Top Private Colleges Tuition Comparison

Stanford University ranked first in the Top Private Colleges rankings, followed by Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Harvard University.

The average tuition & fees of Top Private Colleges is $65,707 for the academic year 2024-2025.

Columbia University in the City of New York has the highest tuition & fees of $70,517 and Harvard University has the lowest tuition & fees of $61,676 among Top Private Colleges. For graduate programs, the 2025 average graduate tuition & fees of the schools is $61,161.

The average acceptance rate is 3.92% and the SAT score is 1550 for the Top Private Colleges. Their acceptance rate is very low, which means it is very hard to get into the schools, and the SAT score is very high.

Table. Top Private Colleges Tuition & Fees Comparison
RankSchool NameUndergraduate TuitionGraduate TuitionAcceptance RateSAT/ACT Scores Student PopulationGraduation Rate
1Stanford UniversityStanford, CA$65,910
$3,426		$61,878
$2,379		3.61%
-0.30%		1,550 SAT
35 ACT0 /0		18,625
179		92%
2Massachusetts Institute of TechnologyCambridge, MA$62,396
$2,240		$62,396
$997		4.55%
-0.19%		1,560 SAT
35 ACT
10 /0		11,886
-34		96%
3Harvard UniversityCambridge, MA$61,676
$2,600		$57,248
$1,808		3.65%
0.20%		1,550 SAT
35 ACT0 /0		30,259
-127		98%
1%
4Yale UniversityNew Haven, CT$67,250
$2,550		$49,500
$1,200		3.87%
-0.63%		1,540 SAT
34 ACT0 /0		15,564
483		96%
5Princeton UniversityPrinceton, NJ$62,688
$2,978		$65,936
$3,076		4.62%
0.12%		1,550 SAT
35 ACT
10 /1		9,137
215		98%
1%
6California Institute of TechnologyPasadena, CA$65,898
$2,643		$65,706
$2,643		2.57%
-0.57%		-2,430
-33		94%
1%
7Columbia University in the City of New YorkNew York, NY$70,517
$2,346		$57,973
$1,694		3.99%
-0.24%		1,550 SAT
35 ACT
10 /0		35,173
-106		96%
2%
8University of ChicagoChicago, IL$69,324
$3,705		$68,652
$2,109		4.48%
-0.31%		1,550 SAT
35 ACT0 /0		18,566
227		96%
2%
Average$65,707 (-)$61,161 (-)4%1,55017,70596%