The cost of higher education is getting, um, higher.

Campus Grotto recently released its annual list of the most expensive colleges in America and according to their statistics, the cost of attending just one year at the most expensive college hit a record high tuition this year at over $60,000.

They also found that more students are being forced to take out student loans, sell kidneys (not really, but we’re sure it crosses their mind) and seek other desperate measures in order to keep up with the $55,000-plus tuition at more than 70 schools across the country.

That adds up to a lot of student debt, which, incidentally, surpassed $1 trillion last year. (Check out our look at which schools' graduates get the highest- and lowest-paying jobs here.)

Statistics of the latest Pew Report indicate that 40 percent of households ran by people under the age of 35 are buried in student loan debt, with an average outstanding balance of nearly $27,000 in 2010.

The 10 Most Expensive Colleges in America

  1. Sarah Lawrence College: $61,236 total cost
  2. New York University: $59,837
  3. Harvey Mudd College: $58,913
  4. Columbia University: $58,742
  5. Wesleyan University: $58,202
  6. Claremont McKenna College: $58,065
  7. Dartmouth College: $57,996
  8. Drexel University: $57,975
  9. University of Chicago: $57,711
  10. Bard College: $57,580

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