AD 2 RUTGERS CARROLL BROWN

Rutgers University is ranked among the four-year public schools with the highest tuition in America, according to new data. (Star-Ledger file photo)

NEW BRUNSWICK -- Rutgers University's New Brunswick campus has been added to the list of the highest tuitions among four-year public schools in America, according to data from the U.S. Department of Education.

The department's College Affordability and Transparency Center last week updated its lists of the highest- and lowest-priced public and private colleges based on data from fall 2013. The annual lists, which look at the cost of nearly 4,300 institutions, are required by Congress as part of the Higher Education Opportunity Act of 2008.

The most-expensive tuition list includes 34 public colleges and universities that make up the highest five percent of tuition rates in America. Rutgers-New Brunswick, with a tuition of $13,499, ranked 31st.

The New Jersey Institute of Technology and The College of New Jersey, mainstays on the list, appeared again. NJIT ($15,218) ranked seventh and TCNJ ($14,730) eleventh. The figures do not include room, board, books and other costs.

U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan has called the list a good resource for families. But schools on the highest tuition and highest net price list have complained that listing tuition and costs doesn't give a full picture of a school.

The New Jersey Institute of Technology, for example, has cited its high-technology facilities and equipment as well as its highly skilled faculty as drivers of its tuition. The College of New Jersey said last year that it's high graduation rate helps families save money over the long-run.

The list also doesn't take into account that Rutgers, like other New Jersey colleges and universities, provides high levels of financial said, university spokesman Greg Trevor said.

"What really matters is not the 'sticker price,' but rather what our students actually pay for their education," Trevor said.

He also pointed out that the list doesn't account for cost of living and that Rutgers has had a lower increase in tuition and fees over the past five years than many other state universities across the country.

The University of Pittsburgh ($17,100) led the highest-tuition list, followed by Penn State University ($16,992), the University of New Hampshire (16,496), Colorado School of Mines (16,485) and University of Vermont ($15,718).

No New Jersey schools made the list of the most expensive tuition for private schools.

Along with tuition rankings, there are separate lists for "net price", calculated by subtracting the average amount of financial aid, scholarships and other awards students receive from the total cost of attending an institution (including tuition, fees, books, room, board and other costs.)

Both Rowan University ($19,164) and The College of New Jersey ($18,464) made that list. Rowan ranked 18th and TCNJ 27th. Rutgers did not appear on the list.

"Rutgers is completely off the list of the most costly institutions," Trevor said.

None of New Jersey's large colleges and universities made any of the lists of the lowest-priced colleges. But several small schools, for-profit institutions and rabbinical colleges were listed among the bargains in their categories in the federal rankings.

Adam Clark may be reached at adam_clark@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on twitter at @realAdamClark. Find NJ.com on Facebook.