New England states, particularly Massachusetts, are home to many of the top-ranked research universities and liberal arts colleges in the country.
The prestige long associated with getting a diploma from one of these schools can come with a jaw-dropping price tag.
The cost of attendance for the 2026-2027 school year will surge past $100,000 at more than a dozen colleges and universities in New England, according to prices for tuition, on-campus housing, and assorted fees listed on the schools’ websites.
Last year, the sticker price of attendance at Wellesley College cracked the $100,000 mark, ringing in at $100,541. Starting this fall, the annual cost of attendance at the school will rise to $103,037, according to the college.
Several private liberal arts schools in Western Massachusetts have also listed sticker prices of more than $100,000 for the 2026-2027 school year, including Smith, Amherst, and Williams colleges.
For most students, the cost of college attendance includes more than just tuition, room, and board, although those direct costs make up the bulk of expenses.
Health insurance (mandated if a student’s existing plan doesn’t meet requirements), textbooks, personal expenses and travel costs can push those staggering totals higher still.
Still, some schools report the true cost of administering their degrees is much higher than the tuition advertised.
MIT, for example, says it costs “about twice the listed tuition” to award students a degree, according to its website.
“Thus, even those students who pay full tuition without financial aid attend MIT at a 50% discount relative to its institutional cost,” according to the school.
The advertised price for attendance at MIT this fall? $98,132.
Of course, financial aid brings costs way down for many students.
Grants can push the cost of attendance down by tens of thousands of dollars for many families, largely based on parent income. Some students may also earn merit scholarships, as well as outside scholarships from businesses and nonprofits in their hometowns.
As the cost of attendance has climbed in recent years, several schools have begun providing free tuition to students from families making less than $150,000 per year.
Many students get at least some financial aid, even if they don’t qualify for the most generous grants.
At Boston College, for example, 67 percent of undergraduates received financial aid during the 2024-2025 school year, the university said. This year, 17 percent of Boston College undergrads qualified for Pell Grants, the federal grant program for families demonstrating exceptional financial need, officials said.
Many students receiving financial aid may be the first in their family to attend a 4-year college in the U.S., an achievement that could dramatically change their trajectory, said Professor Stella Flores, chair of the Department of Educational Leadership and Higher Education at Boston College’s Lynch School of Education and Human Development.
But Ivy League schools and other institutions with sky-high sticker prices represent only one path to a college degree, Flores said.
Community colleges are a more realistic option for many across the US, she said.
For students from lower-income backgrounds who decide to pursue an education at a more expensive school, financial aid can be life-changing, Flores said.
“There is a way to afford it, in this country,” Flores said.
Access to top-ranked schools has historically been dominated by students from wealthy, elite backgrounds, who are more likely to attend rigorous college-prep high schools, she said.
There will always be families that can afford to pay full price, making it more likely their child will be admitted to schools without need-blind admissions policies, Flores said.
“We’re having all these fights about affirmative action, but sometimes it’s the families that can pay that get in, but we don’t talk about that,” said Flores, who said she received financial aid to attend Rice University in Houston after growing up in rural Texas.
Here is the full cost of attendance this fall at a selection of colleges and universities in New England, according to their websites. Some schools, including Northeastern University and Emerson College, have not released their costs for the upcoming academic year.
Brown University — Providence, R.I.
This Ivy League university known for its open curriculum, allowing students to take courses from as many disciplines as they choose, has one of the highest costs of attendance in New England.
Total cost of attendance for 2026-2027, including travel costs, books and health insurance plan: $107,277
Wesleyan University — Middletown, Conn.
This private school was ranked the No. 13 liberal arts college in the U.S. by the US News and World Report.
Total cost of attendance for 2026-2027: $104,797
Dartmouth College — Hanover, N.H.
Including flights and health insurance, which are additional costs for many students, this Ivy League school is one of the most expensive in New England, according to its website.
Total cost of attendance for 2026-2027: $104,443
Wellesley College — Wellesley
Total cost of attendance for 2026-2027: $103,037
Williams College — Williamstown
This small, private school in Western Massachusetts founded in 1793 was ranked the No. 1 liberal arts college in the U.S. this year by US News and World Report.
Total cost of attendance for 2026-2027: $102,325
Amherst College — Amherst
Total cost of attendance for 2026-2027: $102,426
Smith College — Northampton
Total cost of attendance for 2026-2027: $102,226
Boston College — Chestnut Hill
Total cost of attendance for 2026-2027: $102,061
Boston University — Boston
Total cost of attendance for 2026-2027: $101,957
Colby College — Waterville, Maine
Total cost of attendance 2026-2027: $101,925
Tufts University — Somerville/Medford
Total cost of attendance, using data from 2025-2026: $101,799
Yale University — New Haven, Conn.
Total cost of attendance for 2026-2027: $101,749
Middlebury College — Middlebury, Vt.
Total cost of attendance for 2026-2027: $101,198
Harvard University — Cambridge
Total cost of attendance for 2026-2027: $100,888
Bates College — Lewiston, Maine
Total cost of attendance for 2026-2027: $99,612
Mount Holyoke College — South Hadley
Total cost of attendance for 2026-2027: $98,870
MIT — Cambridge
Total cost of attendance for 2026-2027: $98,132
College of the Holy Cross — Worcester
Total cost of attendance for 2026-2027: $97,461
Northeastern University — Boston
Total cost of attendance, using data from 2025-2026: $94,137
(Does not include the price of student health insurance plan).
Bowdoin College — Brunswick, Maine
Total cost of attendance, using data from 2025-2026: $93,800
(Does not include the price of student health insurance plan).
Worcester Polytechnic Institute — Worcester
Total cost of attendance for 2026-2027: $90,851
Brandeis University — Waltham
Total cost of attendance for 2026-2027: $89,956
Emerson College — Boston
Total cost of attendance, using data from 2025-2026: $88,316
Suffolk University — Boston
Total cost of attendance for 2026-2027: $84,852
Clark University — Worcester
Total cost of attendance for 2026-2027: $82,015
University of Massachusetts — Boston
Total cost of attendance for 2026-2027: $44,258 (in-state), $67,064 (out-of-state)
University of Massachusetts, Amherst
Total cost of attendance for 2026-2027: $42,366 (in-state), $66,453 (out-of-state)
Claire Thornton can be reached at claire.thornton@globe.com. Follow Claire on X @claire_thornto.