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

College tuition never seems to stop rising year after year. Believe it or not, the biggest gains over the years are not private universities, but public universities. According to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), the average four-year public institution tuition and fees rose 159.3 percent from $3,605 in the 1989-1990 school year to $9,349 over the past 30 years. For the 2019-2020 school year; this increase takes inflation into account as dollar figures are in constant 2019-2020 dollars.

Since public colleges and universities have the majority of undergraduates in the country, BrokeScholar decided to do research on the most expensive colleges in each state. Based on a compilation of all private four-year nonprofit colleges and four-year public colleges that offer bachelor’s degrees in each state, the study identified which colleges are the most expensive in terms of tuition and fees. Here, we’ll focus on the most expensive public schools in each state.

Read on to learn about the most expensive public colleges or universities in each state.

The most expensive public colleges and universities in every state

It’s important to know about tuition at public colleges and universities: The cost depends on whether the student lives in the state where the school is located, or if the student lives out of state. Out-of-state public school tuition is always more expensive than in-state tuition. Generally speaking, if a public university has the highest in-state tuition in the state, then usually its corresponding out-of-state tuition is also the highest in the state. Now let’s take a look at the most expensive public colleges and universities in the 50 US states. All dollar figures are from NCES College Navigator and represent the 2021-2022 school year.

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

1. Most expensive public university in Virginia

Public college or university: University of Virginia main campus

In-state tuition and fees: $19,244

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

In-state and out-of-state average: $36,435

2. Most expensive public university in Michigan

Public college or university: University of Michigan, Ann Arbor

In-State Tuition and Required Fees: $16,178

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

In-state and out-of-state average: $34,705

3. Most expensive public university in Vermont

Public college or university: University of Vermont

In-state tuition and fees: $19,002

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

In-state and out-of-state average: $31,446

4. Most expensive public university in Colorado

Public college or university: Colorado School of Mines

In-State Tuition and Required Fees: $19,538

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

In-state and out-of-state average: $30,188

5. Most expensive public university in Connecticut

Public college or university: University of Connecticut

In-State Tuition and Required Fees: $18,524

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

In-state and out-of-state average: $29,858

6. Most expensive public university in California

Public college or university: UC San Diego

In-State Tuition and Required Fees: $14,700

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

In-state and out-of-state average: $29,577

7. Most expensive public university 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 fees: $37,202

In-state and out-of-state average: $28,082

8. Most expensive public university in Pennsylvania

Public college or university: Penn State University

In-state tuition and fees: $18.898

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

In-state and out-of-state average: $27,687

9. Most expensive public university in Oregon

Public college or university: University of Oregon

In-State Tuition and Required Fees: $14,421

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

In-state and out-of-state average: $27,443

10. Most expensive public university in Ohio

Public college or university: Miami University – Oxford

In-State Tuition and Required Fees: $16,704

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

In-state and out-of-state average: $27,042

11. Most expensive public university in South Carolina

Public college or university: Clemson University

In-State Tuition and Required Fees: $15,558

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

In-state and out-of-state average: $27,054

12. Most expensive public university 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 fees: $39,800

In-state and out-of-state average: $27,000

13. Most expensive public university in Maryland

Public college or university: University of Maryland, Baltimore

In-State Tuition and Required Fees: $11,899

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

In-state and out-of-state average: $26,587

14. Most expensive public university in Washington

Public college or university: University of Washington, Tacoma

In-State Tuition and Required Fees: $12,196

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

In-state and out-of-state average: $26,111

15. Most expensive public university in Texas

Public college or university: University of Texas at Austin

In-State Tuition and Required Fees: $11,752

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

In-state and out-of-state average: $26,374

16. Most expensive public university 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 fees: $34,034

In-state and out-of-state average: $26,025

17. Most expensive public university in Delaware

Public college or university: University of Delaware

In-State Tuition and Required Fees: $15,020

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

In-state and out-of-state average: $25,950

18. Most expensive public university in Indiana

Public college or university: Indiana University Bloomington

In-State Tuition and Required Fees: $11,333

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

In-state and out-of-state average: $24,843

19. Most expensive public university in Minnesota

Public college or university: University of Minnesota Twin Cities

In-state tuition and fees: $15,254

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

In-state and out-of-state average: $24,536

20. Most expensive public university in Rhode Island

Public college or university: University of Rhode Island

In-State Tuition and Required Fees: $15,332

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

In-state and out-of-state average: $24,343

Three of these public universities are more focused on their academics, 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 in terms of academics and graduation rates. For example, the University of Virginia (UVA) has a 94% graduation rate. The University of Michigan in Ann Arbor has a 93% graduation rate.

For a complete breakdown of the most expensive private and public universities in all 50 states, check out BrokeScholar’s full study.