Why is Chicago more expensive?

unalove
Mon, 24 Dec 2007 12:22:39 +0000

In total, (room and board, tuition, activities fee, etc.) Chicago is about $50k, which is comparable to its peer schools. (I checked out a few other schools’ tuition packages to verify: Columbia and Hopkins totals are both about $50k; Dartmouth and Carleton totals are about $45k). Elite schools have a lot of programs to support, so it makes sense that tuition is so high. Chicago has a lot going for it, but tuition-wise, it has a similar pricetag to its peers.

All of these schools have a base tuition of about $35k, the differences in cost are a result of the different costs of room and board and estimated other expenses.

You can check the differences out for yourself:
[Financial Aid](Home | Financial Aid)
[Columbia University Office of Undergraduate Admissions - Financial Aid](http://www.studentaffairs.columbia.edu/admissions/finaid/)
[JHU Student Financial Services | Returning Undergraduates | Cost](Student Financial Support | Johns Hopkins University)
[Carleton College: Admissions: Affording Carleton](http://apps.carleton.edu/admissions/overview/afford/)
[Office of College Aid](http://collegeaid.uchicago.edu/cost.shtml)

All of the schools I listed explicitly state that they are need-blind (i.e. your financial situation and your academic qualifications are evaluated separately), and all but Hopkins explicitly state that they meet 100% of what they determine is financial need. (Hopkins might also meet 100%, I just didn’t find it on the website).

What this means is that sometimes the schools with the higher sticker prices are also the most affordable.