The full ranking
Sticker tuition measured against the U.S. News rankings. These are the private schools charging near-Ivy prices for educations the rankings place far down the table.
Bennington College (VT)
Tuition of $68,746 sits within a few thousand dollars of the Ivy League sticker while U.S. News ranks the school No. 121 among liberal arts colleges. Federal Scorecard data show median earnings of roughly $38,000 a decade after entry, the lowest of any school on this list.
Hampshire College (Amherst, MA)
The experimental college charges $61,484 against a No. 156 liberal arts rank, the widest tuition-to-rank gap of any private school in the country. The math finally caught up: in April 2026 Hampshire announced it will close permanently after the fall semester.
The New School (New York, NY)
A Greenwich Village address and $61,208 tuition come with a No. 213 national ranking. Median earnings of $52,901 ten years after entry trail nearly every private university charging a comparable price.
Sarah Lawrence College (Bronxville, NY)
Once famous as the most expensive college in America, Sarah Lawrence still cracks The College Investor's 2026 most-expensive list while U.S. News ranks it No. 109 among liberal arts colleges. Money's 2025 guide gives it 2.5 stars out of 5.
Pacific University (Forest Grove, OR)
The steepest tuition-to-rank mismatch among national universities: a $58,348 sticker at No. 232 in the rankings. Scorecard median earnings of about $60,600 are respectable, but the price sits in the top sixth of American private universities.
Albion College (MI)
The small Michigan college charges $58,500 against a No. 131 liberal arts rank, a price in the top third of private colleges nationwide. Money rates it 3.5 stars on value.
Hofstra University (Hempstead, NY)
Long Island's largest private university charges $59,960 in tuition, with an estimated full cost above $79,000 a year, at a No. 183 national rank. Money's 2025 guide scores it 2.5 stars out of 5 on value.
Lewis & Clark College (Portland, OR)
Tuition of $68,048 lands in the top fifth of American private colleges while U.S. News ranks the school No. 96 among liberal arts colleges. Money rates the Portland school 3 stars on its value-weighted scale.
Beloit College (WI)
Beloit's $62,586 tuition sits in the top third of private-college stickers while median earnings of $53,260 a decade after entry are among the lowest in this field. U.S. News ranks it No. 92 among liberal arts colleges.
The Catholic University of America (Washington, DC)
The bishops' national university charges $60,416 against a No. 169 U.S. News rank. Median earnings of $73,250, boosted by the Washington job market, are why it sits at the bottom of this ten rather than the top.
Ranked across 5 sources: Tuition vs. U.S. News Rank · Value Gap (June 2026); College Scorecard · Lowest Median Earnings 10 Years After Entry (June 2026); Money Best Colleges 2025 · Value Stars, Lowest First; The College Investor 2026 · Most Expensive Colleges (on-tier items); College Raptor 2025 · Most Expensive Tuition (unordered mention). Full scoring is on the Methodology tab above.
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