The biggest in-state vs. out-of-state tuition gap among state flagships in 2026-27 is at the University of Michigan: out-of-state freshmen and sophomores pay $67,096 in tuition and required fees, $48,200 more than Michigan residents ($18,896). At the median flagship, the out-of-state premium is $23,162 a year -- about three times the in-state rate. At the other end, the University of South Dakota charges out-of-state students just $3,700 more.
These are each school's own published 2026-27 tuition plus mandatory fees for a full-time first-year student. The full flagship tuition guide explains how they were built.
Biggest dollar gaps between in-state and out-of-state tuition
- Michigan: $48,200. The highest out-of-state rate of any flagship, on top of a relatively high in-state rate.
- University of Virginia: $41,272. First-year College of Arts and Sciences students pay $62,054 out-of-state vs. $20,782 in-state.
- UNC Chapel Hill: $40,242. North Carolina residents pay $9,351; out-of-state students $49,593 after a 10% increase in out-of-state tuition for students starting in 2026-27.
- UC Berkeley: $39,270. That's exactly UC's systemwide nonresident supplemental tuition for the 2026-27 entering class, the same at every UC campus -- see UC out-of-state tuition by campus.
- UW-Madison: $33,516.
Where out-of-state students pay the biggest multiple
A big dollar gap and a big multiple aren't the same thing. Schools with very low in-state tuition can charge out-of-state students five times as much while still costing less than Michigan:
- University of Florida: 5.4x -- $34,616 vs. $6,436, the lowest in-state rate of any flagship.
- UNC Chapel Hill: 5.3x -- $49,593 vs. $9,351.
- UT Austin: 3.9x -- $42,554 vs. $10,858 for Liberal Arts majors; Texas froze resident academic costs for 2025-26 and 2026-27.
- UW-Madison: 3.7x -- $45,932 vs. $12,416.
- University of Montana: 3.6x -- $34,894 vs. $9,750.
Smallest gaps
- South Dakota: $3,700 (1.4x) -- and new students from 11 nearby states pay in-state anyway.
- North Dakota: $5,190 (1.4x).
- LSU: $16,677 (2.3x).
- University of Wyoming: $16,860 (3.0x) -- a high multiple, but on the second-lowest in-state rate.
New England flagships have some of the lowest multiples (UConn 2.1x, UNH 2.1x) because their in-state rates are among the highest.
In-state vs. out-of-state tuition at all 50 flagships, ranked by gap
| Rank | University | Gap | In-state | Out-of-state | Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | University of Michigan | $48,200 | $18,896 | $67,096 | 3.6x |
| 2 | University of Virginia | $41,272 | $20,782 | $62,054 | 3.0x |
| 3 | UNC Chapel Hill | $40,242 | $9,351 | $49,593 | 5.3x |
| 4 | UC Berkeley | $39,270 | $18,214 | $57,484 | 3.2x |
| 5 | UW-Madison | $33,516 | $12,416 | $45,932 | 3.7x |
| 6 | University of Washington | $31,916 | $14,340 | $46,256 | 3.2x |
| 7 | UT Austin | $31,696 | $10,858 | $42,554 | 3.9x |
| 8 | University of Maryland | $31,251 | $12,835 | $44,086 | 3.4x |
| 9 | CU Boulder | $31,044 | $15,014 | $46,058 | 3.1x |
| 10 | Indiana University Bloomington | $30,559 | $12,144 | $42,703 | 3.5x |
| 11 | University of Arizona | $30,432 | $13,906 | $44,338 | 3.2x |
| 12 | Ohio State University | $30,221 | $14,050 | $44,271 | 3.2x |
| 13 | University of Oregon | $29,991 | $17,475 | $47,466 | 2.7x |
| 14 | University of Vermont | $29,717 | $19,996 | $49,713 | 2.5x |
