From time to time, various media outlets create the hardy perennial that is a list of the 10 most expensive colleges in the United States. These lists are all a little different. Virtually everyone agrees that Sarah Lawrence College is the most expensive, for example, but an outfit called Gothamist gives Bates College the dubious honor. Numbers 2-10 are never quite the same. We scoured a bunch of lists to find the 10 schools that show up as most expensive most often. Forget order. We can say with confidence that all 10 of these undergrad schools are absurdly expensive. Today, we present...

New York University

New York, New York (in the heart of the West Village)

Annual tuition, fees, and room and board: about $53,600 (though costs vary somewhat depending on your major)

Students who apply to NYU also frequently apply to: Boston University, Columbia University, Georgetown University

Random rankings: #33 (U.S. News, national universities), #47 (Washington Monthly, national universities)

$53,600 perks: Opportunities for the 20,000 undergrads here are beyond immense. NYU boasts some 11 individual schools and well over 200 undergraduate degree options. There's an Abu Dhabi portal campus, too. Students pursue plum internship opportunities, soak up an endless array of nightlife, and generally enjoy life in the center of the center of the universe.

Celebrity alumni: Alec Baldwin (actor), Jake Burton Carpenter (founder of Burton snowboards), Alan Greenspan (former Chair, Federal Reserve)

What you could buy with $53,600 instead: Coachmen Freelander Class C recreational vehicle with 24,000 miles ($52,995)

Image Source: NYU; RV