Pitt’s tuition and fees rank it as second-highest

For its second straight year, Pitt’s tuition and fees rank it as the second-most… For its second straight year, Pitt’s tuition and fees rank it as the second-highest among public four-year schools.

The U.S. Department of Educationreleased its second national comparison of college prices on Tuesday. In 2010-2011, the main campus prices for in-state students at Pitt came to $14,936.

Pitt is second only to its cross-state compadre Penn State, which has a main campus price tag of $15,250.

Both schools have tuitions more than double the national average of $6,669.

The Department of Education started releasing price listings last year on its College Affordability and Transparency Center. The updated listings look at schools with the highest and lowest prices, before and after aid, and those which have costs that are quickly rising.

“We want to arm students and parents with the information they need to make smart educational choices,” U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan said in a press release. “Students need to know up front how much college will actually cost them instead of waiting to find out when the first student loan bill arrives. These lists are a major step forward in unraveling the mystery of higher education pricing.”

Carnegie Mellon University’s $42,136 campus price is 10th highest for private not-for-profit colleges. Connecticut College’s $43,990 price topped the list as the most expensive.

As for the bottom of the lists, Haskell Indian Nations University’s $430 cost is the lowest for a four-year public institution, and Berea College’s $910 cost is the lowest of the private not-for-profit schools.

Pitt spokesman John Fedele did not return a request for comment.