The Most Expensive Public Colleges And Universities In Every State Of 2022

College tuitions never seem to stop rising year after year. And believe it or not, it is not private college tuition that has increased the most over the years, but public colleges. According to data form the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), the average tuition and required fees for a four-year public institution has risen by 159.3% over the last 30 years, from $3,605 in the 1989-1990 academic year, to $9,349 in the 2019-2020 academic year; and this increase takes inflation into account because the dollar figures are in constant 2019-2020 dollars.

Since public colleges and universities possess the majority of undergraduate students in the country, BrokeScholar decided to conduct a study of the most expensive colleges in every state. Based on compiling all private four-year nonprofit colleges and four-year public colleges offering bachelor’s degrees in each state, the study determined which colleges were the most expensive in terms of tuition and required fees. Here, we’re going to focus on the most expensive public schools in every state.

Read on to find out what the most expensive public college or university is in every state.

The Most Expensive Public Colleges and Universities in Every State

There’s an important point to be made about cost of tuition at public colleges and universities: The cost varies depending on if the student lives in-state where the institution is located or if the student is out-of-state. Out-of-state public school tuition is invariably more expensive than the cost of in-state tuition. In general, if a public college’s in-state tuition is the highest in the state, then usually its corresponding out-of-state tuition is also the highest in the state. Let’s take a look now at the most expensive public colleges and universities in each of the 50 U.S. states. All dollar figures come from the NCES College Navigator and represent the academic year 2021-2022.

Below is a list of the most expensive public colleges and universities in 20 of the 50 states, ranked in order of the highest average cost of in-state and out-of-state tuition:

1. Most Expensive Public College in Virginia

Public college or university: University of Virginia-Main Campus

In-state tuition and required fees: $19,244

Out-of-state tuition and required fees: $53,626

Average of in-state and out-of-state: $36,435

2. Most Expensive Public College in Michigan

Public college or university: University of Michigan-Ann Arbor

In-state tuition and required fees: $16,178

Out-of-state tuition and required fees: $53,232

Average of in-state and out-of-state: $34,705

3. Most Expensive Public College in Vermont

Public college or university: University of Vermont

In-state tuition and required fees: $19,002

Out-of-state tuition and required fees: $43,890

Average of in-state and out-of-state: $31,446

4. Most Expensive Public College in Colorado

Public college or university: Colorado School of Mines

In-state tuition and required fees: $19,538

Out-of-state tuition and required fees: $40,838

Average of in-state and out-of-state: $30,188

5. Most Expensive Public College in Connecticut

Public college or university: University of Connecticut

In-state tuition and required fees: $18,524

Out-of-state tuition and required fees: $41,192

Average of in-state and out-of-state: $29,858

6. Most Expensive Public College in California

Public college or university: University of California-San Diego

In-state tuition and required fees: $14,700

Out-of-state tuition and required fees: $44,454

Average of in-state and out-of-state: $29,577

7. Most Expensive Public College in New Hampshire

Public college or university: University of New Hampshire-Main Campus

In-state tuition and required fees: $18,962

Out-of-state tuition and required fees: $37,202

Average of in-state and out-of-state: $28,082

8. Most Expensive Public College in Pennsylvania

Public college or university: Pennsylvania State University

In-state tuition and required fees: $18.898

Out-of-state tuition and required fees: $36,476

Average of in-state and out-of-state: $27,687

9. Most Expensive Public College in Oregon

Public college or university: University of Oregon

In-state tuition and required fees: $14,421

Out-of-state tuition and required fees: $40,464

Average of in-state and out-of-state: $27,443

10. Most Expensive Public College in Ohio

Public college or university: Miami University-Oxford

In-state tuition and required fees: $16,704

Out-of-state tuition and required fees: $37,379

Average of in-state and out-of-state: $27,042

11. Most Expensive Public College in South Carolina

Public college or university: Clemson University

In-state tuition and required fees: $15,558

Out-of-state tuition and required fees: $38,550

Average of in-state and out-of-state: $27,054

12. Most Expensive Public College in Massachusetts

Public college or university: Massachusetts College of Art and Design

In-state tuition and required fees: $14,200

Out-of-state tuition and required fees: $39,800

Average of in-state and out-of-state: $27,000

13. Most Expensive Public College in Maryland

Public college or university: University of Maryland, Baltimore

In-state tuition and required fees: $11,899

Out-of-state tuition and required fees: $41,275

Average of in-state and out-of-state: $26,587

14. Most Expensive Public College in Washington

Public college or university: University of Washington-Tacoma Campus

In-state tuition and required fees: $12,196

Out-of-state tuition and required fees: $40,026

Average of in-state and out-of-state: $26,111

15. Most Expensive Public College in Texas

Public college or university: The University of Texas at Austin

In-state tuition and required fees: $11,752

Out-of-state tuition and required fees: $40,996

Average of in-state and out-of-state: $26,374

16. Most Expensive Public College in New Jersey

Public college or university: New Jersey Institute of Technology

In-state tuition and required fees: $18,016

Out-of-state tuition and required fees: $34,034

Average of in-state and out-of-state: $26,025

17. Most Expensive Public College in Delaware

Public college or university: University of Delaware

In-state tuition and required fees: $15,020

Out-of-state tuition and required fees: $36,880

Average of in-state and out-of-state: $25,950

18. Most Expensive Public College in Indiana

Public college or university: Indiana University-Bloomington

In-state tuition and required fees: $11,333

Out-of-state tuition and required fees: $38,352

Average of in-state and out-of-state: $24,843

19. Most Expensive Public College in Minnesota

Public college or university: University of Minnesota-Twin Cities

In-state tuition and required fees: $15,254

Out-of-state tuition and required fees: $33,818

Average of in-state and out-of-state: $24,536

20. Most Expensive Public College in Rhode Island

Public college or university: University of Rhode Island

In-state tuition and required fees: $15,332

Out-of-state tuition and required fees: $33,354

Average of in-state and out-of-state: $24,343

Three of these public colleges are more specifically focused in their academics, namely, the Colorado School of Mines in Colorado; the Massachusetts College of Art and Design in Massachusetts; and the New Jersey Institute of Technology in New Jersey. The rest of these public schools tend to rank among the best colleges in terms of their academics and graduation rates. For example, the University of Virginia (UVA) has a graduation rate of 94%. And the University of Michigan-Ann Arbor boasts a graduation rate of 93%.

For a full breakdown of the most expensive colleges, both private and public, in all 50 states, check out the full study by BrokeScholar.