The State With The Highest In-State College Tuition Fees

Student loans have become one of the biggest financial burdens amongst young Americans heading into the work force. According to research collected by the Education Data Initiative, the average student loan debt amongst Americans is around $40,000. EDI also found that the total student loan debt in America exceeded a whopping $1.773 trillion, as of mid-January 2025. Now, unless you obtain one of the college degrees that are most likely to pay off, you could very easily be stuck paying off your accrued debt for the next 20 years of your life. This being the case, it's no wonder that people have increasingly been calling college a scam, since going into huge amounts of debt in the current economy is not a very favorable financial decision.

At the same time, college has always been hailed as one of the most fun times of your life, where you can make friendships that will last forever and have experiences that shape you as a person. However, seeing as how this experience can also come with a boatload of debt, many might instead try to avoid any additional financial burden by going to a school in their same state. However, depending on where exactly you live, your "cheaper" in-state tuition could end up costing you just as much as some out-of-state schools. That said, let's take a look at the states with the highest in-state college tuition fees, and why exactly Vermont ranks No. 1.

Spending upwards of $15,000 to $16,000 per year in order to attend college is obviously no small amount for your average 18 year old going into a university. However, the two states with the highest in-state tuition are going to run you even more than that, according to data from EDI. New Hampshire ranks at No. 2 amongst all the states in the country as far as in-state tuition costs go, with an average price of $17,019. As for the state with the highest for in-state tuition, Vermont's average in-state tuition costs $17,600. Now there are various reasons as to why this is this case, one of which being that Vermont has much lower state funding for higher-education compared to other states.

With this is mind, it's worth mentioning that some still argue that attending a public college in your home state can save you upwards of one to two-thirds of the cost it would take to pay for out-of-state tuition, so even if you live in Vermont, you'll more than likely still be saving money compared to attending out-of-state colleges. Still, for those who must rely entirely on loans for school, graduating college with upwards of $68,000 in debt is no small price to pay for your education. So for anyone considering the best way to deal with potential debt, it's important to figure out how to choose the best student loan repayment plan for you in order to help yourself financially.

Students in Vermont and New Hampshire are not the only ones facing steep in-state tuition rates. For starters, the state that ranks at No. 5 for highest cost of in-state tuition is New Jersey, where the average cost was $15,625 in 2024. At No. 4, Connecticut – where you need to earn more than any other in order to be in the top 1% of earners – has an average in-state tuition cost of $15,763. The third highest ranked state, Pennsylvania, costs $16,217 on average. 

Another consideration for would-be college students looking to save money is community college. Attending a community college to obtain your degree can give students the best bang for their buck. However, if you're looking for a more classic college experience, going to a college within your state is generally recognized as the next best option financially. With that in mind, it's important to understand exactly how much the in-state tuition at your college of choice is going to cost you before making any final decisions.