The Most Expensive MBA Programs

The new ultra-modern Ross School of Business

The Priciest Full-Time MBA Programs In The U.S.

Alas, debt is one thing. Sticker shock is another. And b-school tuitions can make even the heartiest spender pause. Just take a look at these tuition figures from U.S. News: Harvard ($56,175), Stanford ($59,550), Wharton ($59,376), MIT Sloan ($61,152), Kellogg ($59,085), Columbia ($60,720)….Get the picture?

Oh…and that’s just for the first year. And that doesn’t include fees (or housing, food, insurance, entertainment, and travel).

Gulp!

Yeah, the cost of attending a private institution can be rather intimidating. So is it any better at public institutions? According to U.S. News, out-of-state students can save a few thousand dollars, but…

Well, let’s start with Exhibit A: The University of Michigan’s Ross School of Business. Ranked 11th overall, out-of-staters pay $57,394. But don’t assume in-state applicants will catch a break at Ross. No, they pay $52,200 in tuition (excluding fees).

Exhibit B: The University of Virginia’s School of Business. Like Ross, Darden is a top five school when it comes to both debt burden and tuition costs. Darden, which even shares a #11 ranking with Ross, charges $55,900 to out-of-state residents (against $48,402 for in-state residents…again, excluding fees).

And fees are a big deal according to U.S. News, where some schools tack on up to $10,000 on top of tuition. And residency can also make a difference, with U.S. News citing that the University of North Carolina’s Kenan-Flagler School of Business, which charges in-state residents $34,953 (as opposed to $54,385). Similarly, the difference between in-state and out-of-state tuition at the University of Texas’ McCombs School of Business was $16,000 this year. Perhaps applicants should start examining residency requirements?

Looking for a trend? Five of the ten most expensive programs for out-of-state resident costs are based in California (including unranked California-Riverside and #60 California-San Diego). In fact, Riverside applicants – if they had the GMAT and experience – would ultimately pay less at higher-ranked programs like the University of Washington (Foster) or Brigham Young (Marriott)…the latter being a steal for non-LDS members at $22,560 (excluding fees).

Here are the top 10 schools for highest out-of-state tuition and fees:

The Priciest Full-Time MBA Programs In The U.S.

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Sources: U.S. News & World Report and U.S. News and World Report