| 15 | University of Florida | $28,180 | $6,436 | $34,616 | 5.4x |
| 16 | University of Delaware | $26,730 | $18,290 | $45,020 | 2.5x |
| 17 | University of South Carolina | $25,812 | $12,988 | $38,800 | 3.0x |
| 18 | University of Utah | $25,202 | $11,166 | $36,368 | 3.3x |
| 19 | University of Montana | $25,144 | $9,750 | $34,894 | 3.6x |
| 20 | University of Maine | $25,110 | $14,300 | $39,410 | 2.8x |
| 21 | UMass Amherst | $24,087 | $19,212 | $43,299 | 2.3x |
| 22 | University of Minnesota Twin Cities | $24,036 | $18,371 | $42,407 | 2.3x |
| 23 | University of Alabama | $24,006 | $12,718 | $36,724 | 2.9x |
| 24 | Stony Brook University | $23,980 | $10,930 | $34,910 | 3.2x |
| 25 | Penn State | $23,696 | $21,518 | $45,214 | 2.1x |
| 26 | University of Missouri (Mizzou) | $23,162 | $16,162 | $39,324 | 2.4x |
| 27 | University of New Mexico | $23,149 | $11,575 | $34,724 | 3.0x |
| 28 | University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign | $22,676 | $16,682 | $39,358 | 2.4x |
| 29 | UConn | $22,668 | $21,574 | $44,242 | 2.1x |
| 30 | University of Iowa | $22,276 | $11,971 | $34,247 | 2.9x |
| 31 | University of Arkansas | $22,268 | $10,916 | $33,184 | 3.0x |
| 32 | University of Hawaii at Manoa | $22,032 | $12,674 | $34,706 | 2.7x |
| 33 | University at Buffalo | $22,000 | $11,036 | $33,036 | 3.0x |
| 34 | University of New Hampshire | $21,692 | $20,172 | $41,864 | 2.1x |
| 35 | University of Georgia | $21,670 | $11,628 | $33,298 | 2.9x |
| 36 | University of Kentucky | $21,669 | $14,177 | $35,846 | 2.5x |
| 37 | University of Rhode Island | $21,666 | $18,080 | $39,746 | 2.2x |
| 38 | Rutgers-New Brunswick | $21,450 | $19,389 | $40,839 | 2.1x |
| 39 | West Virginia University | $21,192 | $11,564 | $32,756 | 2.8x |
| 40 | University of Mississippi (Ole Miss) | $20,790 | $10,378 | $31,168 | 3.0x |
| 41 | University of Tennessee, Knoxville | $20,454 | $14,024 | $34,478 | 2.5x |
| 42 | University of Nevada, Reno | $20,189 | $11,079 | $31,268 | 2.8x |
| 43 | University of Nebraska-Lincoln | $20,070 | $11,472 | $31,542 | 2.7x |
| 44 | University of Kansas | $19,935 | $12,909 | $32,844 | 2.5x |
| 45 | University of Idaho | $19,476 | $9,824 | $29,300 | 3.0x |
| 46 | University of Alaska Fairbanks | $18,720 | $11,730 | $30,450 | 2.6x |
| 47 | University of Oklahoma | $18,678 | $10,485 | $29,163 | 2.8x |
| 48 | University of Wyoming | $16,860 | $8,532 | $25,392 | 3.0x |
| 49 | LSU | $16,677 | $12,966 | $29,643 | 2.3x |
| 50 | University of North Dakota | $5,190 | $12,289 | $17,479 | 1.4x |
| 51 | University of South Dakota | $3,700 | $9,916 | $13,616 | 1.4x |
Why the gap matters beyond the sticker price
- Residency rules are set by each state, not each student. Moving for college usually doesn't make you an in-state student, so check the school's residency office before counting on reclassifying after freshman year.
- The out-of-state pool can be harder to get into, too. UNC caps out-of-state enrollment by state law, which is why its out-of-state admit rate is so much lower -- see in-state vs. out-of-state acceptance rates.
- Some students can skip the gap entirely. Regional exchanges, reciprocity deals and scholarship waivers let certain out-of-state students pay in-state or near-in-state rates -- see public universities that charge out-of-state students in-state tuition.