Tuition costs of colleges and universities

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

Response:
For the 2010� academic year, annual current dollar prices for undergraduate tuition, room, and board were estimated to be $13,600 at public institutions, $36,300 at private not-for-profit institutions, and $23,500 at private for-profit institutions. Between 2000� and 2010�, prices for undergraduate tuition, room, and board at public institutions rose 42 percent, and prices at private not-for-profit institutions rose 31 percent, after adjustment for inflation. The inflation-adjusted price for undergraduate tuition, room, and board at private for-profit institutions was 5 percent higher in 2010� than in 2000�.

SOURCE:U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics. (2012). Digest of Education Statistics, 2011 (NCES 2012-001), Chapter 3 .

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.

NOTE: Data are for the entire academic year and are average total charges for full-time attendance. Tuition and fees were weighted by the number of full-time-equivalent undergarduates, but were not adjusted to reflect student residency. Room and board were 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抯 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.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics. (2012). Digest of Education Statistics, 2011 (NCES 2012-001), Table 349.

Related Tables and Figures:  (Listed by Release Date)

• 2012, Digest of Education Statistics 2011, Table 351. Undergraduate tuition and fees and room and board rates for full-time students in degree-granting institutions, by percentile of charges and control and level of institution: Selected years, 2000-01 through 2010-11
  
• 2012, Digest of Education Statistics 2011, Table 352. Average graduate and first-professional tuition and required fees in degree-granting institutions, by first-professional field of study and control of institution: 1989-90 through 2010-11
  
• 2012, The Condition of Education 2012: Postsecondary Expenses
  
• 2012, The Condition of Education 2012: Postsecondary Revenues
  
• 2012, The Condition of Education 2012: Price of Attending an Undergraduate Institution
  
• 2011, The Condition of Education 2011: Price of Graduate and First-Professional Attendance
  
• 2008, The Condition of Education 2008: Special Analysis 2008-Community Colleges
  

Other Resources:  (Listed by Release Date)

• 2011, Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS): IPEDS is a system of surveys designed to collect data from all primary providers of postsecondary education.
  
• 2010, National Postsecondary Student Aid Study (NPSAS) examines the characteristics of students in postsecondary education, with special focus on how they finance their education.