Attending a public college in your home state may seem like a no-brainer for saving money on a four-year degree.
But in-state tuition can vary dramatically among schools, even within a single state.
Discover the [10 colleges where in-state students pay the most tuition.]
Take Pennsylvania, for example, where the University of Pittsburgh, which is tied with five other schools at No. 62 among National Universities, charges $17,772 in tuition and fees in 2014-2015. That’s the highest in-state tuition of any ranked university that reported the data to U.S. News in an annual survey.
On the opposite end, Pennsylvania’s cheapest ranked public college is Lincoln University . The school, a historically black university, charges $7,160 in tuition and fees.
The price difference between the two is more than $10,000 — a sizable amount, especially when applied over four years.
Enter your information into these [tools to get a tailored college cost estimate.]
In contrast, the priciest and least expensive universities in some other states, such as Nevada and South Dakota , vary by less than $1,000 in cost.
Below are the schools in each state with the highest and lowest in-state tuition and fees among ranked public colleges reporting data to U.S. News.
Wyoming and the District of Columbia are not included on the list because they each had only one ranked public university. The University of Wyoming charges in-state students $4,646 in 2014-2015 and the University of the District of Columbia charges $7,255. The five military academies, which charge no tuition in return for postgraduate service, were also excluded from this list.
| State | School name | 2014-2015 in-state tuition and fees | U.S. News rank and category |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | University of Montevallo | $10,660 | 37 (tie), Regional Universities (South) |
| Alabama Agricultural and Mechanical University | $8,298 | RNP*, Regional Universities (South) | |
| Alaska | University of Alaska–Fairbanks | $6,752 | RNP, National Universities |
| University of Alaska–Anchorage | $6,002 | 68 (tie), Regional Universities (West) | |
| Arizona | University of Arizona | $10,581 | 121 (tie), National Universities |
| Arizona State University–Tempe | $9,811 | 129 (tie), National Universities | |
| Arkansas | University of Arkansas | $8,210 | 135 (tie), National Universities |
| University of Arkansas–Pine Bluff | $5,956 | 43 (tie), Regional Colleges (South) | |
| California | University of California–Irvine | $14,757 | 42 (tie), National Universities |
| California State University–Dominguez Hills | $6,099 | RNP, Regional Universities (West) | |
| Colorado | Colorado School of Mines | $16,918 | 88 (tie), National Universities |
| Fort Lewis College | $7,252 | RNP, National Liberal Arts Colleges | |
| Connecticut | University of Connecticut | $12,700 | 58 (tie), National Universities |
| Central Connecticut State University | $8,877 | 111 (tie), Regional Universities (North) | |
| Delaware | University of Delaware | $12,342 | 76 (tie), National Universities |
| Delaware State University | $7,336 | 135 (tie), Regional Universities (North) | |
| Florida | University of West Florida | $8,942 | RNP, National Universities |
| Florida Atlantic University | $6,039 | RNP, National Universities | |
| Georgia | Georgia Institute of Technology | $11,394 | 35 (tie), National Universities |
| Georgia Gwinnett College | $5,352 | RNP, Regional Colleges (South) | |
| Hawaii | University of Hawaii–Manoa | $10,620 | 168 (tie), National Universities |
| University of Hawaii–Hilo | $7,036 | RNP, National Liberal Arts Colleges | |
| Idaho | University of Idaho | $6,784 | 166 (tie), National Universities |
| Lewis-Clark State College | $5,900 | 21, Regional Colleges (West) | |
| Illinois | University of Illinois–Urbana-Champaign | $15,602 | 42 (tie), National Universities |
| Southern Illinois University–Edwardsville | $9,738 | 47, Regional Universities (Midwest) | |
| Indiana | Indiana University–Bloomington | $10,388 | 76 (tie), National Universities |
| Indiana University East | $6,787 | RNP, Regional Colleges (Midwest) | |
| Iowa | University of Iowa | $8,079 | 71 (tie), National Universities |
| Iowa State University | $7,731 | 106 (tie), National Universities | |
| Kansas | University of Kansas | $10,448 | 106 (tie), National Universities |
| Fort Hays State University | $4,469 | RNP, Regional Universities (Midwest) | |
| Kentucky | University of Kentucky | $10,616 | 129 (tie), National Universities |
| Murray State University | $7,392 | 26 (tie), Regional Universities (South) | |
| Louisiana | Louisiana State University–Baton Rouge | $8,750 | 129 (tie), National Universities |
| Louisiana State University–Alexandria | $5,315 | RNP, National Liberal Arts Colleges | |
| Maine | Maine Maritime Academy | $17,120 | 8, Regional Colleges (North) |
| University of Maine–Presque Isle | $7,436 | 46 (tie), Regional Colleges (North) | |
| Maryland | St. Mary’s College of Maryland | $14,874 | 89 (tie), National Liberal Arts Colleges |
| University of Maryland–Eastern Shore | $7,287 | RNP, Regional Universities (North) | |
| Massachusetts | University of Massachusetts–Amherst | $13,258 | 76 (tie), National Universities |
