Pitt, Penn State top U.S. public school tuition list

The U.S. Department of Education says four-year undergraduate students enrolled at the main campuses at the University of Pittsburgh and Penn State pay more for tuition than students at any other publicly-funded schools in the country.

The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette says the department’s newest College Affordability and Transparency list shows Pitt main campus students pay $16,590 annually while Penn State main campus students pay $16,444.

The national average for similar schools is $7,407. Temple University in Philadelphia ranked 19th on the list at $13,596.

Pitt spokesman Ken Service says all three state-related schools ranked high on the list because Pennsylvania provides less to support such schools than other states, “passing more of the cost on to students and their families.”