Youth Indicators 1996 / Indicator 24, Chart 1
SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Digest of Education Statistics, 1995; and Projections of Education Statistics to 1979-80.
College tuition, room, and board charges (after adjustment for inflation) declined slightly during the 1970s. However, since 1979-80, student charges have risen substantially, particularly at private 4-year colleges. After adjusting for inflation, charges for tuition, room, and board rose by 48 percent at public 4-year colleges and 71 percent at private 4-year colleges between 1979-80 and 1994-95. Charges at public 4-year colleges increased somewhat relative to family income, showing some decline between 1959-60 and 1979- 80 and rising since then. Total college charges for private 4-year college students as a proportion of family income were much higher in 1994-95 than in the 1960s and 1970s, reflecting sharp increases since 1980-81.
