Money-hungry colleges are realizing that not only can they get away with gouging students for thousands of dollars on tuition fees, but they can also coerce students to fritter away cash just on shoebox-sized dorm rooms, cheap food and slow WiFi.
An infographic produced by eCollegeFinder’s Mike Simmons breaks down state-by-state America’s most expensive on-campus room and board fees. Using the U.S. Department of Education’s National Center for Education Statistics, the infographic shows each state’s most expensive dorm rooms.
Even though a lot of these college dorm fees cost north of $10,000 per year, most students aren’t moving into spacious housing with decent amenities. Instead, a lot of students get the bare-minimum: mess hall food, a roof over their heads and a roommate to share it all with. (RELATED: The 12 Most Expensive Colleges In America)
States with notoriously high cost of living like New York, Illinois and California, consequently have high dorm fees. And some schools like New York School of Interior Design say that the price tag of $21,000 a year is justified because the real cost is paying to live in Manhattan. While states like South Dakota and Montana manage to keep dorm fees well bellow $10,000.
The top 10 colleges with the most expensive dorms:
New York – New York School of Interior Design, $21,000
Massachusetts – The Boston Conservatory, $17,195
California – University of California Berkeley, $15,482
Pennsylvania – Drexel University, $14,415
Washington, DC – Catholic University of America, $14,326
Connecticut – Quinnipiac University, $14,250
New Jersey – Stevens Institute of Technology, $14,214
Illinois – School of the Art Institute of Chicago, $14,190
Rhode Island – Roger Williams University, $14,120
Tennessee – Vanderbilt University, $14,094
Alphabetical its of the most expensive dorm rooms:
Alabama – University of Alabama, $13,156
Alaska – University of Alaska Anchorage, $10,143
Arizona – Arizona State University – Downtown Phoenix , $11,466
Arkansas – Hendrix College, $10,620
California – University of California, Berkeley – $15,482
Colorado – University of Colorado, Boulder – $12,258
Connecticut – Quinnipiac University, $14,250
DC – Catholic University of America, $14,326
Delaware – University of Delaware, $11,200
Florida – Rollins College, $12,960
Georgia – Savannah College of Art and Design, $13,374
Hawaii – Hawaii Pacific University, $13,320
Idaho – The College of Idaho, $8,501
Illinois – School of the Art Institute of Chicago, $14,190
Indiana – University of Notre Dame, $12,512
Iowa – Grinnell College, $9,998
Kansas – The Art Institutes International – Kansas City, $9,579
Kentucky – Bellarmine University, $10,592
Louisiana – Saint Joseph Seminary College, $13,350
Maine – Bates College, $13,300
Maryland – Johns Hopkins University, $13,832
Massachusetts – The Boston Conservatory, $17,195
Michigan – Albion College, $10,144
Minnesota – Carleton College, $11,982
Mississippi – Millsaps College, $11,368
Missouri – Washington University in St. Louis, $13,977
Montana – Carroll College, $8,304
Nebraska – Creighton University, $9,728
Nevada – Sierra Nevada College, $11,772
New Hampshire – Dartmouth College, $13,466
New Jersey – Stevens Institute of Technology, $14,214
New Mexico – St. John’s College, $11,816
New York – New York School of Interior Design, $21,000
North Carolina – Duke University, $12,902
North Dakota – North Dakota State University, $7,300
Ohio – Case Western Reserve University, $12,898
Oklahoma – Oklahoma City University, $10,730
Oregon – Pacific Northwest College of Art, $12,814
Pennsylvania – Drexel University, $14,415
Rhode Island – Roger Williams University, $14,120
South Carolina – College of Charleston, $11,043
South Dakota – Augustana College, $7,170
Tennessee – Vanderbilt University, $14,094
Texas – Southern Methodist University, $13,955
Utah – The Art Institute of Salt Lake City, $8,370
Vermont – Champlain College, $13,500
Virginia – The Art Institute of Virginia Beach, $13,716
Washington – Whitman College, $10,900
West Virginia – Bethany College, $9,546
Wisconsin – Marquette University, $10,730
Wyoming – University of Wyoming, $9,451