Exceptional Ivy Leaguers: 13 Of The Most Expensive Universities And Colleges In The World

With a longstanding history that dates back to 1838, Duke University was initially founded by Methodists and Quakers in the present-day town of Trinity. It has undergone several iterations and name changes since then — as Brown School (1838–1841), Union Institute (1841–1851), Normal College (1851–1859), and Trinity College (1859–1924). In the early 1890s following the upheaval of the Civil War, Trinity College found itself in financial turmoil, the dire reality of which was further exacerbated by difficulties faced attracting faculty members and students.

The college eventually received the patronage of industrialist Washington Duke, who promised USD 100,000 to the institution with the condition that women be admitted as residential students – thus affording them equal opportunities as their male counterparts. The Duke family’s generous financial aid saw the survival and eventual flourishing of the university in 1892; that same year, the university moved to Durham, enrolling four female day students with a women’s dormitory opening on-campus four years later. Duke’s sons Benjamin and James Buchanan would go on to continue their father’s patronage of Trinity College. In 1924, James Buchanan would spearhead the college’s transformation into the makings of the Duke University we know today.

Duke University occupies 8,600 acres of land in Durham, and also operates a marine lab in Beaufort. It has one of the most competitive admissions in the United States, with an acceptance rate of about 6% as of 2023/2024. A student-faculty ratio of 5:1 ensures quality education for students, while popular majors include Computer Science, Biological Sciences, Computer Engineering, Neurosciences, Mechanical Engineering, Bioengineering and Biomedical Engineering, Political Science, and Experimental Pyschology. Notable graduates of the university include President Richard Nixon, as well as Ken Jeong and Melinda Gates; to date, the university has produced 14 living billionaires. With an estimated USD 63,450 annual tuition fee, it is one of the most expensive universities in the world.

Founded: 1924, by James Buchanan Duke

Annual tuition fees: USD 63,450 (Annual cost of attendance: Approx. USD 83,263.25)

Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) rank: 57

Times Higher Education (THE) rank: 26

(Image: Duke University/Instagram)

Founded in 1769 by Eleazar Wheelock, Dartmouth University holds a significant place in the history of the United States. While it was initially established to provide “the education and instruction of youth of the Indian tribes in this land… English Youth, and any others,” it would take nearly 200 years for the university to realise its founding mission. In the 1970s, the university reaffirmed its commitment to Native American education by establishing one of the first Native American programs in the country. Today, the university is home to200 Indigenous students from diverse tribal backgrounds, and counts 1,200 Native graduates among its alumni. 

While annual tuition fees of about USD 63,684 make it one of the most expensive universities in the world, Dartmouth University proves its worth by emphasising an outstanding education via a celebrated undergraduate liberal arts program and several pioneering professional schools. The Geisel School of Medicine is the nation’s fourth-oldest medical school; likewise, the Thayer School of Engineering counts itself among the nation’s first professional schools of engineering, and the Tuck School of Business is the world’s first graduate school of management. The university also counts itself the first in the world to offer a graduate degree in healthcare delivery science.  

The university’s traditions further define its identity. As a frequent stop in the Presidential trail, Dartmouth has hosted many debates between key presidential candidates, providing students with firsthand exposure to the election process. Events like Dartmouth Night, Homecoming, Winter Carnival, and First-Year Trips unite the community and celebrate the university’s history and natural beauty. With history spanning four decades, the annual Dartmouth Powwow honours Native culture, reflecting Dartmouth’s commitment to its founding purpose. An acceptance rate of 8.79% cements the university as one of top educational institutions in the world, with notable alumni including notable poet Robert Frost, Game of Thrones showrunner David Benioff, Grey’s Anatomy showrunner Shonda Rhimes, and actress Mindy Kaling. As of 2022, Dartmouth has produced 10 billionaires. 

