Top 10 Most Expensive Boarding Schools in the World

Boarding schools occupy a distinct category in education. Students attend classes while also living on campus, with tuition, housing, and meals combined into one annual fee. At elite US schools like Phillips Academy Andover, that figure can reach nearly $80,000. At the top of the global market, schools in Switzerland can surpass $225,000 per year.

For families considering this path, understanding what’s behind those costs is essential. This guide covers the ten most expensive boarding schools in the world and the US, breaks down what drives the price, and helps you assess whether the investment makes sense for your student.

• What Are the Top Most Expensive Boarding Schools in the World?
• Collège Alpin Beau Soleil
• Institut auf dem Rosenberg
• Institut Le Rosey
• Aiglon College
• Leysin American School in Switzerland
• Collège du Léman
• TASIS (The American School in Switzerland)
• Eton College
• Phillips Academy Andover
• Phillips Exeter Academy
• Applying to Boarding Schools? 
• Frequently Asked Questions
• Takeaways

What Are the Top Most Expensive Boarding Schools in the World?

The most expensive boarding schools in the world are concentrated in Switzerland. The country’s alpine setting, high cost of living, and IB-centered academic culture make it the global benchmark for elite residential education. 

Annual fees at the top Swiss institutions range from roughly $105,000 to over $175,000, typically covering tuition, boarding, meals, and standard activities, though extras can add meaningfully to the total. Here’s a quick summary:

Note: Fee estimates are in USD. Swiss school fees are billed in CHF; USD equivalents are approximate and subject to exchange rate fluctuation.

1. Collège Alpin Beau Soleil

Location: Villars-sur-Ollon, Switzerland 

Est. Annual Fee (USD): ~$221,523–$225,271

Founded in 1910, Collège Alpin Beau Soleil is one of Switzerland’s oldest private boarding schools, with a history traversing three generations of its founders, the De Meyer family. From origins in Gstaad, the school transferred to Villars in the early 20th century. It sits 1,350 metres above sea level and enrolls around 300 students aged 11 to 18.

For the 2026–27 academic year, boarding and tuition fees are CHF 137,040 for Grades 6 to 10 and CHF 148,440 for Grades 11 and 12, covering boarding, tuition, standard school activities, and general services. Additional annual fees for medical insurance, expeditions, and cultural activities add CHF 26,460, with most year groups also paying CHF 8,490 for annual trips. The school does not offer financial aid or scholarships. In 2011, the school joined the Nord Anglia Education group.

2. Institut auf dem Rosenberg

Location: St. Gallen, Switzerland 

Est. Annual Fee (USD): ~$212,520

Institut auf dem Rosenberg is a Swiss international boarding school founded in 1889 in St. Gallen, between Lake Constance and the Alpstein range. It enrolls around 280 to 300 students aged 6 to 18 from over 60 nationalities.

What sets Rosenberg apart at this price point is the sheer range of qualifications on offer. The school delivers five national curricula simultaneously: the IB Diploma, German International Baccalaureate, IGCSE A-Levels, US High School Diploma with AP courses, and its own bespoke track. Students also receive an Individual Development Plan, meaning each student’s academic path is tailored instead of standardized. The school accepts no government subsidies and no donations, so the entire cost of operations, including 13 student residences and 28 co-curricular facilities, is covered by tuition alone. That structural choice is a significant driver of its fees.

3. Institut Le Rosey

Location: Rolle, Switzerland (winter campus in Gstaad) 

Est. Annual Fee (USD): ~$205,565

Institut Le Rosey was founded in 1880 by Paul-Émile Carnal, who acquired the 25-hectare Rosey estate on Lake Geneva. Known as “The School of Kings,” it has historically enrolled children of royal families and heads of state, and its alumni association now numbers over 6,000 worldwide.

Le Rosey operates two campuses: a primary site at the Château du Rosey on Lake Geneva for most of the year, and a winter facility in Gstaad from January to March. It enrolls 460 students from approximately 70 countries, with a strictly respected quota ensuring no more than 10% of students come from any one country. Annual boarding and tuition fees are CHF 159,600 (approximately $205,565) for 2026–27, covering tuition, accommodation, meals, and core activities across both campuses.

The school’s 130 teachers serve a community of 460 students, who benefit from a globally focused curriculum. Senior students may pursue either the IB Diploma or the French Baccalaureate, and the students can take up to four languages from a selection of twenty. Admission is highly selective, with limited places and waiting lists that often stretch for several years.

