Princeton ranks among most expensive New Jersey schools

Tuition at Princeton for the 2009-10 academic year for both in-state and out-of-state students stands at $35,340, up 3.1 percent from the previous year.

The Stevens Institute of Technology is the most expensive private nonprofit four-year college in New Jersey this year, with tuition at $38,600 for both in-state and out-of-state students. Drew University was ranked second in this category, with a tuition of $38,017.

The total cost of attending Princeton this year stands at $47,020, up 2.9 percent from last year. This includes tuition, room and board expenses, and miscellaneous fees.

Room and board costs add up to $11,680 for the 2009-10 year, including $6,340 in rooming expenses and $5,340 for board fees, according to the website of the financial aid office. Room and board fees, which include student meal plans and general living expenses, increased by 2.9 percent, from $11,405 for the 2008-09 academic year.

This year’s 3.1 percent increase in tuition is the second lowest annual increase since 2001. The tuition increases in that time period have ranged anywhere from 3.9 percent recorded in the fall of 2008, to 5.1 percent recorded in the fall of 2005. Only in the 2007-08 academic year were tuition fees held constant.

Nationwide, Princeton is the 117th most expensive private nonprofit four-year college in the United States this academic year. Harvard is 89th with a tuition of $36,828, and Yale is 97th with a tuition of $36,500, according to the data from the Chronicle.

Connecticut College is the most expensive, with tuition at $42,335. It is followed by Sarah Lawrence, Vassar, George Washington and Columbia.

According to the website of Princeton’s financial aid office, the average grant given to recipients in the Class of 2013 was $35,309, which covers 99.9 percent of the cost of tuition for this year. Sixty percent of the Class of 2013 is on financial aid.