Founded: 3 December 1769, by Eleazar Wheelock 

Annual tuition fees: USD 63,684 (Annual cost of attendance: Approx. USD 87,315) 

Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) rank: 237 

Times Higher Education (THE) rank: 161 

(Image: Dartmouth College)

Harvey Mudd College began its educational legacy when it was first chartered in December 1955. Inspired by mining engineer Harvey Seeley Mudd, a key figure in the founding of the college who sadly passed before it could open its doors, the educational institution was established amidst the Space Race’s emphasis on technical education. Friends and family of the esteemed Mudd realised his dreams by bringing the institution to fruition, with the sole aim of providing rigorous scientific and technological education intertwined with humanities and social sciences. To further cement the college’s dedication to education, the nationally recognised Clinic Program was initiated in 1963, thereby allowing student teams to solve problems posed by sponsoring industry, government, and nonprofit organisations. Through the uninhibited fostering undergraduate research, the program contributes to high rates of graduates earning PhDs in science and engineering. 

As the nation’s foremost liberal arts college specialising in engineering, science, and mathematics, Harvey Mudd College offers a distinguished curriculum. The institution boasts various renowned programs including chemistry, mathematics, physics, computer science, biology, and engineering, with interdisciplinary and joint majors available. Its Common Core Curriculum encompasses computer science, engineering, biology, chemistry, physics, mathematics, writing, critical inquiry, and social impact courses. Most notably, popular majors among the graduates of 2022 included Computer Science and Mathematics, Engineering, Computer Science, and Mathematics. 

With annual tuition fees of USD 65,954, the college is notably one of the most expensive tertiary education institutions in the world, with a competitive acceptance rate of 13%. Key alumni members include computer scientist Donald D. Chamberlin and astronaut Stanley G. Love. 

Founded: December 1955, by the friends and family of Harvey Seeley Mudd 

Annual tuition fees: USD 65,954 (Annual cost of attendance: Approx. USD 89,115) 

Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) rank: N/A 

Times Higher Education (THE) rank: N/A 

(Image: Bora Architects/Archello)

Composed of 31 autonomous Colleges, six Schools and over 150 Faculties and Departments, the University of Cambridge is recorded as having existed since 1209, when it was founded by a group of scholars who had once belonged to the University of Oxford. The university’s academic legacy, however, predates its formation; Cambridge and its surrounding areas had already developed a scholarly and ecclesiastical reputation, thanks in part to the intellectual population that included the nearby monks of Ely. Cambridge’s first college Peterhouse was established in 1284 by Bishop Hugh de Balsham; since then, multiple colleges have been founded, with the most recent being Robinson which came to be in the late 1970s. The university also boasts eight cultural and scientific museums, including the prestigious Fitzwilliam Museum and Cambridge University Botanic Garden. Notably, its libraries house approximately 16 million books, with the Cambridge University Library holding around nine million, making it one of the world’s largest academic libraries. 

Cambridge University is renowned for its many programs, spread out over diverse fields — and rightly so. It is revered for its contributions to mathematics and physics, and hosted alumnus Sir Isaac Newton as its second Lucasian Professor of Mathematics between 1669 and 1699. In the year 1687, Newton would publish Principia Mathematica, which served to establish modern physics.  

Despite flourishing in the sciences, scholars at Cambridge would also go on to make their mark in the arts, most notably poets Tennyson, Wordsworth, Lord Byron, and Vladimir Nabokov. Today, the university’s most popular majors encompass mathematics, physics, and computer science, and its prestigious list of alma-maters include Stephen Hawking, Charles Darwin, and Robert Oppenheimer. The students of Cambridge have collectively received 121 Nobel Prizes; the university has also produced 194 Olympic medal-winning athletes. More recently, its hallowed halls have played host to Ian McKellen, Emma Thompson, Hugh Laurie, Tom Hiddleston, and most notably, King Charles III. 

The university’s annual tuition fees differ across programs and disciplines. However, students of medical and veterinary science at Cambridge can expect to pay up to £67,194 (USD 84,898), making it one of the most expensive universities in the world. 

