Average Published Undergraduate Charges by Sector, 2012-13

Average published tuition and fees for in-state students at public four-year colleges and universities increased from $8,256 in 2011-12 to $8,655 in 2012-13. The 4.8% increase in tuition and fees followed increases of 8.4% in 2011-12 and 8.0% in 2010-11.

Table 1A: Average Published Charges for Full-Time Undergraduates by Type and Control of Institution, 2012-13 (Enrollment-Weighted)
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Average Published Undergraduate Charges by Sector, 2012-13

Enrollment-weighted tuition and fees weight the price charged by each institution by the number of full-time students enrolled in fall 2011. Public four-year in-state charges are weighted by total fall 2011 full-time enrollment in each institution, including both in-state students and out-of-state students. 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 for four-year institutions and by the number of commuter students for public two-year institutions.

Notes & Sources 

— Sample too small to provide meaningful information.

NOTE: Prices reported for 2011-12 have been revised and may differ from those reported in Trends in College Pricing 2011. Public two-year room and board charges are based on commuter housing and food costs. Tuition and fee figures for the for-profit sector should be interpreted with caution because of the low response rate.

SOURCE: The College Board, Annual Survey of Colleges.

Key Points
  • In 2012–13, the percentage increase in published prices for out-of-state students was 4.2%, smaller than that for state residents at public four-year institutions. Still, the dollar gap in the two prices increased from $12,567 to $13,051.
  • The $172 increase in average published tuition and fees for full-time students at public two-year colleges reflected a 5.8% increase from $2,959 in 2011–12 to $3,131 in 2012–13.
  • The $1,173 dollar increase in average published tuition and fees for full-time students at private nonprofit four-year institutions reflected a 4.2% increase from $27,883 in 2011–12 to $29,056 in 2012–13.
  • Data on charges at for-profit institutions are incomplete, but tuition and fees in this sector rose by an estimated 3.0%, from $14,737 in 2011–12 to $15,172 in 2012–13.
Also Important
  • About 13% of full-time public four-year undergraduate students study out of state, but many states have reciprocity agreements with neighboring states that allow students to pay less than the published prices for nonresident students.
  • About 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 such as veterans, teachers or dependents of employees. See Figures 9 and 10 for estimates of net prices paid by students and Trends in Student Aid 2012 for details about student aid.
  • The total price of a college education depends on how long a student is enrolled before completing a degree. Many students spend more than four years earning a bachelor's degree. Average time to degree is longer in public than in private nonprofit colleges.
  • In fall 2011, 60% of students at public two-year colleges were enrolled part-time, as were 23% of undergraduates at public four-year, 17% at private nonprofit four-year, and 24% at for-profit institutions. (National Center for Education Statistics [NCES], unpublished data)