The Price of Admission

While most parents are all too familiar with the astronomical cost of college tuition, they are often unprepared for the sticker shock of applying. Bloomberg Rankings researched the cost of a typical high school student in suburban New Jersey applying to eight colleges -- two "reach" schools, four "targets," and two "safeties." What they found would raise the mortarboard on the average grad's head -- and send her parents scurrying back to their financial adviser.

Note: Data providers and methodology are on the final slide. Brand mentions are not endorsements.