We’ve already told you that George Washington University in Washington, DC, is the most expensive college in the US. What we didn’t tell you, however, was that GW is also the most expensive university in the world. The university—known for its undergraduate liberal arts programs and its graduate programs in social sciences, international affairs, law, et cetera—was originally funded by a stipulation in George Washington’s will that fifty shares of the Potomac Company be used to support his long-held desire that the District of Columbia should be home to such an institution. While the shares didn’t turn out to be worth much, Washington’s wishes were eventually carried out by Baptist minister Luther Rice, who purchased land on Meridian Hill for the project.

Today, the university is located a mere four blocks from the White House. Tuition for the 2007-2008 school year, $39,240, is largely mitigated by the fact that GW provides the most need-based aid in the country; the average freshman received a package of around $23,466 this year. Even so, the school’s new president is working to make the world’s most expensive college more affordable to incoming students.

Surprisingly enough (or perhaps not), the top five most expensive colleges in the world are all US institutions: Kenyon College in Ohio ($38,140), Bucknell University in Pennsylvania ($38,134) and New York’s Vassar College ($38,115) and Sarah Lawrence College ($38,090).

The most expensive higher education outside of the US comes from Quest University Canada (formerly Sea to Sky University). This non-profit, private institution, opened September of 2007 in British Columbia, offers its eighty students only a single degree—a Bachelor of Arts and Sciences. They hope to have 640 students by 2010. Students take courses on the 190 acre campus in eighteen-day blocks rather than taking multiple courses at once. Tuition for the most expensive college outside of the US is $24,000 CAD ($23,420 USD).

Of course, while it certainly helps, attending one of the world’s most expensive colleges won’t guarantee that a student gets the best education in the world. The most important part of a student’s education is the drive to learn and to excel. Only when a student has these qualities can he or she be receptive to the benefits of higher education.

Similar Posts:

• Most Expensive Colleges in the US
• Most Expensive Prep School
• Most Expensive College Town in the US
• Most Expensive Preschool
• America’s Most Expensive Public School
• America’s Most Expensive College Dorm Rooms