Costs at four-year public institutions have risen faster than at their private counterparts, but students paying steeply discounted tuition and fees at a private nonprofit college will still pay more, on average, than they would if they paid full price at a public college. Meanwhile, net tuition and fees (what students actually pay) dropped considerably at two-year public institutions.
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4-year public institutions
| Published tuition and fees | $4,740 | $9,970 | 110.3% |
| Net tuition and fees | $2,180 | $4,140 | 89.9% |
| Published tuition, fees, room, and board | $11,390 | $20,770 | 82.4% |
| Net tuition, fees, room, and board | $8,830 | $14,940 | 69.2% |
4-year private nonprofit institutions
| Published tuition and fees | $21,020 | $34,740 | 65.3% |
| Net tuition and fees | $12,210 | $14,530 | 19.0% |
| Published tuition, fees, room, and board | $29,530 | $46,950 | 59.0% |
| Net tuition, fees, room, and board | $20,720 | $26,740 | 29.1% |
2-year public institutions
| Published tuition and fees | $2,390 | $3,570 | 49.4% |
| Net tuition and fees | $620 | -$330 | -153.2% |
| Published tuition, fees, room, and board | $9,490 | $11,970 | 26.1% |
| Net tuition, fees, room, and board | $7,720 | $8,070 | 4.5% |
Note: Tuition and fees are for full-time undergraduates in both sectors, and they represent in-state rates for public institutions. Figures for 1997-98 have been adjusted to 2017 dollars. Because information on grant aid for 2017-18 was not yet available when the table was prepared, in October 2017, the net price for 2017-18 was estimated based on 2016-17 financial aid. Military/veterans aid, which is awarded in large amounts to relatively few students, was excluded from the estimates of net price. Net price is the published price minus the grant aid that students receive. That aid includes federal Pell Grants, Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grants, state grants, institutional grants, and private and employer grants. Two-year public colleges had a negative net tuition and fees because aid exceeded the cost of tuition and fees. Aid can be used for other education-related expenses like books, room and board, and transportation. More data are available here. Questions or comments on the Almanac should be sent to the Almanac editor.
Source: “Annual Survey of Colleges: Trends in College Pricing 2017,” © 2017, the College Board. This material may not be copied, published, rewritten, or redistributed without permission.</small></p>