20 Least Affordable Colleges (photos)

Using the same method we used to find our most affordable schools, The Daily Beast ranked colleges based on the average net price (or price paid after need-based aid) and the graduation rate for each school to find those that are not affordable relative to other colleges. The average net price amounted to 80 percent of the final score weighting, while the six-year graduation rate accounted for 20 percent. Only those schools with a graduation rate of at least 75 percent were eligible for the list.

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Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

6-Year Grad Rate: 75.8%

Average Net Price: $34,856

3-Year Credit Default Rate: 5%

Average Debt of Graduates: $40,160

Percent of Graduates with Debt: 63%

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Los Angeles, California

6-Year Grad Rate: 77%

Average Net Price: $32,654

3-Year Credit Default Rate: 4.5%

Average Debt of Graduates: $31,246

Percent of Graduates with Debt: 60%

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Bronx, New York

6-Year Grad Rate: 77.6%

Average Net Price: $33,679

3-Year Credit Default Rate: 5%

Average Debt of Graduates: $38,150

Percent of Graduates with Debt: 64%

myLoupe/Universal Images Group/Getty Images

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Hamden, Connecticut

6-Year Grad Rate: 76.9%

Average Net Price: $32,158

3-Year Credit Default Rate: 2.4%

Average Debt of Graduates: $39,500

Percent of Graduates with Debt: 69%

Richard Mei/AP

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Geneva, New York

6-Year Grad Rate: 75.2%

Average Net Price: $31,546

3-Year Credit Default Rate: 1.6%

Average Debt of Graduates: $32,418

Percent of Graduates with Debt: 77%

Don Cochran

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Washington, District of Columbia

6-Year Grad Rate: 77.2%

Average Net Price: $31,447

3-Year Credit Default Rate: 4.6%

Average Debt of Graduates: $37,674

Percent of Graduates with Debt: 58%

Jeff Watts/Courtesy of American University

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Denver, Colorado

6-Year Grad Rate: 78.2%

Average Net Price: $31,244

3-Year Credit Default Rate: 3%

Average Debt of Graduates: $26,628

Percent of Graduates with Debt: 44%

Wayne Armstrong

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New York, New York

6-Year Grad Rate: 86.4%

Average Net Price: $36,834

3-Year Credit Default Rate: 3.6%

Average Debt of Graduates: $36,351

Percent of Graduates with Debt: 54%

Andria Patino/Corbis

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Easton, Massachusetts

6-Year Grad Rate: 81.3%

Average Net Price: $31,893

3-Year Credit Default Rate: 2.6%

Average Debt of Graduates: $29,440

Percent of Graduates with Debt: 71%

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Smithfield, Rhode Island

6-Year Grad Rate: 77.2%

Average Net Price: $30,728

3-Year Credit Default Rate: 3.4%

Average Debt of Graduates: $37,813

Percent of Graduates with Debt: 79%

Pat Lovell/CSM/Landov

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Allentown, Pennsylvania

6-Year Grad Rate: 85.6%

Average Net Price: $32,692

3-Year Credit Default Rate: 1.7%

Average Debt of Graduates: $26,270

Percent of Graduates with Debt: 64%

Matt Rourke/AP

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Santa Barbara, California

6-Year Grad Rate: 77.1%

Average Net Price: $30,495

3-Year Credit Default Rate: 2%

Average Debt of Graduates: $30,940

Percent of Graduates with Debt: 64%

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Poughkeepsie, New York

6-Year Grad Rate: 80.3%

Average Net Price: $31,073

3-Year Credit Default Rate: 2%

Average Debt of Graduates: $32,507

Percent of Graduates with Debt: 69%

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Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

6-Year Grad Rate: 87%

Average Net Price: $32,054

3-Year Credit Default Rate: 1.3%

Average Debt of Graduates: $29,303

Percent of Graduates with Debt: 46%

Carnegie Mellon University

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Scranton, Pennsylvania

6-Year Grad Rate: 77.1%

Average Net Price: $29,475

3-Year Credit Default Rate: 3.8%

Average Debt of Graduates: $32,582

Percent of Graduates with Debt: 74%

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Providence, Rhode Island

6-Year Grad Rate: 85%

Average Net Price: $31,165

3-Year Credit Default Rate: 2.2%

Average Debt of Graduates: $32,850

Percent of Graduates with Debt: 74%

Bob Rowan/Corbis

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Dallas, Texas

6-Year Grad Rate: 75.3%

Average Net Price: $29,140

3-Year Credit Default Rate: 6. 8%

Average Debt of Graduates: $26,297

Percent of Graduates with Debt: 38%

Brooks Kraft/Corbis

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Rochester, New York

6-Year Grad Rate: 83.1%

Average Net Price: $30,458

3-Year Credit Default Rate: 2.2%

Average Debt of Graduates: $28,100

Percent of Graduates with Debt: 64%

J. Adam Fenster/University of Rochester

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Winston Salem, North Carolina

6-Year Grad Rate: 88.2%

Average Net Price: $31,185

3-Year Credit Default Rate: 1.4%

Average Debt of Graduates: $35,070

Percent of Graduates with Debt: 39%

Ken Bennett

20 Least Affordable Colleges (photos)

With relatively low graduation rates and high net prices, these are the country’s costliest schools.

The Daily Beast