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Among the top 100 U.S. universities ranked by U.S. News, the highest cost is at Tisch School of the Arts, New York University, where international students will need to budget over $103,400 for the 2025-2026 academic year. This marks a record high, surpassing the previous year's $98,400 at Vanderbilt University.
Barnard College ranks second, with an estimated cost of $103,000 per year. At Bryn Mawr College and Georgetown University, the estimated costs for first-year international students exceed $102,000 and $101,000, respectively. At Tufts University and Wellesley College, the costs are approximately $100,500.
Several universities in the top 100, including Harvard, Princeton, Vanderbilt, the University of Southern California, Amherst College, and Tufts, report average costs ranging from $90,000 to $98,700. Tuition fees account for around 70-80% of these costs.
The $100,000 tuition fee threshold was anticipated, as U.S. tuition has been rising annually by 3-9%. Over the past 20 years, university costs have increased by approximately 40%, based on data collected by U.S. News from 324 schools last year.
| No. | University Name | Cost for 2025-2026 school year (USD) |
| 1 |
New York University |
103,448 |
| 2 |
Barnard College |
103,011 |
| 3 |
Bryn Mawr College |
102,156 |
| 4 |
Georgetown University |
101,000 |
| 5 |
Tufts University |
100,682 |
| 6 |
Wellesley College |
100,541 |
In terms of tuition alone, public universities have raised tuition by 127-158%, depending on whether students are in-state or out-of-state. Private universities, which do not differentiate between international and domestic students, have seen a 132% increase.
The increase in tuition fees is attributed to inflation, higher faculty salaries, and investments in infrastructure.
To support students, many schools offer generous financial aid packages. At Harvard and Stanford, if a student's family income is below $100,000 per year, the school covers all tuition and living expenses. At MIT, Rice University, and the University of Pennsylvania, similar assistance is available if parents earn less than $75,000. Princeton’s threshold is $150,000.
The U.S. remains the world's most popular study destination, attracting over one million international students from more than 200 countries and territories in the 2023-2024 academic year, contributing about $50 billion to the economy.
Among them, Vietnam ranks sixth, with over 22,000 international students.
