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Campus Grotto, a college news site, released its fifth annual list of the Most Expensive Colleges in the U.S. this week. Sarah Lawrence College of Bronxville, NY lead the pack as the most expensive college by total cost for the fourth year in a row.

When the rankings were initiated in 2007, only one school (The George Washington University) had a total annual cost of more than $50,000--now 111 schools do.

While most of the schools on the list are private colleges, public schools are getting more expensive as well--the University of California, Berkeley and UCLA this year are ranked as the 115th and 120th most expensive, respectively.

Still, as Campus Grotto notes, these are the "sticker prices" for each institution for the 2011-2012 school year--many of these schools offer financial aid packages that meet 100 percent of a student's financial need (the Higher Education Opportunity Act of 2008 requires that every college post a net price calculator on their website by October 29, 2011).

A closer look at the rankings

The following 10 schools are listed as having the highest tuition for the 2011-2012 school year:

1. Middlebury College: $45,935
2. Sarah Lawrence College: $44,220
3. The George Washington University: $44,103
4. Vassar College: $44,050
5. Connecticut College: $43,990
6. Bucknell University: $43,628
7. Wesleyan University: $43,404
8. St. John's College: $43,256
9. University of Richmond: $43,170
10. Carnegie Mellon University: $43,160

When adding required fees onto tuition, the rankings change as follows:

1. Middlebury College: $46,315
2. Columbia University: $45,290
3. Sarah Lawrence College: $45,212
4. Vassar College: $44,705
5. The George Washington University: $44,148
6. Trinity College (Connecticut): $44,070
7. Connecticut College: $43,990
8. Bucknell University: $43,866
9. Carnegie Mellon University: $43,812
10. Wesleyan University: $43,674

Once room and board is factored in (a typical double room plus a meal plan), the top 10 colleges by total cost are as follows:

1. Sarah Lawrence College: $59,170
2. New York University: $56,787
3. Columbia University: $56,310
4. Harvey Mudd College: $55,998
5. Eugene Lang College (The New School): $55,890
6. Claremont McKenna College: $55,865
7. Wesleyan University: $55,706
8. Bard College: $55,617
9. Barnard College: $55,566
10. Trinity College (Connecticut): $55,450

More from Schools.com:

• Study: College degree can earn you an extra $1 million
• High school seniors: It's not too early to be thinking about scholarships
• Princeton Review: top 10 colleges for financial assistance
• More money for school: 5 tips for appealing your financial aid award