4. Aiglon College

Location: Chesières-Villars, Switzerland 

Est. Annual Fee (USD): ~$61,631 – $204,792

Aiglon College was founded in 1949 by John Corlette on the ethos of balanced development of mind, body, and spirit. Corlette had taught at Gordonstoun School in Scotland, where he connected with Kurt Hahn’s experiential education philosophy, before founding Aiglon with just six students in the Swiss Alps above Villars. The school now enrolls approximately 480 students aged 9 to 18 from over 65 nationalities.

Annual boarding fees range from CHF 47,850 for younger students to CHF 159,000 for Years 12 and 13. The wide range reflects the school’s age span from junior to senior level. Students can study the IB Diploma or IGCSE, and all graduates also receive a fully accredited high school diploma. 

The Class of 2025 achieved a 100% IB pass rate with a cohort average of 36.3. Since 1991, Aiglon has welcomed 134 scholars through its fully funded scholarship program, with half of current scholars funded through contributions from parents and alumni.

5. Leysin American School in Switzerland

Location: Leysin, Switzerland 

Est. Annual Fee (USD): ~$204,148

Leysin American School was founded in 1961 by Fred and Sigrid Ott to bring students together across cultures in the aftermath of World War II. For three generations, the Ott family has run the school, which today enrolls 300 students from over 60 nationalities and maintains an alumni network of over 8,000.

Annual tuition is CHF 128,000, covering all academic programs plus room and board. The campus has six dormitories with live-in dorm parents, a 1:4 faculty-to-student ratio, and 95% of staff living on site. LAS offers three curriculum tracks: the IB Diploma, Advanced Placement, and a US High School Diploma, which gives students more flexibility than most single-curriculum schools on this list. 90% of graduates receive an admission offer from at least one of their top university choices.

6. Collège du Léman

Location: Versoix, Geneva, Switzerland 

Est. Annual Fee (USD): ~$151,340–$165,894

Collège du Léman was founded in 1960 by Francis and Inge Clivaz, two Swiss educators who saw Geneva becoming a hub for international organizations and multinational corporations and wanted to build a school that could serve an internationally diverse student body. CDL enrolls approximately 1,900 students from over 120 countries, making it the largest school on this list.

Annual boarding fees for secondary students are CHF 113,500 per year. CDL is one of the few schools at this price level that runs the IB Diploma, Advanced Placement, and the French Baccalaureate simultaneously, alongside a bilingual French-English track. That breadth of pathways matters for families positioning their students toward different university systems in different countries. In 2015, CDL joined Nord Anglia Education, which brought collaborations with institutions including The Juilliard School.

7. TASIS (The American School in Switzerland)

Location: Montagnola, Lugano, Switzerland 

Est. Annual Fee (USD): ~$137,172

TASIS was founded in 1956 by M. Crist Fleming as a day and boarding school committed to creating global citizens through education, travel, and service. It welcomes students from Pre-Kindergarten through Postgraduate, with approximately 750 students enrolled each year and around 260 Middle and High School students residing on campus. The student body represents close to 60 nationalities and speaks more than 30 different languages as a mother tongue.

Annual full boarding and tuition fees start from CHF 106,500 for the 2025–26 academic year, excluding extra charges. The boarding program begins in Grade 6, with high school students choosing between individual AP courses or the full IB Diploma. Structured travel and cultural service trips are woven into the school calendar as a core part of TASIS’s educational model. The school is located in the Italian-speaking canton of Ticino near Lugano, which gives it a different character from the French-Swiss schools higher on this list.

8. Eton College

Location: Windsor, Berkshire, United Kingdom 

Est. Annual Fee (USD): ~$85,010

Founded in 1440 by King Henry VI, Eton enrolls 1,341 boys aged 13 to 18 across 25 boarding houses on a 1,600-acre campus near Windsor. It is the oldest and only all-boys, all-boarding school on this list.

The school fee covers tuition, board, lodging, and the cost of most games activities and the majority of educational materials. The 2025/26 school fee is £17,583 per term, rising to £21,099.60 per term including VAT from January 2025, following the UK government’s removal of the VAT exemption for private schools. There are three terms in an academic year, bringing annual fees to approximately £63,300, or roughly $80,000. Students follow the standard British curriculum leading to GCSEs and A-Levels. 

Eton spent £10.06 million on financial aid in 2024/25. All bursaries are means-tested, and the school states that no parents with a talented son should feel that Eton is necessarily beyond their means.

