Department of Education lists cheapest and costliest colleges
Berea College doesn’t have the cachet and name recognition of Harvard or Yale. But it also doesn’t have the high price tag.
The small Christian school in Kentucky charges the lowest annual tuition and fees of any four-year private college -- just $910, according to data released Tuesday by the Department of Education.
That’s far less than the national average of $21,949, according to the agency.
And it’s a pittance compared with the most expensive four-year private school, Connecticut College, where tuition is $43,990, according to the agency. Sarah Lawrence, Columbia, Vassar and George Washington round out the list of the five priciest schools.
The DOE released lists of the least- and most-expensive U.S. schools as part of its effort to help students and parents understand the true cost of college. On the DOE website, students can search various categories, such as public or private schools, as well as which schools have the fastest-rising tuition costs.
“We want to arm students and parents with the information they need to make smart educational choices,” U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan said in a news release. “Students need to know up front how much college will actually cost them instead of waiting to find out when the first student loan bill arrives. These lists are a major step forward in unraveling the mystery of higher education pricing.”
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