The top twenty most expensive college dorms

November 12, 8:31 AMDC College Admissions ExaminerNancy Griesemer

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Dorm room at High Point University
Personal collection

One of the more interesting battlegrounds of the escalating college amenities war involves the continuing construction of glitzier upscale dormitories. It’s really no surprise. Today’s college student needs more dorm room to accommodate the variety of electronics necessary to support his or her lifestyle, and the more pampered prefer singles, hopefully with fully tricked out private baths. And many colleges, particularly those not engaged in the US News and World Report prestige war, are increasingly willing to provide whatever is necessary to attract students to their campuses and keep them there.

But lifestyle accommodations come at a cost. For the 2009-2010 school year, room and board increased 5.4 percent at public colleges and 4.2 percent at private colleges to an average price of $8193 and $9363 respectively for a standard double room.  When available, private rooms come in somewhat higher.

To get an idea of how much these costs can figure into the total price of a college education, Campus Grotto compiled a list of this year’s most expensive* college dorms:

1. Eugene Lang College, NY: $15,990
2. Cooper Union, NY: $15,275
3. Suffolk University, MA: $14,544
4. UC Berkeley, CA: $14,384
5. New York Institute of Technology, NY: $14,290
6. Fordham University (Lincoln Center), NY: $13,830
7. Fordham University (Rose Hill), NY: $13,716
8. UC Santa Cruz, CA: $13,641
9. Manhattanville College, NY: $13,500
10. Chapman University, CA: $13,384
11. Sarah Lawrence College, NY: $13,370
12. UCLA, CA: $13,314
13. Olin College of Engineering, NY: $13,230
14. New York University, NY: $13,226
15. St. Johns University of Queens, NY: $13,140
16. American University, DC: $12,930
17. Marymount Manhattan, NY: $12,874
18. Drexel University, PA: $12,681
19. Pomona College, CA: $12,651
20. Vanderbilt University, TN: $12,650

*  Double occupancy freshman dorms