Founded: 1209, by a group of scholars 

Annual tuition fees: Between USD 32,743.17 and USD 84,898 

Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) rank: 2 

Times Higher Education (THE) rank: 5 

(Image: University of Cambridge/Instagram)

Northwestern University was established in 1851, born from a meeting of influential businessmen, Methodist leaders, and attorneys with the singular aim of creating an educational institution for the Northwest Territory. In 1953, Northwestern’s founders established their campus on a 379-acre tract of land on the shore of Lake Michigan, naming the surrounding town Evanston in honour of one of the university’s founders, John Evans. The first classes would commence in 1855, with a mere 2 faculty members and 10 students. While initially affiliated with the Methodist Episcopal Church, Northwestern soon shifted to adapt a non-sectarian approach; by 1900, it had become the third-largest university in the United States after Harvard and the University of Michigan. Comprising eleven diverse schools including the Kellogg School of Management, the Pritzker School of Law, and the Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern emphasises a comprehensive educational approach. 

As a private research university with an extremely competitive acceptance rate of 7%, Northwestern University boasts a rich array of programs, and is well-known for its science and business schools. Despite that, it boasts a strong background in journalism, communication, education, and medicine, and most notably served as a pioneering institution in fostering women’s education; its first female students were admitted in 1869, and it saw its first female graduates in 1874. 

It would appear that Northwestern has a penchant for producing late night comedians, boasting both Stephen Colbert and Seth Meyers as esteemed alumni. Other notable graduates include George R. R. Martin of Game of Thrones acclaim, as well as David Scwhimmer and Hugh Hefner. With estimated annual tuition fees of USD 64,887, it is most certainly one of the most expensive universities in the world. 

Founded: 28 January 1851, by Grant Goodrich, John Evans, and Orrington Lunt among others. 

Annual tuition fees: USD 64,887 (Annual cost of attendance: Approx. USD 91,290) 

Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) rank: 47 

Times Higher Education (THE) rank: 28 

(Image: Northwestern University/Instagram)

First established in 1764 with the extensive efforts of the Brown family, Brown University stands as the seventh-oldest tertiary education institution in the United States. Located in the culturally diverse city of Providence, Rhode Island, the private Ivy League institution prides itself on its role as a leading nonprofit research university renowned for its student-centered learning and deep sense of purpose. With deep roots as a pioneering institution, it is the first United States college to explicitly codify equal admission and instruction for students regardless of religious beliefs. Spanning 235 buildings across 143 acres, the Brown University campus is an integrated part of the historical architectural district, boasting a legacy dating back to the 18th and 19th centuries. 

Boasting a proud history of academic innovation and scholarly achievements, Brown marked a pivotal moment in 1969 by adopting the Open Curriculum. The change would allow its students greater flexibility and personalisation in their courses of study, and thus empower them to discard rigid distribution requirements altogether in favour of intellectual exploration, innovative problem-solving, and service to society. With an incredibly competitive acceptance rate of 5.38%, Brown University is home to the brightest minds. Its celebrated alumni include Nobel Prize winners, Pulitzer Prize recipients, Supreme Court Justices, U.S. Secreteries of State, members of Congress, and Olympic medalists. As with John Fitzgerald Kennedy Jr., it is also alma mater to Hollywood stars Emma Watson and John Krasinski. 

A term at Brown University does not come cheap, with annual tuition fees of USD 65,656 that place it among the most expensive educational institutions in the world. 

