Tuition is only the first line
What does a degree actually cost?
Add tuition, fees, housing, food, and books. Then look at four, five, and six years. The degree total is the number a family can plan around.
- Launch schools
- 20
- Cost views
- 4-6 yr
- Ad script
- Off
Lowest published first-year totals in the launch set
- 1. University of FloridaGainesville, Florida · 2024-2025 $19,311
- 2. University of North Carolina at Chapel HillChapel Hill, North Carolina · 2024-2025 $24,088
- 3. Georgia Institute of TechnologyAtlanta, Georgia · 2024-2025 $26,466
- 4. University of Texas at AustinAustin, Texas · 2024-2025 $27,240
- 5. Ohio State University, ColumbusColumbus, Ohio · 2024-2025 $29,012
Resident tuition is used where a public school publishes separate rates. A lower published total is not a lower net price after aid.
One-year and degree totals
Launch schools
| School | Location | Tuition basis | One-year total | Four-year total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Harvard University | Cambridge, Massachusetts | 2024-2025 | $83,866 | $335,464 |
| Stanford University | Stanford, California | 2026-2027 | $94,140 | $376,560 |
| Massachusetts Institute of Technology | Cambridge, Massachusetts | 2026-2027 | $90,264 | $361,056 |
| Yale University | New Haven, Connecticut | 2026-2027 | $95,100 | $380,400 |
| Princeton University | Princeton, New Jersey | 2024-2025 | $83,988 | $335,952 |
| Columbia University | New York, New York | 2026-2027 | $97,930 | $391,720 |
| University of California, Los Angeles | Los Angeles, California | 2026-2027 | $37,885 | $151,540 |
| University of California, Berkeley | Berkeley, California | 2025-2026 | $41,318 | $165,272 |
| University of Michigan, Ann Arbor | Ann Arbor, Michigan | 2024-2025 | $35,334 | $141,336 |
| University of Texas at Austin | Austin, Texas | 2024-2025 | $27,240 | $108,960 |
Try the decision
Four years is a plan. Five is a budget risk.
Change the graduation timeline and the cost picture can move by a full year of housing, food, fees, and books. Add grants only when you want to test an offer or a scenario.
Learn the sticker and net price differenceRead before you borrow
Cost guides
Cost basics Sticker price vs. net price: what a degree actually costs Learn the difference between published college cost, grant aid, net price, and the amount a family may still need to borrow or pay from income. Budget detail Room and board traps in the published college price How housing tiers, meal plans, off-campus estimates, breaks, travel, and program fees can change the real cost behind a tuition headline. Public university cost The out-of-state tuition premium, explained Why public universities charge nonresident tuition, how the premium compounds, and the residency and merit questions to ask before applying.
No school can be priced honestly from tuition alone.
Every school page shows the academic year and source behind the figures. Grant aid is never guessed. It appears only when you enter an amount to test.
Read the method