9. Phillips Academy Andover

Location: Andover, Massachusetts, USA 

Est. Annual Fee (USD): $63,840–$79,800

Phillips Academy, known as Andover, is the oldest incorporated boarding school in the United States, founded in 1778. It enrolls approximately 1,150 students across Grades 9 through 12 plus a postgraduate year, with around 850 living on campus. Boarding tuition is $76,731 for the current academic year.

Andover offers more than 300 courses and more than 150 electives. Andover is one of the few independent schools in the country that admits students on a need-blind basis and meets 100% of each student’s demonstrated financial need through grants, not loans. About 45% of students receive financial aid. 

The acceptance rate is approximately 13%, making it one of the most selective boarding schools in the U.S.

10. Phillips Exeter Academy

Location: Exeter, New Hampshire, USA 

Est. Annual Fee (USD): ~$56,077–$71,797

Phillips Exeter Academy was established in 1781 and educates approximately 1,078 boarding and day students in Grades 9 through 12 and a postgraduate year on a 700-acre campus in Exeter, New Hampshire. Boarding tuition is $69,537 per year.

Exeter’s defining academic feature is the Harkness method: every class of no more than 12 students is conducted around an oval table, with students driving discussion and the teacher functioning as a facilitator rather than a lecturer. The school offers more than 450 courses across 18 subject areas with a student-to-teacher ratio of 6:1. 

Starting in the 2025–26 school year, Exeter is free for families with annual incomes below $125,000, covering tuition, books, academic supplies, and a stipend toward a computer. The school meets 100% of admitted students’ demonstrated financial need. About 45% of students receive financial aid.

Applying to Boarding Schools?

The most selective schools on this list are genuinely competitive. Andover and Exeter both carry low acceptance rates and their applicant pools are global. At the Swiss schools, admissions are highly discretionary and some carry waiting lists that span years. The financial weight of these decisions is significant, but for the right student, admission to one of these schools shapes academic trajectory, peer networks, and university outcomes in ways that extend well beyond graduation.

AdmissionSight’s boarding school admissions experts have helped 90% of students gain admission to one of their top three boarding school choices. If your student is preparing to apply, we can help your family put together a compelling, competitive application from start to finish.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. What is the most expensive boarding school in the world?

Collège Alpin Beau Soleil in Villars-sur-Ollon, Switzerland is the most expensive boarding school in the world. When all fees are included, annual costs run approximately $221,523 to $225,271, making it the most expensive boarding school in the world.

2. How expensive are boarding schools?

It depends heavily on the country and institution. In the US, top boarding schools like Andover and Exeter charge roughly $56,000 to $80,000 per year for boarders. In Switzerland, the most prestigious schools range from around $137,000 to over $225,000. These figures typically include tuition, room, and board, but extras are usually billed separately.

3. Why are boarding schools so expensive?

Boarding schools carry costs day schools don’t: housing, dining, residential staff, round-the-clock supervision, and on-campus medical care. The infrastructure required to function as both a school and a residence operates year-round. Most also run extensive athletic and extracurricular facilities that require dedicated staffing and maintenance.

4. Why are Swiss boarding schools so expensive?

Switzerland has one of the highest costs of living in the world, which drives up staff salaries, food, utilities, and maintenance. Swiss boarding schools have also drawn high-income international families for generations, which has shaped both their pricing and their level of infrastructure investment over time.

5. What does boarding school tuition typically include?

At most schools on this list, the annual fee covers tuition, accommodation, meals, laundry, standard activities, and most academic materials. It typically does not cover private coaching, optional international trips, uniforms, medical expenses beyond standard care, personal spending money, or travel to and from school.

Takeaways

• Collège Alpin Beau Soleil in Villars-sur-Ollon, Switzerland is the most expensive boarding school in the world, with annual fees reaching $221,523 to $225,271 when all costs are included.
• Seven of the ten most expensive boarding schools in the world are in Switzerland, with annual fees reaching over $225,000 at the top.
• The published fee is rarely the full cost. Extras like expeditions, medical insurance, and personal expenses can add CHF 20,000 to CHF 30,000 on top of the base figure at Swiss schools.
• Schools like Andover and Exeter admit students on a need-blind basis and meet 100% of demonstrated financial need, meaning sticker price is not the actual cost for many families.
• Graduating from one of these schools carries significant weight in college admissions, but translating that experience into a compelling application still takes strategy. A college admissions expert can help your student present their boarding school background in the strongest possible way.