National Center for Education Statistics

Table 06. Average and median academic year institutional tuition and required fees, number of institutions reporting academic year tuition and required fees for full-time students at Title IV institutions operating on an academic year calendar, and percentage change, by student level, sector of institution, and residency: United States, academic years 2011–12, 2014–15, 2017–18, and 2020–21
[In constant 2020 dollars]
Student level, sector of institution, and residency		Academic year				Percent change 2011–12 to 2020–21
		2011–12	2014–15	2017–18	2020–21
		Average academic year institutional tuition and required fees
Undergraduate
Public 4-year
In-district1		8,297	8,656	8,788	8,467	2.1
In-state		8,304	8,671	8,815	8,528	2.7
Out-of-state		18,904	19,571	19,749	18,921	0.1
Public 2-year
In-district1		3,358	3,552	3,803	3,876	15.4
In-state		3,902	4,143	4,467	4,545	16.5
Out-of-state		7,912	8,236	8,641	8,658	9.4
Public less-than-2-year
In-district1		7,443	7,153	7,495	8,682	16.7
In-state		7,450	7,158	7,495	8,682	16.5
Out-of-state		8,017	7,651	8,637	10,214	27.4
Private nonprofit 4-year2		26,354	27,585	29,080	29,538	12.1
Private nonprofit 2-year2		13,855	13,969	14,483	14,778	6.7
Private nonprofit less-than-2-year2		11,391	13,559	13,911	13,292	16.7
Private for-profit 4-year2		17,601	17,108	16,574	17,046	-3.2
Private for-profit 2-year2		16,207	15,893	15,552	15,294	-5.6
Private for-profit less-than-2-year2		16,461	16,674	18,069	19,839	20.5
Graduate3
Public 4-year
In-district1		10,290	10,837	11,529	10,798	4.9
In-state		10,291	10,837	11,529	10,799	4.9
Out-of-state		19,696	20,600	21,464	20,380	3.5
Private nonprofit 4-year2		18,505	19,080	19,664	19,771	6.8
Private for-profit 4-year2		17,924	17,319	16,983	16,354	-8.8
		Median academic year institutional tuition and required fees
Undergraduate
Public 4-year
In-district1		7,620	8,136	8,393	8,325	9.2
In-state		7,620	8,136	8,411	8,359	9.7
Out-of-state		18,266	19,111	19,198	18,269	#
Public 2-year
In-district1		3,348	3,630	3,934	4,103	22.5
In-state		3,821	4,009	4,359	4,488	17.5
Out-of-state		7,360	7,806	8,177	8,264	12.3
Public less-than-2-year
In-district1		5,782	6,037	7,298	7,822	35.3
In-state		5,782	6,037	7,298	7,822	35.3
Out-of-state		5,871	6,735	9,080	9,583	63.2
Private nonprofit 4-year2		26,661	27,550	29,268	29,770	11.7
Private nonprofit 2-year2		13,508	13,974	13,314	13,905	2.9
Private nonprofit less-than-2-year2		11,000	12,287	12,662	12,813	16.5
Private for-profit 4-year2		17,675	16,948	15,838	15,943	-9.8
Private for-profit 2-year2		15,472	15,231	15,141	15,140	-2.1
Private for-profit less-than-2-year2		15,590	17,008	18,182	19,576	25.6
Graduate3
Public 4-year
In-district1		9,467	9,746	10,434	9,963	5.2
In-state		9,467	9,746	10,434	9,963	5.2
Out-of-state		19,146	20,545	21,079	19,285	0.7
Private nonprofit 4-year2		15,622	16,053	16,070	15,940	2
Private for-profit 4-year2		17,278	15,765	17,313	16,020	-7.3
		Number of institutions reporting academic year tuition and required fees
Undergraduate
Public 4-year
In-district1		661	681	728	733	10.9
In-state		661	681	728	733	10.9
Out-of-state		661	681	728	733	10.9
Public 2-year
In-district1		973	922	873	831	-14.6
In-state		973	922	873	831	-14.6
Out-of-state		973	922	873	831	-14.6
Public less-than-2-year
In-district1		24	22	17	16	-33.3
In-state		24	22	17	16	-33.3
Out-of-state		24	22	17	16	-33.3
Private nonprofit 4-year2		1,314	1,347	1,352	1,325	0.8
Private nonprofit 2-year2		147	120	120	109	-25.9
Private nonprofit less-than-2-year2		12	12	7	8	-33.3
Private for-profit 4-year2		656	662	417	257	-60.8
Private for-profit 2-year2		450	390	249	157	-65.1
Private for-profit less-than-2-year2		57	29	29	23	-59.6
Graduate3
Public 4-year
In-district1		567	562	579	552	-2.6
In-state		567	562	579	552	-2.6
Out-of-state		567	562	579	552	-2.6
Private nonprofit 4-year2		1,152	1,185	1,199	1,184	2.8
Private for-profit 4-year2		282	255	239	177	-37.2

# Rounds to zero.

¹For public institutions, “in-district” refers to the charges paid by a student who lives in the locality surrounding the institution, such as county.

²Out-of-state average and median tuition and required fees were used for all private institutions.

³Tuition and fee charges for graduate students do not include charges for programs designated as doctor’s degrees—professional practice.

NOTE: Title IV institutions are those with a written agreement with the U.S. Department of Education that allows the institution to participate in any of the Title IV federal student financial assistance programs. United States includes the 50 states and the District of Columbia. The four U.S. service academies that are not Title IV eligible are included in the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) universe because they are federally funded and open to the public. However, these four U.S. service academies are not included in this table. Tuition and required fees are average institutional charges, not average amounts paid by students (i.e., charges are not weighted by enrollment). These figures for undergraduates differ from the data in tables 8, 9, and 10 that apply only to full-time, first-time degree/certificate-seeking undergraduates. The time points displayed in this table were chosen to demonstrate the range of data available from IPEDS for trend analysis, not to emphasize any particular period of change. Undergraduate tuitions and fees represent all institutions that offer undergraduate programs and enroll full-time undergraduates. Institutions with academic calendars that differ by program or allow continuous enrollment are not included in this table. All amounts from 2011–12, 2014–15, and 2017–18 were converted to 2020 dollars using the average Consumer Price Index values for the 12-month periods ending in December 2011, 2014, 2017 and December 2020. Definitions for terms used in this table may be found in the collection year’s archived downloadable glossary located at https://nces.ed.gov/ipeds/use-the-data/annual-survey-forms-packages-archived?year=2020.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, IPEDS, Fall 2011, Fall 2014, Fall 2017, and Fall 2020, Institutional Characteristics component (final data).