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Sticker prices on private colleges and universities tend to be steeper than public schools.
The average cost of tuition and fees for the 2015-16 school year was $32,405 at private colleges in the US, while public universities cost an average of $23,893. For state residents at public colleges, average tuition and fees added up to just $9,410, according to the College Board.
Is the prestige of attending a private school worth it in the long run? We looked at a report from the Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce, which breaks down the median earnings of students from over 1,400 colleges 10 years after starting their studies, using data from the US Department of Education's College Scorecard.
Here, we've highlighted the 25 private colleges in the US where graduates go on to earn the most money, as well as how much students pay annually between tuition, required fees, room, and board.
Read on to see if your alma mater, or current school, made the list: