Springtime in the US for some families is spent waiting by the mailbox for a coveted acceptance letter to one of the country’s prestigious Ivy League schools.
It used to be that being accepted was the hard part, but now paying for it just became even more out of reach.
As average Americans struggle to pay for eggs, overachievers and their parents will now have to dig a little deeper for that piece of parchment.
Four years at an Ivy League college now costs an average of $300,000, with the annual price of tuition, and room and board more than $80,000 at Yale, the University of Pennsylvania, Dartmouth, Columbia and Brown, according to Bloomberg.
Cornell and Brown are even more expensive, with an average of $85,000 a year.
“Cheaper” options of Princeton and Harvard are about $76,000 a year.
Some economists warn that these hallowed halls are putting student numbers at risk if they continue to raise tuition at such rates.
And 44 per cent to 67 per cent of Ivy Leaguers receive financial aid, meaning growing costs can be prohibitive.
“At some point, that math stops working out,” Beth Akers, a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute who focuses on the economics of higher education, told Bloomberg.
“We get to a place where these degrees are just no longer worth it.”
Inflation is not helping to keep costs at bay, no matter the income bracket.
Commonfund, an asset management company, determined that the cost of university rose by more than 5 per cent in 2022, the most that operational costs have increased in a single year since 2001, Bloomberg reported.
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Essentials
The flights
Etihad and Emirates fly direct from the UAE to Delhi from about Dh950 return including taxes.
The hotels
Double rooms at Tijara Fort-Palace cost from 6,670 rupees (Dh377), including breakfast.
Doubles at Fort Bishangarh cost from 29,030 rupees (Dh1,641), including breakfast. Doubles at Narendra Bhawan cost from 15,360 rupees (Dh869). Doubles at Chanoud Garh cost from 19,840 rupees (Dh1,122), full board. Doubles at Fort Begu cost from 10,000 rupees (Dh565), including breakfast.
The tours
Amar Grover travelled with Wild Frontiers. A tailor-made, nine-day itinerary via New Delhi, with one night in Tijara and two nights in each of the remaining properties, including car/driver, costs from £1,445 (Dh6,968) per person.
Why are asylum seekers being housed in hotels?
The number of asylum applications in the UK has reached a new record high, driven by those illegally entering the country in small boats crossing the English Channel.
A total of 111,084 people applied for asylum in the UK in the year to June 2025, the highest number for any 12-month period since current records began in 2001.
Asylum seekers and their families can be housed in temporary accommodation while their claim is assessed.
The Home Office provides the accommodation, meaning asylum seekers cannot choose where they live.
When there is not enough housing, the Home Office can move people to hotels or large sites like former military bases.
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