California-Berkeley
Berkeley, CA
11.00%-93%45,03620:1
37University of California-Los Angeles
Los Angeles, CA
9.00%-92%46,11618:1
38Brigham Young University
Provo, UT
67.00%1,36077%34,81121:1
39University of Miami
Coral Gables, FL
19.00%1,39084%19,09613:1
40George Washington University
Washington, DC
49.00%1,41084%26,45712:1
41University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Chapel Hill, NC
17.00%1,46090%31,64115:1
42University of Rochester
Rochester, NY
39.00%1,47086%12,03910:1
43Colorado School of Mines
Golden, CO
58.00%1,40083%7,18716:1
44University of Florida
Gainesville, FL
23.00%1,39091%55,78117:1
45University of Michigan-Ann Arbor
Ann Arbor, MI
18.00%1,47094%50,27812:1
46Pepperdine University
Malibu, CA
49.00%1,39083%10,44613:1
47Stevens Institute of Technology
Hoboken, NJ
46.00%1,45087%8,28712:1
48Illinois Institute of Technology
Chicago, IL
61.00%1,31071%6,48612:1
49Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
Troy, NY
65.00%1,45084%6,77413:1
50William & Mary
Williamsburg, VA
33.00%1,46091%9,51712:1
Average19.10%1,48590.88%1,122,942 (Total)10.16:1

