25 Least Affordable Colleges (Photos)

The Daily Beast compared institutions based on the average net price students paid after need-based aid, which accounted for 80 percent of the final ranking. We figured the other 20 percent by looking at the six-year graduation rate of each school to find those that are not affordable relative to other colleges. To be fair, these schools are the “worst” of the best as we only considered schools with a graduation rate of at least 75 percent.

Quinn Ryan/The Daily Beast

galleries/2014/11/06/25-least-affordable-colleges-photos/141030-least-25-scranton_ps0oll

#25

University of Scranton

Scranton, Pennsylvania

6-Year Graduation Rate: 83%

Average net price: $31,490

ArtP/Alamy

galleries/2014/11/06/25-least-affordable-colleges-photos/141030-least-24-gw_yvwgig

#24

George Washington University

Washington, District of Columbia

6-Year Graduation Rate: 80%

Average net price: $31,443

The Washington Post

galleries/2014/11/06/25-least-affordable-colleges-photos/141030-least-23-furman_qthzcd

#23

Furman University

Greenville, South Carolina

6-Year Graduation Rate: 83%

Average net price: $32,163

Patti McConville/Alamy

galleries/2014/11/06/25-least-affordable-colleges-photos/141030-least-22-mulehnberg_t83cox

#22

Muhlenberg College

Allentown, Pennsylvania

6-Year Graduation Rate: 87%

Average net price: $32,841

MCT

galleries/2014/11/06/25-least-affordable-colleges-photos/141030-least-21-hobart_nm7zzs

#21

Hobart and William Smith Colleges

Geneva, New York

6-Year Graduation Rate: 76%

Average net price: $31,086

Peter Steiner/Alamy

galleries/2014/11/06/25-least-affordable-colleges-photos/141030-least-20-stonehill_iazxji

#20

Stonehill College

Easton, Massachusetts

6-Year Graduation Rate: 80%

Average net price: $31,743

Boston Globe/Getty

galleries/2014/11/06/25-least-affordable-colleges-photos/141030-least-19-wake-forest_hyzohh

#19

Wake Forest University

Winston Salem, North Carolina

6-Year Graduation Rate: 87%

Average net price: $32,868

Andre Jenny/Alamy

galleries/2014/11/06/25-least-affordable-colleges-photos/141030-least-18-prov_jjmmow

#18

Providence College

Providence, Rhode Island

6-Year Graduation Rate: 87%

Average net price: $33,023

Providence College/Facebook

galleries/2014/11/06/25-least-affordable-colleges-photos/141030-least-17-union_h18oyl

#17

Union College

Schenectady, New York

6-Year Graduation Rate: 83%

Average net price: $32,633

Philip Scalia/Alamy

galleries/2014/11/06/25-least-affordable-colleges-photos/141030-least-16-mellon_z3b8rl

#16

Carnegie Mellon University

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

6-Year Graduation Rate: 87%

Average net price: $33,257

AFP/Getty

galleries/2014/11/06/25-least-affordable-colleges-photos/141030-least-15-seattle_ztmuld

#15

Seattle University

Seattle, Washington

6-Year Graduation Rate: 78%

Average net price: $31,961

Mary Knox Merrill/Getty

galleries/2014/11/06/25-least-affordable-colleges-photos/141030-least-14-boston_yw2doh

#14

Boston University

Boston, Massachusetts

6-Year Graduation Rate: 84%

Average net price: $33,172

AFP/Getty

galleries/2014/11/06/25-least-affordable-colleges-photos/141030-least-13-denver_rcxduu

#13

University of Denver

Denver, Colorado

6-Year Graduation Rate: 76%

Average net price: $32,188

Doug Pensinger/Getty

galleries/2014/11/06/25-least-affordable-colleges-photos/141030-least-12-bryant_tpekzf

#12

Bryant University

Smithfield, Rhode Island

6-Year Graduation Rate: 80%

Average net price: $33,111

Facebook

galleries/2014/11/06/25-least-affordable-colleges-photos/141030-least-11-whitman_ujmdcr

#11

Whitman College

Walla Walla, Washington

6-Year Graduation Rate: 87%

Average net price: $34,399

William Mancebo/Getty

galleries/2014/11/06/25-least-affordable-colleges-photos/141030-least-10-american_swez24

#10

American University

Washington, District of Columbia

6-Year Graduation Rate: 77%

Average net price: $32,688

The Washington Post

galleries/2014/11/06/25-least-affordable-colleges-photos/141030-least-9-fairfeild_x9pe3g

#9

Fairfield University

Fairfield, Connecticut

6-Year Graduation Rate: 81%

Average net price: $33,466

Boston Globe/Getty

galleries/2014/11/06/25-least-affordable-colleges-photos/141030-least-8-marist_hy764n

#8

Marist College

Poughkeepsie, New York

6-Year Graduation Rate: 80%

Average net price: $33,426

Creative Commons/slgckgc

galleries/2014/11/06/25-least-affordable-colleges-photos/141030-least-7-fordham_buhhph

#7

Fordham University

Bronx, New York

6-Year Graduation Rate: 81%

Average net price: $34,311

Peter Titmuss/Getty

galleries/2014/11/06/25-least-affordable-colleges-photos/141030-least-6-san-diego_jig4rs

#6

University of San Diego

San Diego, California

6-Year Graduation Rate: 76%

Average net price: $33,334

Creative Commons/O Palsson

galleries/2014/11/06/25-least-affordable-colleges-photos/141030-least-5-puget_lyt9cp

#5

University of Puget Sound

Tacoma, Washington

6-Year Graduation Rate: 77%

Average net price: $33,439

Kevin Casey/Getty

galleries/2014/11/06/25-least-affordable-colleges-photos/141030-least-4-nyu_czqv25

#4

New York University

New York, New York

6-Year Graduation Rate: 85%

Average net price: $37,656

Andrew Burton/Getty

galleries/2014/11/06/25-least-affordable-colleges-photos/141030-least-3-sju_xt4xtz

#3

Saint Joseph's University

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

6-Year Graduation Rate: 79%

Average net price: $35,408

Wikimedia Commons

galleries/2014/11/06/25-least-affordable-colleges-photos/141030-least-2-quinnipiac_poee7u

#2

Quinnipiac University

Hamden, Connecticut

6-Year Graduation Rate: 75%

Average net price: $35,544

Wikimedia Commons

#1

Loyola Marymount University

Los Angeles, California

6-Year Graduation Rate: 75%

Average net price: $36,687

AFP/Getty

25 Least Affordable Colleges (Photos)

These schools are not only expensive, their graduation rates are less impressive than those of their competitors.

Brandy Zadrozny