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For the 2009-10 academic year, average tuition and fees range from $2,544 at public two-year colleges and $5,930 at public baccalaureate colleges, to $32,349 at private doctorate-granting universities. The average published price at private baccalaureate colleges is $24,040; at for-profit institutions it is $14,174. |
Enrollment-weighted tuition and fees are derived by weighting the price charged by each institution by the number of full-time students enrolled in fall 2008. Public four-year in-state charges are weighted by total fall 2008 full-time enrollment in each institution. Out-of-state tuition and fees are computed by adding the average in-state price to the out-of-state premium weighted by the number of full-time out-of-state students enrolled at each institution. Room and board charges are weighted by the number of students residing on campus.
— Sample too small to provide meaningful information.Note: Prices reported for 2008-09 have been revised and may differ from those reported in Trends in College Pricing 2008.
See Notes and Sources for definitions of the institutional categories in Table 1b.
Source: The College Board, Annual Survey of Colleges.
Download Excel for this table. Download Excel for all figures and tables. This table was prepared in October 2009. - Community college prices in California, where 17% of full-time students in this
sector are enrolled,
are unusually low. The average price of public two-year colleges outside of California is $2,917More
in 2009-10, 6.2% higher than
in 2008-09.
- About 12% of full-time public four-year
college students study out-of-state, but
many states have
reciprocity agreements with neighboring states that allow students to pay less than the published prices.More
- Some colleges and universities charge different
prices depending on year of study.
These different prices are incorporated into the averages reported here when available.More
- A growing number of universities charge
different prices depending on program of
study. Students studying business or engineering may, for example, face higher tuition and required fees than those studying liberal arts. This price variation is not fully captured in the figures reported here.More
- Not all institutions can be unambiguously
classified as two-year or four-year.
In recent years, some public two-year colleges have begun to offer a small number of four-year degrees. Some state universities have branch campuses that offer associate degrees. At institutions classified here as four-year, at least 25% of undergraduate degrees awarded are bachelor’s degrees.More
Also Important
- The prices cited here are not representative of the
prices students actually pay.
Almost two-thirds of undergraduate students enrolled full-time receive grants that reduce the actual price of college. In addition, many states and institutions grant tuition waivers to groups of students such as dependents of employees, veterans or teachers. See Figures 7, 8 and 9 for estimates of net prices paid by students and Trends in Student Aid 2009 for details about student aid.More
- The total price of a college education depends
on the number of terms of study for which a
student is enrolled before completing a degree.
Many students spend more than four years earning bachelor’s degrees. Average time to degree is longer in public than in private colleges.More
- Part-time students pay lower tuition and fees
than those reported here.
In fall 2007, 61% of students enrolled in public two-year colleges were part-time, as were 22% of undergraduates in public four-year, 24% in private not-for-profit four-year, and 19% in for-profit institutions. (National Center for Education Statistics [NCES], unpublished data)More
