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For the first time, sticker prices for some New England colleges exceed $90,000

Boston University, Tufts, and Yale are some of the area schools who's yearly price passed the new threshold.

By Emily Spatz

March 27, 2024

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As the perceived value of a college degree declines, the price tag associated with a diploma skyrockets. And while each year comes with a dreaded — but expected — tuition increase, next year’s price tags for several New England colleges have reached a new high.

Several schools — including Boston University, Tufts, and Yale — updated their estimated costs of attendance for the 2024-2025 academic year, letting students and families know that they can expect to pay more than $90,000 a year to attend their institution. 

Tuition breakdown

Tufts comes in as the leader of the high-tuition pack, with the total estimated cost for an undergraduate student adding up to an eye-popping $95,888. That breaks down into $70,504 for tuition and fees and $25,384 for living expenses, which includes housing, food, and textbooks.

At Wellesley, resident students can expect to dish out $92,060 for two semesters. Boston University comes in a little “cheaper” at $90,207, with over $87,000 going to billed expenses and the rest contributing to personal expenses, local transportation, and supplies. 

Outside of Massachusetts, Yale University has also broken the $90,000 threshold, with its estimated cost coming in at $90,975. Brown University in Rhode Island also said students can expect to pay $91,676 in direct and indirect charges. 

Other notable New England area schools, such as Boston College, Harvard, and Northeastern University, haven’t released an estimated price for the next school year, but have been creeping up toward $90,000 for several years. Yearly tuition for those schools, too, is expected to cross the new threshold, The Boston Globe reported.

Those prices don’t include financial aid

Thankfully, these prices don’t account for financial assistance and scholarships awarded to students. Most schools in the area say they meet 100% of demonstrated financial need for U.S. citizens or permanent residents. 

For the 2023-2024 year, the average net price of attending Boston University was just over $26,000, according to U.S. News and World Report. At Tufts, the discounted cost for most students is $30,336 for students receiving need-based aid. 

Despite this, the average cost of attending a private university for the 2022-2023 academic year without accounting aid was $41,540, putting tuition at New England schools at more than double the average. In 2023-2024, three Massachusetts schools ranked in the top 10 universities with the highest sticker prices, according to U.S. News. 

Cost of college is increasing across the board

Over the past 20 years, both public and private universities in the U.S. have seen dramatic tuition increases. Adjusted for inflation, tuition and fees at private universities have increased by 40%, while public institutions have increased by 40%. Even costs at in-state public colleges, where students and families expect to pay less, have jumped by 56%. 

Colleges in New England broke the $70,000 threshold in 2018, the Globe reported at the time. George Washington University in Washington, D.C., was the first to exceed $50,000 in yearly fees in 2007, The Washington Post reported.

Despite the handful of hikes, students at some private Boston-area universities can expect to pay less than $90,000 next year. Yearly tuition for next year at Suffolk University is just over $80,000 and just under $86,000 at MIT.