| Massachusetts Maritime Academy | $7,203 | 7, Regional Colleges (North) | |
| Michigan | Michigan Technological University | $14,040 | 116 (tie), National Universities |
| Saginaw Valley State University | $8,691 | RNP, Regional Universities (Midwest) | |
| Minnesota | University of Minnesota–Twin Cities | $13,626 | 71 (tie), National Universities |
| Minnesota State University–Moorhead | $7,838 | 106 (tie), Regional Universities (Midwest) | |
| Mississippi | University of Mississippi | $7,096 | 149 (tie), National Universities |
| Mississippi University for Women | $5,640 | 47 (tie), Regional Universities (South) | |
| Missouri | University of Missouri–Kansas City | $9,582 | 189 (tie), National Universities |
| Missouri Southern State University | $5,416 | RNP, Regional Colleges (Midwest) | |
| Montana | Montana State University | $6,894 | RNP, National Universities |
| Montana State University–Billings | $5,780 | RNP, Regional Universities (West) | |
| Nebraska | University of Nebraska–Omaha | $6,750 | RNP, National Universities |
| Wayne State College | $5,604 | 84 (tie), Regional Universities (Midwest) | |
| Nevada | University of Nevada–Las Vegas | $6,690 | RNP, National Universities |
| University of Nevada–Reno | $6,415 | 194 (tie), National Universities | |
| New Hampshire | University of New Hampshire | $16,552 | 99 (tie), National Universities |
| Plymouth State University | $12,677 | 103 (tie), Regional Universities (North) | |
| New Jersey | New Jersey Institute of Technology | $15,602 | 149 (tie), National Universities |
| New Jersey City University | $10,852 | RNP, Regional Universities (North) | |
| New Mexico | New Mexico State University | $6,573 | RNP, National Universities |
| New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology | $6,256 | 23 (tie), Regional Universities (West) | |
| New York | Binghamton University–SUNY | $8,619 | 88 (tie), National Universities |
| CUNY–Hunter College | $6,129 | 50 (tie), Regional Universities (North) | |
| North Carolina | University of North Carolina–Chapel Hill | $8,374 | 30, National Universities |
| Elizabeth City State University | $4,497 | 29 (tie), Regional Colleges (South) | |
| North Dakota | Valley City State University | $6,704 | 44, Regional Colleges (Midwest) |
| Bismarck State College | $4,222 | 69 (tie), Regional Colleges (Midwest) | |
| Ohio | Miami University–Oxford | $14,287 | 76 (tie), National Universities |
| Shawnee State University | $7,364 | RNP, National Liberal Arts Colleges | |
| Oklahoma | University of Oklahoma | $7,695 | 106 (tie), National Universities |
| Northeastern State University | $4,994 | 84 (tie), Regional Universities (West) | |
| Oregon | University of Oregon | $9,918 | 106 (tie), National Universities |
| Oregon State University | $8,276 | 138 (tie), National Universities | |
| Pennsylvania | University of Pittsburgh | $17,772 | 62 (tie), National Universities |
| Lincoln University | $7,160 | RNP, Regional Universities (North) | |
| Rhode Island | University of Rhode Island | $12,506 | 161 (tie), National Universities |
| Rhode Island College | $7,602 | 122 (tie), Regional Universities (North) | |
| South Carolina | Winthrop University | $13,812 | 25, Regional Universities (South) |
| University of South Carolina–Beaufort | $9,092 | 59 (tie), Regional Colleges (South) | |
| South Dakota | Dakota State University | $8,286 | 80 (tie), Regional Universities (Midwest) |
| Northern State University | $7,563 | 47 (tie), Regional Colleges (Midwest) | |
| Tennessee | University of Tennessee | $11,246 | 106 (tie), National Universities |
| Tennessee State University | $6,776 | RNP, National Universities | |
| Texas | University of Houston | $10,518 | 189 (tie), National Universities |
| University of Texas–Pan American | $6,134 | RNP, Regional Universities (West) | |
| Utah | University of Utah | $7,935 | 129 (tie), National Universities |
| Weber State University | $5,126 | 68 (tie), Regional Universities (West) | |
| Vermont | University of Vermont | $16,226 | 85 (tie), National Universities |
| Vermont Technical College | $13,200 | 36, Regional Colleges (North) | |
| Virginia | College of William and Mary | $17,656 | 33 (tie), National Universities |
| Virginia State University | $8,002 | 92 (tie), Regional Universities (South) | |
| Washington | Washington State University | $12,428 | 138 (tie), National Universities |
| Eastern Washington University | $7,982 | 66 (tie), Regional Universities (West) | |
| West Virginia | West Virginia University | $6,960 | 168 (tie), National Universities |
| Fairmont State University | $5,824 | RNP, Regional Universities (South) | |
| Wisconsin | University of Wisconsin–Madison | $10,410 | 47, National Universities |
| University of Wisconsin–Parkside | $7,316 | RNP, National Liberal Arts Colleges |
* RNP denotes an institution that is ranked in the bottom one-fourth of its rankings category. U.S. News calculates a rank for the school but has decided not to publish it.
The tuition and fees data above are correct as of Dec. 18, 2014. For complete tuition and fees data, full rankings and much more, access the U.S. News College Compass.
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Where to Find the Highest and Lowest In-State Tuition in Each State originally appeared on usnews.com