Top 50 National Universities 2023 Tuition Comparison and 2024 Estimated Costs

The following table lists 2022-2023 tuition & fees and compares them between Top 50 National Universities. The 2022-2023 costs are officially published by NCES, National Center for Education Statistics.
The estimated costs for the academic year 2023-2024 are estimated based on each school's rate of tuition change from 2022 to 2023.
For the undergraduate programs, the average tuition & fees of Top 50 National Universities is $56,251 where Columbia University in the City of New York has the most expensive costs at $66,139 and Brigham Young University has the lowest amount of tuition at $6,304.
The average graduate tuition & fees of Top 50 National Universities is $46,090 where University of Chicago has the highest tuition with $66,492 and Brigham Young University has the lowest amount of graduate school tuition with $7,932.
UndergraduateGraduate
Table. Top 50 National Universities 2023 Undergraduate Tuition Comparison and 2024 Estimation
RankSchool Name 2023 Tuition & Fees2024 Estimated Tuition & Fees
In-StateOut-of-StateIn-StateOut-of-State
1Stanford University $58,416$60,753
2Harvard University $57,261$58,985
3Massachusetts Institute of Technology $57,986$60,174
4Princeton University $57,410$58,845
5Yale University $62,250$64,638
6Columbia University in the City of New York $66,139$70,028
7University of Pennsylvania $63,452$65,243
8California Institute of Technology $60,864$63,129
9University of Chicago $64,260$67,735
10Duke University $62,688$65,231
11Dartmouth College $62,658$64,735
12Northwestern University $63,468$66,288
13Brown University $65,146$68,118
14Georgetown University $62,052$64,220
15Rice University $54,960$57,106
16Cornell University $63,200$65,463
17Vanderbilt University $60,348$63,931
18Carnegie Mellon University $61,344$64,300
19University of Notre Dame $60,301$61,795
20Tufts University $65,222$67,522
21Washington University in St Louis $60,590$62,364
22Johns Hopkins University $60,480$62,293
23University of Southern California $64,726$68,118
24New York University $58,168$59,885
25Emory University $57,948$60,539
26Tulane University of Louisiana $62,844$64,942
27Boston College $64,176$66,745
28Georgia Institute of Technology-Main Campus $11,764$32,876 $10,768 $31,823
29Lehigh University $59,930$62,495
30Boston University $62,360$65,012
31University of Virginia-Main Campus $20,342$55,914 $20,915 $57,430
32The University of Texas at Austin $11,698$41,070 $11,644 $41,144
33Northeastern University $60,192$62,909
34Case Western Reserve University $61,584$69,548
35Villanova University $61,618$64,330
36University of California-Berkeley $14,395$44,467 $14,566 $44,959
37University of California-Los Angeles $13,401$43,473 $13,546 $43,939
38Brigham Young University $6,304$6,494
39University of Miami $57,194$59,736
40George Washington University $62,200$66,723
41University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill $8,989$37,550 $8,950 $38,221
42University of Rochester $61,678$64,067
43Colorado School of Mines $20,040$42,120 $20,555 $43,442
44University of Florida $6,381$28,659 $6,381 $28,659
45University of Michigan-Ann Arbor $16,736$55,334 $16,291 $55,572
46Pepperdine University $63,142$66,780
47Stevens Institute of Technology $58,624$60,379
48Illinois Institute of Technology $50,640$50,906
49Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute $60,074$61,663
50William & Mary $23,970$47,196 $24,129 $47,355
Average$14,772$56,251$14,774$58,334
Table. Top 50 National Universities 2023 Graduate School Tuition Comparison and 2024 Estimation
RankSchool Name 2023 Tuition & Fees2024 Estimated Tuition & Fees
In-StateOut-of-StateIn-StateOut-of-State
1Stanford University $57,210$59,497
2Harvard University $53,760$55,398
3Massachusetts Institute of Technology $61,075$63,258
4Princeton University $60,410$62,075
5Yale University $46,900$48,132
6Columbia University in the City of New York $54,627$56,385
7University of Pennsylvania $44,162$45,427
8California Institute of Technology $60,657$62,955
9University of Chicago $66,492$69,150
10Duke University $61,522$63,999
11Dartmouth College $61,056$62,882
12Northwestern University $53,024$49,703
13Brown University $63,866$65,700
14Georgetown University $57,049$59,037
15Rice University $52,342$54,858
16Cornell University $30,019$30,032
17Vanderbilt University $53,722$55,329
18Carnegie Mellon University $48,557$49,798
19University of Notre Dame $60,116$61,606
20Tufts University $55,280$55,344
21Washington University in St Louis $60,590$62,983
22Johns Hopkins University $62,962$64,773
23University of Southern California $64,666$68,110
24New York University $39,592$41,028
25Emory University $46,700$47,739
26Tulane University of Louisiana $63,244$65,431
27Boston College $34,028$35,386
28Georgia Institute of Technology-Main Campus $15,570$30,646 $15,570$14,461
29Lehigh University $27,200$27,270
30Boston University $61,924$64,536
31University of Virginia-Main Campus $21,742$34,832 $21,742$22,611
32The University of Texas at Austin $12,036$22,952 $12,036$12,022
33Northeastern University $27,009$27,955
34Case Western Reserve University $50,878$52,402
35Villanova University $21,307$21,416
36University of California-Berkeley $14,476$29,578 $14,476$14,799
37University of California-Los Angeles $13,322$28,424 $13,322$13,614
38Brigham Young University $7,932$8,171
39University of Miami $42,816$44,673
40George Washington University $33,984$35,099
41University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill $12,527$30,819 $12,527$12,488
42University of Rochester $42,668$38,294
43Colorado School of Mines $20,196$42,138 $20,196$20,883
44University of Florida $12,737$30,130 $12,737$12,737
45University of Michigan-Ann Arbor $26,226$52,456 $26,226$27,261
46Pepperdine University $39,720$42,161
47Stevens Institute of Technology $40,940$42,372
48Illinois Institute of Technology $35,721$41,399
49Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute $61,673$63,365
50William & Mary $16,776$35,136 $16,776$16,936
Average$16,561$46,090$16,781$47,341

3 comments

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Anonymous
November 10, 2013 at 1:45 PM delete

Is the tuition per year or the whole course?

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Anonymous
January 7, 2014 at 7:47 PM delete

not for the whole course for sure..
could be either per a year or a semester

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