Tuition costs of colleges and universities

Question:
What are the trends in the cost of college education?

Response:

For the 2015–16 academic year, annual current dollar prices for undergraduate tuition, fees, room, and board were estimated to be $16,757 at public institutions, $43,065 at private nonprofit institutions, and $23,776 at private for-profit institutions. Between 2005–06 and 2015–16, prices for undergraduate tuition, fees, room, and board at public institutions rose 34 percent, and prices at private nonprofit institutions rose 26 percent, after adjustment for inflation. The price for undergraduate tuition, fees, room, and board at private for-profit institutions decreased 16 percent between 2005–06 and 2015–16, after adjustment for inflation.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics. (2018). Digest of Education Statistics, 2016 (NCES 2017-094), Chapter 3.

Average total tuition, fees, room and board rates charged for full-time undergraduate students in degree-granting institutions, by level and control of institution: Selected years, 1984–85 to 2015–16
Year and control of institution	Constant 2015–16 dollars1			Current dollars
	All institutions	4-year institutions	2-year institutions	All institutions	4-year institutions	2-year institutions
All institutions
1985–862	$10,696	$12,052	$7,373	$4,885	$5,504	$3,367
1995–96	13,572	15,931	7,287	8,800	10,330	4,725
2000–01	14,724	17,586	7,439	10,820	12,922	5,466
2001–02	15,218	18,238	7,646	11,380	13,639	5,718
2002–03	15,719	18,893	8,180	12,014	14,439	6,252
2003–04	16,586	19,853	8,585	12,953	15,505	6,705
2004–05	17,145	20,522	8,820	13,793	16,510	7,095
2005–06	17,523	20,897	8,664	14,634	17,451	7,236
2006–07	18,072	21,560	8,714	15,483	18,471	7,466
2007–08	18,268	21,793	8,596	16,231	19,363	7,637
2008–09	18,973	22,654	9,144	17,092	20,409	8,238
2009–10	19,404	23,226	9,390	17,650	21,126	8,541
2010–11	19,912	23,790	9,558	18,475	22,074	8,868
2011–12	20,315	24,094	9,787	19,401	23,011	9,347
2012–13	20,839	24,585	9,860	20,233	23,871	9,573
2013–14	21,291	25,049	10,030	20,995	24,701	9,891
2014–15	21,875	25,580	10,221	21,728	25,409	10,153
2015–16	22,432	26,120	10,432	22,432	26,120	10,432
Public institutions
1985–862	$7,820	$8,449	$6,527	$3,571	$3,859	$2,981
1995–96	9,648	10,817	6,503	6,256	7,014	4,217
2000–01	10,324	11,776	6,585	7,586	8,653	4,839
2001–02	10,726	12,297	6,870	8,022	9,196	5,137
2002–03	11,124	12,806	7,329	8,502	9,787	5,601
2003–04	11,840	13,668	7,698	9,247	10,674	6,012
2004–05	12,262	14,202	7,925	9,864	11,426	6,375
2005–06	12,518	14,499	7,773	10,454	12,108	6,492
2006–07	12,897	14,937	7,954	11,049	12,797	6,815
2007–08	13,026	15,114	7,851	11,573	13,429	6,975
2008–09	13,605	15,831	8,401	12,256	14,262	7,568
2009–10	14,094	16,530	8,474	12,819	15,036	7,708
2010–11	14,621	17,157	8,707	13,566	15,919	8,079
2011–12	15,034	17,577	9,023	14,359	16,787	8,617
2012–13	15,471	17,998	9,194	15,021	17,475	8,927
2013–14	15,849	18,355	9,414	15,628	18,100	9,283
2014–15	16,298	18,758	9,651	16,188	18,632	9,586
2015–16	16,757	19,189	9,939	16,757	19,189	9,939
Private nonprofit and for-profit institutions
1985–862	$19,454	$20,207	$14,259	$8,885	$9,228	$6,512
1995–96	26,540	27,161	17,834	17,208	17,612	11,563
2000–01	29,086	29,743	20,287	21,373	21,856	14,907
2001–02	29,971	30,616	21,161	22,413	22,896	15,825
2002–03	30,539	31,124	23,229	23,340	23,787	17,753
2003–04	31,529	32,100	25,043	24,624	25,070	19,558
2004–05	32,091	32,641	25,230	25,817	26,260	20,297
2005–06	32,220	32,729	25,629	26,908	27,333	21,404
2006–07	33,195	33,755	23,676	28,439	28,919	20,284
2007–08	33,504	34,020	24,407	29,767	30,226	21,685
2008–09	33,193	34,714	25,227	30,804	31,273	22,726
2009–10	34,456	35,012	26,895	31,341	31,847	24,463
2010–11	34,353	35,045	24,897	31,875	32,517	23,101
2011–12	34,614	35,262	24,716	33,058	33,677	23,605
2012–13	35,515	36,121	24,054	34,483	35,071	23,355
2013–14	36,502	37,115	24,207	35,995	36,599	23,870
2014–15	37,677	38,247	24,481	37,424	37,990	24,317
2015–16	39,011	39,529	24,367	39,011	39,529	24,367

