Tuition and Fees, Room and Board, and Total Charges, 2008-09

In both the public and private sectors, tuition and fees are higher at doctorate-granting universities than at other types of institutions. In 2008-09, average published tuition and fees for in-state students at public doctorate-granting universities are $7,307, compared to $5,707 at public master’s universities and $5,604 at public baccalaureate colleges.

Key Takeaways

In 2008-09, the $6,585 average published tuition and fees for in-state student at public four-year institutions reflects a oneyear increase of $394, or 6.4%. For out-of-state students, the average $17,452 is an increase of $866, or 5.2%.
About 17% of public college freshmen study out-of-state (Digest of Education Statistics 2007, Table 213), but many states have reciprocity agreements with neighboring states that allow students to pay less than the published prices.
At private four-year colleges and universities, tuition and fees rose an average of $1,398, or 5.9% in 2008-09.

At public two-year colleges, average published tuition and fees rose $108, to $2,402 in 2008-09. The 4.7% increase was lower than the 5.6% increase in the Consumer Price Index.
Community college prices in California, where 17% of full-time students in this sector are enrolled, are unusually low. The average published price of public two-year colleges outside of California is $2,761 in 2008-09.
For-profit institutions raised tuition and fees by an estimated 4.5%, or $557, to $13,046 in 2008-09. (Figures for this sector should be interpreted with caution, because they are based on only about 70% of the sector’s enrollments.)

ALSO IMPORTANT

The prices cited here are not representative of the prices students actually pay. Almost 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 of students such as dependents of employees, veterans, or teachers. See Figure 7 for estimates of net prices paid by students and Trends in Student Aid 2008 for details about student aid.
The total price of a college education depends on the number of terms of study for which a student is enrolled before completing a degree. Many students spend longer than four years earning bachelor’s degrees.
Part-time students pay lower tuition and fees than those reported here. In fall 2005, 61% of students enrolled in public two-year colleges were part-time, as were 21% of undergraduates in public four-year, 17% in private not-for-profit four-year, and 17% in for-profit institutions (Digest of Education Statistics 2007, Table 184).

Table 1a: Average Published Charges for Undergraduates by Type and Control of Institution, 2008-09 (Enrollment-Weighted)

	Tuition and Fees				Room and Board				Total Charges
Sector	2008-09	2007-08	$ Change	% Change	2008-09	2007-08	$ Change	% Change	2008-09	2007-08	$ Change	% Change
Public Two-Year	$2,402	$2,294	$108	4.7%	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
Public Four-Year In-State	$6,585	$6,191	$394	6.4%	$7,748	$7,367	$381	5.2%	$14,333	$13,558	$775	5.7%
Public Four-Year Out-of-State	$17,452	$16,586	$866	5.2%	$7,748	$7,367	$381	5.2%	$25,200	$23,953	$1,247	5.2%
Private Four-Year Not-for-Profit	$25,143	$23,745	$1,398	5.9%	$8,989	$8,581	$408	4.8%	$34,132	$32,326	$1,806	5.6%
For-Profit	$13,046	$12,489	$557	4.5%	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—

Enrollment-weighted tuition and fees are derived by weighting the price charged by each institution by the number of full-time students enrolled in 2007-08. Public four-year in-state charges are weighted by total 2007-08 full-time enrollment in each institution. 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.

— Sample too small to provide meaningful information.
Note: Prices reported for 2007-08 in Table 1a have been revised and may differ from those reported in Trends in College Pricing 2007. See Notes and Sources on p. 19 for definitions of the institutional categories in Table 1b.
Source: The College Board, Annual Survey of Colleges. excel Download Excel for this table. excel Download Excel for all tables.<br>

This table was prepared in October 2008.

Table 1b: Average Published Charges for Undergraduates by Carnegie Classification, 2008-09 (Enrollment-Weighted)

	Tuition and Fees				Room and Board				Total Charges
Sector	2008-09	2007-08	$ Change	% Change	2008-09	2007-08	$ Change	% Change	2008-09	2007-08	$ Change	% Change
Public Doctorate-Granting In-State	$7,307	$6,863	$444	6.5%	$8,170	$7,760	$410	5.3%	$15,477	$14,623	$854	5.8%
Public Master’s In-State	$5,707	$5,373	$334	6.2%	$7,041	$6,705	$336	5.0%	$12,748	$12,078	$670	5.5%
Public Baccalaureate In-State	$5,604	$5,295	$309	5.8%	$7,403	$7,063	$340	4.8%	$13,007	$12,358	$649	5.3%
Private Doctorate-Granting	$31,066	$29,432	$1,634	5.6%	$10,494	$10,066	$428	4.3%	$41,560	$39,498	$2,062	5.2%
Private Master’s	$22,717	$21,400	$1,317	6.2%	$8,713	$8,305	$408	4.9%	$31,430	$29,705	$1,725	5.8%
Private Baccalaureate	$23,054	$21,759	$1,295	6.0%	$8,175	$7,782	$393	5.1%	$31,229	$29,541	$1,688	5.7%

Enrollment-weighted tuition and fees are derived by weighting the price charged by each institution by the number of full-time students enrolled in 2007-08. Public four-year in-state charges are weighted by total 2007-08 full-time enrollment in each institution. 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.

— Sample too small to provide meaningful information.
Note: Prices reported for 2007-08 in Table 1a have been revised and may differ from those reported in Trends in College Pricing 2007. See Notes and Sources for definitions of the institutional categories in Table 1b.
Source: The College Board, Annual Survey of Colleges. excel

Download Excel for this table. excel

Download Excel for all tables.

This table was prepared in October 2008.