Costly Campus Living: The 15 Most Expensive Dorms in the U.S.

When it comes to pursuing a degree, getting accepted at the college of your choice can sometimes turn out to be the easiest hurdle you’ll face. After all, the price of your application usually lands somewhere in the neighborhood of fifty bucks. However, once the school decides to select you as part of their prestigious institution, that’s when the real cost starts to pile up. Tuition fees alone tend to make most people reach for their wallet in pain, but if you plan on attending one of these schools, the room and board could have you paying off loans well into your 30s. Here are the 15 most expensive dorms in the U.S.

15. Smith College (Northampton, MA)

• Room and Board: $12,050
• Website: http://www.smith.edu/

A private women’s college of just 2,600 students, Smith College provides students with a “co-curricular environment that enhances and enriches the academic program.” That’s pretty much a fancy way of saying it’s going to be expensive.

14. Drexel University (Philadelphia, PA)

• Room and Board: $12,135
• Website: http://www.drexel.edu/

Drexel University has almost 13,000 undergraduates spread across nine Main Campus residence halls. From the $12,000 price tag it might seem at first glance like these high-priced dorms are bleeding students dry, but when you look at the breakdown, it’s actually the meal plan that’s costing students a staggering $5,000 per year.

13. Georgetown University (Washington D.C.)

• Room and Board: $12,153
• Website: http://www.georgetown.edu/

A private Jesuit university located in Washington D.C., Georgetown boasts illustrious alumni like Bill Clinton and Senator Patrick Leahy, and is ranked nationally as one of the ten best college towns by the Princeton Review. However, that sort of prestige doesn’t come without a price.

12. Olin College of Engineering (Needham, MA)

• Room and Board: $12,660
• Website: http://www.olin.edu/

Franklin W. Olin College of Engineering is an extremely small private school comprised of just a little over 300 students. Perhaps due in part to its diminutive student body, all students are required to live on campus unless they receive an exception from the Dean of Student Life.

11. American University (Washington D.C.)

• Room and Board: $12,660
• Website: http://www.american.edu/

Our second D.C. area school on the list, American University is a private school made up of approximately 6,000 undergrads. The dorms are segmented into two complexes based on their location, and although most rooms are setup to accommodate two students, some unlucky students may occasionally be stuck with a triple.

10. Marymount Manhattan College (New York, NY)

• Room and Board: $12,660
• Website: http://www.mmm.edu/

The first of six New York school’s to make the list, Marymount Manhattan College is a private school located on the Upper East Side. The school has around 2,100 students, and nearly a third opt to live in one of the campuses three residence halls.

9. NYU (New York, NY)

• Room and Board: $12,810
• Website: http://www.nyu.edu/

At 12,500, NYU boasts more residents than any other private school in the country. Each undergraduate student is guaranteed housing and the rooms in the 21 residence hall buildings range from the merely functional to the downright opulent. Some of the individual rooms even feature their own kitchen.

8. UCLA (Westwood, CA)

• Room and Board: $12,891
• Website: http://www.ucla.edu/

The first of three California schools that managed to squeeze their way onto the list, UCLA is a public school with approximately 27,000 undergraduate students. Due in large part to its size, the school is only able to guarantee three years of housing to incoming students, however, the UCLA is currently adding additional dorm rooms and hopes to remedy this by as early as next year.

7. University of California - Santa Cruz (Santa Cruz, CA)

• Room and Board: $13,038
• Website: http://www.ucsc.edu/public/

With roughly 14,000 undergraduate students, the mighty banana slugs of UC Santa Cruz have a slew of housing options spread between the ten residential colleges. The dorms feature a mix of individual rooms, shared rooms, and apartments, with most of the choice apartments being reserved for students who have already completed their first year of college.

6. Manhattanville College (Purchase, NY)

• Room and Board: $13,040
• Website: http://www.manhattanville.edu/

With only 1,700 undergraduate students and a reported output of over 30,000 hours of community service annually, Manhattanville must be populated with some serious do-gooders. Still, the price tag of just over $13,000 a year on room and board alone makes you wonder if students might also want to find a few activities in which they’ll actually be compensated for their time.

5. University of California – Berkeley (Berkeley, CA)

• Room and Board: $13,170
• Website: http://berkeley.edu/

The most expensive of the California offerings, UC Berkeley enrolls around 25,000 undergrads and offers incoming freshmen two years of guaranteed housing. Although many students opt to live within the Greek system, it should be noted that Bowles Hall was once ranked as one of Playboy magazine's top-10 college parties for Halloween.

4. Sarah Lawrence College (Bronxville, NY)

• Room and Board: $13,716
• Website: http://www.slc.edu/

A private institution that was originally founded as a women’s college, Sarah Lawrence houses many of the students in Tudor homes that were once private residences. Other students are housed in more modern townhouse style dorms.

3. Suffolk University (Boston, MA)

• Room and Board: $13,970
• Website: http://www.suffolk.edu/

Originally founded as a law school, Suffolk is located right at the heart of downtown Boston next to the Massachusetts State House and the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court. With such a prime location, it’s not surprising that this school commands one of the highest costs in the country when it comes to room and board.

2. Cooper Union (New York, NY)

• Room and Board: $14,000
• Website: http://www.cooper.edu/Welcome.html

A privately funded college located in downtown Manhattan, Cooper Union only has about 1,000 students and boasts one of the most selective undergraduate art programs in the country. The school can accommodate 182 students in their on-campus housing which is comprised almost entirely of two bedroom apartment units designed to fit four people.

1. Eugene Lang College (New York, NY)

• Room and Board: $15,460
• Website: http://www.newschool.edu/lang/

As was the case with number two, it’s a small New York private school that takes top honors as the most expensive dorm in the United States. Located in Greenwich Village, Eugene Lang College is The Liberal Arts College of the world famous New School. Past students of The New School include Jackson Pollack, Charlie Parker, and Anne Hathaway. And, at a price tag of over 15 grand a year, we’re hoping you’ll at least get an autographed copy of Bride Wars in your enrollment package.