With the current exchange rate hovering around Rs 83 for one US dollar, Indian students aspiring to study abroad are facing a daunting financial challenge. The dream of enrolling in some of the world’s top universities and colleges comes with a hefty price tag, with annual tuition fees reaching as high as Rs 52 lakhs.
The financial burden doesn’t stop at tuition fees. When factoring in the total annual cost of attendance – which includes accommodation, food, travel and insurance, among other expenses – the figure can skyrocket to an overwhelming Rs 73 lakhs or more.
Here are the 10 most expensive universities/colleges in the world:
1. Columbia University, New York, USA:
Established in 1754 by King George II of Great Britain, Columbia University is a prestigious institution with an annual tuition fee of US $ 68,400 and an approximate annual cost of attendance of US $ 89,587. The university ranks 23rd in the Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) World University rankings. Popular majors include Philosophy, Environmental Science and English. Notable alumni include Barack Obama, Warren Buffet, Alfred A Knopf, Julia Stiles, Timothée Chalamet, James Franco, Art Garfunkel and 11 billionaires to date.
2. Duke University, Durham, North Carolina, USA:
Founded in 1924 by James Buchanan Duke, Duke University has an annual tuition fee of US $ 63,450 and an approximate annual cost of attendance of US $ 83,263. The university ranks 57th in the QS World University rankings. Popular majors include Computer Science, Biological Sciences, Computer Engineering, Neurosciences, Mechanical Engineering, Bioengineering and Biomedical Engineering. Notable alumni include US President Richard Nixon, Tim Cook, Ken Jeong, Melinda Gates and 14 living billionaires.
3. Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island:
Established in 1764 by Nicholas, John, Joseph and Moses Brown, Brown University has an annual tuition fee of US $ 65,656 and an approximate annual cost of attendance of US $ 87,648. The university ranks 73rd in the QS World University rankings. Notable alumni include Nobel Prize winners, Pulitzer Prize recipients, Supreme Court Justices, Olympic medalists, John F Kennedy, Emma Watson and John Krasinski.
4. Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut, USA:
Founded in 1701 by Samuel Andrew, Thomas Buckingham, Israel Chauncy and others, Yale University has an annual tuition fee of US $ 64,700 and an approximate annual cost of attendance of US $ 83,880. The university ranks 16th in the QS World University rankings. Popular majors include Economics, Political Science, History, Computer Science, Psychology, Global Affairs and English. Notable alumni include 5 US Presidents, Meryl Streep, Angela Bassett, Anderson Cooper and 21 billionaires to date.
5. University of Cambridge, United Kingdom:
Established in 1209, the University of Cambridge ranks 2nd in the Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) World University rankings. The annual tuition fees range between US $ 32,743.17 and US $ 84,898. Popular majors include Mathematics, Physics and Computer Science. Notable alumni include Stephen Hawking, Charles Darwin, Robert Oppenheimer and the university has collectively produced 121 Nobel Prize winners and 194 Olympic medal-winning athletes.
6. University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, USA:
Founded in 1890 by John D. Rockefeller, the University of Chicago ranks 11th in the QS World University rankings. The annual tuition fee is US $ 63,801 with an approximate annual cost of attendance of US $ 89,040. Popular majors include Economics, Computer Science, Mathematics, Biological Sciences and Political Science. Notable alumni include 99 Nobel laureates, 27 Pulitzer prize winners, 29 living billionaires and 8 Olympic medalists; most notably astronomer Carl Sagan, writer Kurt Vonnegut, novelist Paul Goodman and economist Milton Friedman.
7. Dartmouth College, Hanover, New Hampshire, USA:
Established in 1769 by Eleazar Wheelock, Dartmouth College ranks 237th in the QS World University rankings. The annual tuition fee is US $ 63,684 with an approximate annual cost of attendance of US $ 87,315. The Geisel School of Medicine is the nation’s fourth-oldest medical school; Thayer School of Engineering is among the nation’s first professional schools of engineering and the Tuck School of Business is the world’s first graduate school of management. Notable alumni include poet Robert Frost, Game of Thrones showrunner David Benioff, Grey’s Anatomy showrunner Shonda Rhimes, actress Mindy Kaling and as of 2022, Dartmouth has produced 10 billionaires.
8. Harvey Mudd College, Claremont, California, USA:
Founded in 1955 by the friends and family of Harvey Seeley Mudd, Harvey Mudd College has an annual tuition fee of US $ 65,954 with an approximate annual cost of attendance of US $ 89,115. Popular majors include Computer Science, Mathematics and Engineering. Notable alumni include computer scientist Donald D. Chamberlin and astronaut Stanley G. Love.
9. Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois, USA:
Founded in 1851 by Grant Goodrich, John Evans and others, Northwestern University ranks 47th in the Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) World University rankings. The annual tuition fee is US $ 64,887 with an approximate annual cost of attendance of US $ 91,290. The university boasts 11 diverse schools including the Kellogg School of Management, the Pritzker School of Law and the Feinberg School of Medicine. Notable alumni include Stephen Colbert, Seth Meyers, George RR Martin, David Schwimmer and Hugh Hefner.
10. Tufts University, Medford, Massachusetts, USA:
Established in 1852 by Charles Tufts, Tufts University ranks 379th in the QS World University rankings. The annual tuition fee is US $ 66,358 with an approximate annual cost of attendance of US $ 81,700. Popular majors include Economics, Biology and International Relations. Notable alumni include Jessica Biel, Tracy Chapman, Shashi Tharoor, Oliver Platt, Pierre Omidyar and Daniel Patrick Moynihan.
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