¹Constant dollars based on the Consumer Price Index, prepared by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, adjusted to a school-year basis.
²Room and board data are estimated.

NOTE: Data are for the entire academic year and are average charges for full-time students. Tuition and fees were weighted by the number of full-time-equivalent undergraduates, but were not adjusted to reflect student residency. Room and board are based on full-time students. Data through 1995–96 are for institutions of higher education, while later data are for degree-granting institutions. Degree-granting institutions grant associate's or higher degrees and participate in Title IV federal financial aid programs. The degree-granting classification is very similar to the earlier higher education classification, but it includes more 2-year colleges and excludes a few higher education institutions that did not grant degrees. Some data have been revised from previously published figures. Detail may not sum to totals because of rounding.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics (2018). Digest of Education Statistics, 2016 (NCES 2017-094), Table 330.10.

Related Tables and Figures:  (Listed by Release Date)

• 2018, Digest of Education Statistics 2017, Table 330.20. Average undergraduate tuition and fees and room and board rates charged for full-time students in degree-granting postsecondary institutions, by control and level of institution and state or jurisdiction: 2015–16 and 2016–17
  
• 2018, Digest of Education Statistics 2017, Table 330.40. Avg. total cost of attendance for first-time, full-time undergraduate students in degree-granting postsecondary institutions, by ctrl. & lvl. of institution, living arrangement, & component of student costs: Selected yrs., 2010–11 through 2016–17
  
• 2018, The Condition of Education 2018: Postsecondary Institution Expenses
  
• 2018, The Condition of Education 2018: Postsecondary Institution Revenues
  
• 2018, The Condition of Education 2018: Price of Attending an Undergraduate Institution
  
• 2017, Digest of Education Statistics 2016, Table 330.30. Average undergraduate tuition, fees, room, and board rates for full-time students in degree-granting postsecondary institutions, by percentile of charges and control and level of institution: Selected years, 2000–01 through 2015–16
  
• 2017, Digest of Education Statistics 2016, Table 330.50. Average graduate tuition and required fees in degree-granting postsecondary institutions, by control of institution and percentile of charges: 1989–90 through 2015–16
  

Other Resources:  (Listed by Release Date)

• 2018, Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS): IPEDS is a system of surveys designed to collect data from all primary providers of postsecondary education.
  
• 2018, National Postsecondary Student Aid Study (NPSAS) examines the characteristics of students in postsecondary education, with special focus on how they finance their education.
  
• 2018, Postsecondary Institutions and Cost of Attendance in 2016–17; Degrees and Other Awards Conferred: 2015–16; and 12-Month Enrollment: 2015–16: First Look (Preliminary Data)
  
• 2018, Repayment of Student Loans as of 2015 Among 1995–96 and 2003–04 First-Time Beginning Students
  
• 2017, The Debt Burden of Bachelor's Degree Recipients