GU Jumps to Fourth-Costliest School in U.S.

After not even breaking the top 20 most expensive colleges last year, Georgetown now places in the top four in a national ranking of educations that come with steep price tags.

With a total cost of $49,689 — which includes tuition, room and board — Georgetown fell behind New York University, The George Washington University and Sarah Lawrence College, whose price totals $53,166, according a list composed by CampusGrotto, a Web site that provides students with information and news on life in college.

Georgetown ranks 36th among universities based solely on the cost of tuition, according to Campus Grotto. The sharp jump occurs only when additional costs, like housing, are taken into consideration. Georgetown’s current tuition, $37,572, rose 5.5 percent from last year, outpacing the rate of inflation. Many of the operating expenses at Georgetown, such as utilities, technology, and financial aid, also continue to increase at rates higher than inflation.

GWU, which ranked as the most expensive school in the country last year by breaking $51,000, fell to second place this year with a total cost of $50,312, according to CampusGrotto. Georgetown’s neighbor university is sixth for tuition at $40,392.

New York University, Connecticut College, and John Hopkins University also made the top 10 most expensive schools.

With the cost of tuition continuing to rise, students are being forced to take out more loans and graduating with significant debt.

According to a College Board report, approximately 60 percent of 2006-2007 bachelor’s degree recipients graduated with an average total debt of $22,700.

In order to compensate for Georgetown’s relatively meager endowment, officials have boosted tuition, as the university continues to modernize and upgrade technology, enhance and build new facilities and recruit talented faculty to campus, university spokesperson Julie Bataille said. All of these factors have an effect on the rising tuition. Endowment only helps cover some of these costs.

“We are taking steps to address these ongoing challenges by planning for the priorities of our next capital campaign to include increasing support for financial aid, faculty and facilities,” Bataille said.

Each year more than 55 percent of undergraduate students receive some form of financial assistance.

Georgetown has not made any decisions related to tuition for the next academic year and the topic will be addressed as budget planning continues over the next several months, Bataille said.

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