Founded: 15 September 1764, by Nicholas, John, Joseph, and Moses Brown 

Annual tuition fees: USD 65,656 (Annual cost of attendance: Approx. USD 87,648) 

Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) rank: 73 

Times Higher Education (THE) rank: 64 

(Image: Brown University/Instagram)

With a long history spanning over three hundred years, Yale University needs no introduction in the world of Ivy League institutions. Founded in 1701 near Saybrook, Connecticut, it is the third oldest institution of tertiary education in the United States, among nine colonial colleges that were chartered before the American Revolution. However, it first began life as the Collegiate School, conceived by colonial clergymen in the 1640s. In 1716, the school moved to New Haven, Connecticut; two years later, to honour Elihu Yale whose generous contributions shaped the institution’s early years, it was formally renamed to Yale University. It has since come a long way, growing its faculty, expanding its curriculum, and assuming the role of a diverse academic hub emphasising scientific research. Today, no discussion of the world’s greatest or most expensive universities is complete without mention of Yale, its academic distinction, and its influential milestones, and of course, its hefty cost of attendance. 

While the early days of its curriculum emphasised religious studies, it has since grown to provide a comprehensive liberal arts education, bolstered by a faculty at the forefront of intellectual movements like the Great Awakening and the Enlightenment. Among others, Yale’s most popular majors include Economics, Political Science, History, Computer Science, Psychology, Global Affairs, and English. The institution’s commitment to academic excellence is evident in its expansive library system, which comprises over 15 million volumes; it likewise enjoys associations with numerous Nobel laureates, Fields medalists, and Turing Award winners.  

The university’s esteemed alumni roster includes five U.S. presidents: William Howard Taft, Gerald Ford, Bill Clinton, George H.W. Bush, George W. Bush, as well as presidential candidate Hillary Clinton. Other notable figures include celebrities Meryl Streep, Angela Bassett, and Anderson Cooper — as well as 21 billionaires to date. With a competitive acceptance rate of 6.54%, it makes sense that the university has produced an arsenal of bright stars from founding fathers and supreme court justices to academic leaders and other notable figures in business and philanthropy, all of whom have left a lasting impact on society. A year’s tuition at Yale is expected to cost about USD 64,700, making it one of the most expensive universities in the world. 

Founded: 9 October 1701, by Samuel Andrew, Thomas Buckingham, Israel Chauncy, Samuel Mather, Rev. James Noyes II, James Pierpont, Abraham Pierson, Noadiah Russell, Joseph Webb, and Timothy Woodbridge. 

Annual tuition fees: USD 64,700 (Annual cost of attendance: Approx. USD 83,880) 

Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) rank: 16 

Times Higher Education (THE) rank: 10 

(Image: Yale University)

In 1754, Columbia University was first established as a colonial college by royal charter under King George II of Great Britain. Then called King’s College, it occupied the grounds of Manhattan’s Trinity Church; following the American Revolution in 1784, it was renamed Columbia College, and three years later, was placed under a private board of trustees including former students Alexander Hamilton (yes, that same one), and John Jay. The college was renamed Columbia University 1896, and in that same year, moved to Morningside Heights where it still sits today — in plum position as the oldest institution of tertiary education in New York City and the fifth-oldest in the United States. 

With its 17 schools and 4 affiliate schools spread out in and around New York City, Columbia University has grown into its role as a foremost global research institution and world-renowned medical centre. Among its offered majors, it is highly rated for Philosophy, Environmental Science, and English. Equally popular majors include Computer Science, Economics, Political Science and Government, Research and Experimental Psychology, Social Sciences, History, and Neurosciences and Neurobiology, with top programs emerging from its Business School, Law School, and its College of Physicians and Surgeons. 

Most notably, students can expect to pay up to USD 68,400 in annual tuition fees to attend the prestigious, expensive university — a fair price, considering its high rank on the world stage. With an acceptance rate of 6.1%, Columbia is considered highly competitive, lending credence to its alumni of the brightest minds — chief among them former president Barack Obama, actress Julia Stiles and Liza Weil, Timothée Chalamet, James Franco, Art Garfunkel, and more. According to Forbes, Columbia has produced 11 billionaires to date. 

