Most Expensive Colleges by US State (2024) — Infographic Map & Dataset
Quick answer: This dataset transcribes the supplied 2024 college infographic into 50 state polygons with 48 readable school labels. New Hampshire and West Virginia have null labels; Alabama, Arizona and Tennessee include placement-review notes. It contains no tuition or cost amounts and is not a verified college-cost ranking.
About this dataset
Explore 48 readable college labels across 50 states, including three placement notes and two missing labels, with GeoJSON and CSV downloads.
A text map transcribed from “Most Expensive College in Each U.S. State (2024)”. The image credits GOBankingRates (May 2024), using U.S. News and Niche college data; its school selections and meaning of most expensive have not been independently verified. New Hampshire and West Virginia have no readable college label and retain null values. Alabama, Arizona and Tennessee are marked for review because the schools are placed within their outlines without visible state codes beside the labels. The source provides no tuition, fees or total-cost figures. The preview includes Alaska and Hawaii insets and school names without reproducing the source's college logos. Labels are transcribed from a user-supplied infographic and have not been independently verified. The original image's publisher, publication date and content license are unknown. A source attribution or year printed in the image does not verify its selections or methodology.
Data source: User-supplied infographic transcription (unverified)
Attribution: Labels are transcribed from a user-supplied infographic and have not been independently verified. The original image's publisher, publication date and content license are unknown. A source attribution or year printed in the image does not verify its selections or methodology. The image credits GOBankingRates (May 2024), using U.S. News and Niche college data. Boundaries: US Census Bureau MAF/TIGER (2018), via geoBoundaries, simplified by GeoDataViewer. Transcribed 2026-10-22; this is not the source publication date.
Actual dataset map screenshot. 48 readable college labels; New Hampshire and West Virginia remain missing. Labels transcribed from a supplied infographic; original artwork is not reused. State outlines: US Census Bureau / geoBoundaries. Captured 22 October 2026.
All 50 state records — college label
Labels reproduce the supplied image. Missing labels remain empty in the downloadable files.
| State | Code | College label | Transcription status | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alaska | AK | Alaska Pacific University | Transcribed | — |
| Alabama | AL | Samford University | Placement needs review | The Alabama region has the Samford University label/logo but no visible AL code; assignment follows the state outline. |
| Arkansas | AR | Hendrix College | Transcribed | — |
| Arizona | AZ | Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University | Placement needs review | The Arizona region has the Embry-Riddle label/logo but no visible AZ code; assignment follows the state outline. |
| California | CA | University of Southern California | Transcribed | The printed USC mark and full name refer to one school; no separate logo record was created. |
| Colorado | CO | Colorado College | Transcribed | — |
| Connecticut | CT | Trinity College | Transcribed | — |
| Delaware | DE | Goldey-Beacom College | Transcribed | — |
| Florida | FL | University of Miami | Transcribed | — |
| Georgia | GA | Emory University | Transcribed | — |
| Hawaii | HI | Hawaii Pacific University | Transcribed | — |
| Iowa | IA | Grinnell College | Transcribed | — |
| Idaho | ID | Northwest Nazarene University | Transcribed | — |
| Illinois | IL | Northwestern University | Transcribed | — |
| Indiana | IN | Notre Dame | Transcribed | The image prints “Notre Dame”; no longer school name was inferred. |
| Kansas | KS | Southwestern College | Transcribed | — |
| Kentucky | KY | Centre College | Transcribed | — |
| Louisiana | LA | Tulane University | Transcribed | — |
| Massachusetts | MA | Tufts University | Transcribed | — |
| Maryland | MD | Johns Hopkins University | Transcribed | — |
| Maine | ME | Colby College | Transcribed | — |
| Michigan | MI | Kalamazoo College | Transcribed | — |
| Minnesota | MN | Carleton College | Transcribed | — |
| Missouri | MO | Washington University in St. Louis | Transcribed | — |
| Mississippi | MS | Belhaven University | Transcribed | — |
| Montana | MT | Carroll College | Transcribed | — |
| North Carolina | NC | Duke University | Transcribed | — |
| North Dakota | ND | University of Jamestown | Transcribed | — |
| Nebraska | NE | Creighton University | Transcribed | — |
| New Hampshire | NH | No readable label | No readable label | The NH region/code is visible, but no college name is printed. |
| New Jersey | NJ | Stevens Institute of Technology | Transcribed | — |
| New Mexico | NM | St. John's College | Transcribed | — |
| Nevada | NV | Roseman University of Health Sciences | Transcribed | — |
| New York | NY | Vassar College | Transcribed | — |
| Ohio | OH | Kenyon College | Transcribed | — |
| Oklahoma | OK | The University of Tulsa | Transcribed | — |
| Oregon | OR | Reed College | Transcribed | — |
| Pennsylvania | PA | Franklin & Marshall College | Transcribed | — |
| Rhode Island | RI | Brown University | Transcribed | — |
| South Carolina | SC | Furman University | Transcribed | — |
| South Dakota | SD | Augustana University | Transcribed | — |
| Tennessee | TN | Vanderbilt University | Placement needs review | The Tennessee region has the Vanderbilt University label/logo but no visible TN code; assignment follows the state outline. |
| Texas | TX | Southern Methodist University | Transcribed | The printed SMU mark and full name refer to one school; no separate logo record was created. |
| Utah | UT | Westminster College | Transcribed | — |
| Virginia | VA | Washington and Lee University | Transcribed | — |
| Vermont | VT | Middlebury College | Transcribed | — |
| Washington | WA | Whitman College | Transcribed | — |
| Wisconsin | WI | Beloit College | Transcribed | — |
| West Virginia | WV | No readable label | No readable label | The West Virginia-shaped region has no visible WV code or readable college label. |
| Wyoming | WY | University of Wyoming | Transcribed | — |
Transcribed means the label was readable in the image; it does not mean the claim was independently verified.
How to download
- 1 Click a state or use the state selector to read the full label and transcription notes.
- 2 Review the complete 50-state table, including missing labels and any source discrepancies.
- 3 Download GeoJSON for a polygon layer, or CSV for attributes joined using state_code or shapeISO.
- 4 Check the original claims against independent sources before using the labels as factual rankings or historical evidence.
FAQ
Is this a verified ranking of college costs in 2024?
No. It reproduces a supplied infographic that credits GOBankingRates (May 2024), using U.S. News and Niche data. The image does not explain whether cost means tuition, tuition plus fees or total attendance cost. Its selection criteria and ranking claims remain unverified.
Which colleges are missing or need placement review?
New Hampshire and West Virginia have no readable school names and remain null. Alabama's Samford University, Arizona's Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University and Tennessee's Vanderbilt University are assigned by geographic outline because their state codes are not visible beside the school labels. Those three records are marked ambiguous_label with explanatory notes.
Does the dataset include tuition or other cost figures?
No. The supplied image has school names but no monetary amounts. No tuition, fees or cost figures were inferred. The printed year 2024 is preserved as source_year_claim, separately from the known transcription date.
Does this map include college logos or imply endorsement?
The new map displays text labels on state polygons and does not reproduce the supplied college logos. School names identify the labels printed in the source image; inclusion does not imply endorsement or independently verified cost status.
Can I use these files in GIS software?
The GeoJSON contains 50 state polygons in WGS 84, with original labels, label_status, verification and source notes. The CSV contains the same attributes without geometry; join it using state_code or shapeISO. Alaska and Hawaii are repositioned only in the page's SVG preview. The downloaded geometry retains real coordinates. Boundary geometry is public domain; the supplied infographic's label license is unspecified, and its artwork is not included.