Average Net Price for Full-Time Students over Time — Private Institutions

Average net tuition and fees for full-time undergraduates at private nonprofit four-year institutions rose from $12,600 (in 2012 dollars) in 2011-12 to $13,380 in 2012-13. This increase comes after three consecutive years of decline between 2007-08 and 2010-11 and a small increase of $60 between 2010-11 and 2011-12.

Figure 10: Published Tuition and Fees, Net Tuition and Fees, and Room and Board in 2012 Dollars, Full-Time Undergraduate Students at Private Nonprofit Four-Year Institutions, 1992-93, 1997-98, 2002-03, 2007-08, and 2012-13 (Estimated)
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Average Net Price for Full-Time Students over Time — Private Institutions

Because data for 2012-13 are not yet available, financial aid and the resulting net prices for 2012-13 are preliminary estimates.

Notes & Sources 

NOTE: Prices have been rounded to the nearest $10.


SOURCES: The College Board, Annual Survey of Colleges; Trends in Student Aid 2012; calculations by the authors.

Key Points
  • The average private nonprofit four-year net price of $12,540 in 2010-11 was the lowest since 2000-01 in inflation-adjusted dollars.
  • In 2012-13, on average, undergraduates enrolled full-time in private nonprofit four-year colleges receive an estimated $15,680 in grant aid and tax benefits to help them pay for college.
  • The average full-time undergraduate enrolled in a private nonprofit four-year college receives enough grant aid to cover a significant portion of tuition and fees, but not to cover any other expenses. As a result, total net price—including tuition and fees as well as room and board -equals the $13,380 in net tuition and fees plus the full $10,460 for room and board, yielding an estimated total net price of $23,840 in 2012-13.
Also Important
  • Large increases in federal Pell Grants and veterans benefits in 2009-10, combined with the 2009 implementation of the American Opportunity Tax Credit, had a significant impact on the net prices paid by students who benefit from these programs.
  • Net prices vary considerably across students within institutions and within sectors. For those who do not receive grant aid or tax benefits, the net price is equal to the published price.
  • In 2012-13, net tuition and fees for full-time students at private for-profit institutions, after considering grant aid from all sources and federal education tax credits and deductions, average about $4,950, compared to published tuition and fees of about $15,170.