Founded: 25 May 1754, by King George II of Great Britain 

Annual tuition fees: USD 68,400 (Annual cost of attendance: Approx. USD 89,587) 

Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) rank: 23 

Times Higher Education (THE) rank: 17

(Image: Columbia University/Instagram)

A private liberal arts institution located in Hamilton, New York, Colgate University is a prestigious establishment that has seen many iterations throughout the years. First established in 1819 as the Baptist Education Society of the State of New York, the institution’s history is one that holds great interest and just a hint of whimsy. As the story goes, in 1817, 13 men came together to birth an experiment in education, together contributing 13 dollars and 13 prayers to fuel the cause. 

Despite Colgate’s lucky number 13 persisting to this very day, the institution’s name was short-lived; in 1823, it was renamed to the Hamilton Theological and Literary Institution (or Hamilton College), and In 1846, it was once again renamed, this time to Madison College. The college would keep this name until 1890, when it received its current name in homage to its longtime patron, trustee, and financial backer, one William Colgate, founder of the Colgate Company — yes, like the toothpaste. 

Today, Colgate University is widely considered to be one of the most selective colleges and universities in the United States, boasting an acceptance rate of 22.6%. It holds a reputation as a Hidden Ivy, as well as one of the Little Ivies, and for good reason. Its stellar reputation precedes it; It is ranked #21 National Liberal Arts College in U.S. News, with popular majors like Econometrics and Quantitative Economics, Political Science and Government, Computer Science, International Relations and Affairs, Neuroscience, and Molecular Biology spanning numerous disciplines and fields. Despite its reputation as one of the most expensive universities in the world, many consider an education at Colgate University to be well worth the financial investment. After all, it counts among its alumni world-renowned names such as Former United States Secretary of State Charles Evans Hughes and journalist Bob Woodruff. 

Founded: 1819, by Jonathan Olmstead, Joel W. Clark, Nathaniel Kendrick, Charles W. Hull, Daniel Hascall, Samuel Payne, Elisha Payne, John Bostwick, Thomas Cox, Samuel Osgood, Amos Kingsley, Peter Philanthropos Roots, and Robert Powell – together forming six clergymen and seven laymen 

Annual tuition fees: USD 66,622 (Annual cost of attendance: Approx. USD 83,814) 

Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) rank: N/A 

Times Higher Education (THE) rank: N/A

(Image: Colgate University/Instagram)

Since its inception in 1890, the University of Chicago has boasted a long and proud history with traditions spanning its many decades in operations. It was mainly funded by American business and oil magnate and philanthropist John Davison Rockefeller Sr – who, by all accounts, is widely considered the wealthiest man in modern history. While it shares its name with a defunct school that was founded in the 1850s and closed in 1886, the University of Chicago is an entirely new institution incorporated by the American Baptist Education Society. Its success is largely credited to a group of early donors including Rockefeller, who gave USD 80 million (Approx. USD 2.33 billion today) for academic operations and long-term endowment, Marshall Field who donated land, and other wealthy Chicago natives like Silas B. Cobb who provided funding for the first building on the Hyde Park campus. With classes officially in session as of 1892, the university soon grew to become a world class institution by 1900. 

Uniquely contrarian in all the best ways, the University of Chicago prides itself on following the path less traveled. In honouring its founding belief, that rigorous academics should be provided to people of all backgrounds, the university encourages the collaboration of students, faculty, and scholars across disciplines and fields to solve complex problems and unearth new knowledge. As of 2024, the university’s acceptance rate stands at a competitive 7.1%, and it boasts excellent rankings for its Business, and Law Schools. Among others, its popular majors include Economics, Computer Science, Mathematics, Biological Sciences, and Political Science. 

With an annual tuition fee of about USD 63,801, it is undeniably one of the most expensive universities in the world, attracting talent from across the globe. Its notable alumni and faculty includes 99 Nobel laureates, 27 Pulitzer prize winners, 29 living billionaire graduates, and 8 Olympic medalists. Most notably, astronomer Carl Sagan, writer Kurt Vonnegut, novelist Paul Goodman, and economist Milton Friedman, and former director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) James Comey have all walked its hallowed halls. 

