Change in Average Published Tuition and Fees, by Sector, 1988-89 to 2018-19

The average published tuition and fees for four-year public institutions more than tripled from 1988-89 and 2018-19. The average published tuition and fees for four-year private nonprofit and two-year public institutions more than doubled over that period, based on inflation-adjusted dollars. The gap between the average published cost of attending a four-year private nonprofit college versus the cost of attending a four-year public college has narrowed. Thirty years ago, published tuition and fees at four-year private nonprofit institutions were five times the cost of published tuition and fees at four-year public institutions. In 2018-19, they were only three and a half times as much.

Note: Average tuition-and-fee prices for each year are represented in 2018 dollars. The figures reflect in-district charges for public two-year institutions and in-state charges for public four-year institutions. Prices are weighted by fall enrollment that colleges reported to the U.S. Department of Education. More data can be found here. Questions and comments on Almanac should be sent to Ruth Hammond.

Source: “Annual Survey of Colleges: Trends in College Pricing 2018,” © 2018, the College Board. This material may not be copied, published, rewritten, or redistributed without permission.

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