Guiding principles for college selection

Colleges are competing for students and their tuition dollars. Students should thus become more savvy consumers.

The nation’s most expensive college, the University of Chicago, costs $81,531 per academic year. Columbia costs $80,339. The total cost of one academic year at George Washington University is $79,760. Even state schools aren’t cheap. The University of Virginia estimates costs at $34,080 for Virginians and $68,610 for non-Virginians, while the University of Michigan estimates costs at $31,484 for Michigan residents and $66,698 for nonresidents.