Founded: 1890, by John D. Rockefeller 

Annual tuition fees: USD 63,801 (Annual cost of attendance: Approx. USD 89,040) 

Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) rank: 11 

Times Higher Education (THE) rank: 13 

(Image: University of Chicago/Instagram)

Founded in 1852 by Christian universalists who sought a nonsectarian institution of tertiary education, Tufts University (then Tufts College) gained its name and its land from American businessman and philanthropist Charles Tufts. While it was initially conceived as a small liberal arts college, the 1970s would see its evolution into a large research university, with several doctorates on offer. Drawing inspiration from its motto Pax et Lux (Peace and Light), students and faculty members of Tufts University seek to imbue the spirit of collaboration in their roles as ‘active global citizens’, where much illumination is shared amongst themselves and with the world at large. 

Rife with global appeal, the university boasts four campuses and six libraries housing 1,292,572 volumes; it offers 90 undergraduate and 160 graduate programs spread out across ten schools in the greater Boston area, as well as in Talloires, France. While its largest school is its School of Arts and Sciences, the university also houses the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy — the country’s oldest graduate school of international relations. Understandably, the university’s top three majors are Economics, Biology, and International Relations.Understandably, the university’s top three majors are Economics, Biology, and International Relations. 

While the university’s acceptance rate is a modest 15%, its tuition fees do not come cheap, at an annual rate of USD 66,358, placing it among the most expensive universities in the world. 

Founded: 1852, by Charles Tufts 

Annual tuition fees: USD 66,358 (Annual cost of attendance: Approx. USD 81,700) 

Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) rank: 379 

Times Higher Education (THE) rank: 191 

(Image: Tufts University/Instagram)

Founded in 1861 with the noble cause of providing equal education to women, as that afforded to men, Vassar College is a coeducational private liberal arts college located in New York’s Poughkeepsie Town. As the second degree-granting institution of higher education for women in the United States, it is one of the history Seven Sisters — seven institutions that formed the nation’s first women’s colleges. In true dedication to their founding mission of equal education across the sexes, Vassar became the first women’s college in the nation to implement coeducation by opening its doors to men in 1969. 

Today, the college offers BA degrees in more than fifty majors, with the most popular among them being Economics, Research and Experimental Psychology, Computer and Information Sciences, Mathematics, English Language and Literature, History, Biology/Biological Sciences, and Political Science and Government. Its campus occupies over a thousand acres of land, comprising more than a hundred buildings that include a National Historic Place, two National Historic Landmarks, and a designated arboretum. 

Founded: 1861, by Matthew Vassar 

Annual tuition fees: USD 66,870 (Annual cost of attendance: Approx. USD 81,280) 

Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) rank: N/A 

Times Higher Education (THE) rank: N/A

(Image: Vassar College/Instagram)

A private liberal arts college located in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, Franklin and Marshall College assumed its current iteration in 1853, when Franklin College and Marshall College underwent a merger. The former of the college’s predecessors, Franklin College (1787–1853) was named for Benjamin Franklin, who donated £200 to the institution’s founding. Despite initial success, the college soon became inundated with financial woes. In 1853, as a means of securing the fates of both institutions, it underwent a merger with Marshall College, once a Reformed Church academy named for John Marshall, fourth Chief Justice of the United States. Franklin & Marshall College became the first coeducational college in America, enrolling students of both genders. 

Today, the college offers a myriad of majors and minors that span 62 fields of study and ranks #35 in U.S. News’ rankings for best National Liberal Arts Colleges in the nation. Its most popular courses include Political Science and Government as well as Business Administration and Management. To date, it is the seventh highest baccalaureate producer of Fulbright scholars. 

Founded: 1853, through the merging of Franklin College (1787–1853) and Marshall College (1836–1853) 

Annual tuition fees: USD 68,376 (Annual cost of attendance: Approx. USD 84,686) 

Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) rank: N/A 

Times Higher Education (THE) rank: N/A 

(Image: Franklin & Marshall College/Instagram)