Tuition and Fee and Room and Board Charges over Time—
Not Adjusted for Inflation
Adding room and board charges to tuition and fees gives a more complete picture of the total price of a year of college. Students who reside off campus incur similar costs unless they live with family.
Key Takeaways
Unweighted Averages
- The figures in Table 4a and Table 5a provide the basis for the constant dollar values reported in Table 4 and Table 5. These tables are in current dollars, reflecting the actual published prices charged each year. The figures in Table 4 and Table 5 have been adjusted for inflation. Increases in the Consumer Price Index make each 2008 dollar worth less than a dollar from an earlier year. The constant dollar values for earlier years are higher than the current dollar values reported here, because they adjust these amounts upward into dollars with 2008 purchasing power.
-
Constant dollars can be computed by the following formula:
Constant 2008 Dollars = Year A Dollars x (2008 CPI/Year A CPI).
See Table A2 for the CPI adjustment used
in Trends. - The average prices reported in Table 5b treat each institution equally, regardless of enrollment. In contrast, the average prices reported in Tables 4a and 5a are weighted by full-time enrollment, with institutions enrolling larger number of students affecting the average more than smaller institutions.
- The $2,572 unweighted average 2008-09 tuition and fees reported in Table 5b for public two-year colleges is higher than the $2,402 reported in Table 1a. This reflects the reality that smaller public two-year colleges tend to have higher prices than those with larger full-time enrollments.
- The $6,249 unweighted average 2008-09 tuition and fees reported in Table 5b for in-state students at public four-year colleges and universities is lower than the $6,585 reported in Table 1a. This reflects the reality that larger public four-year institutions tend to have higher prices than those with smaller full-time enrollments. A similar pattern holds for private four-year colleges and universities.
- Enrollment-weighted averages provide the best indicator of the published prices charged for typical students. Changes over time in unweighted average published prices are based on the institution as the unit of analysis.
- If enrollments were to shift from more expensive to less expensive institutions within a sector, the lower-priced institutions would carry more weight, causing the weighted average prices to increase more slowly than the unweighted average prices. Another explanation for a slower increase in weighted average prices would be smaller price increases in larger institutions than in smaller institutions.
ALSO IMPORTANT
- In addition to tuition and fees and room and board, students’ total cost of attendance includes the books and supplies, transportation, and other living expenses included in the student budgets reported in Figure 1.
- About 40% of full-time dependent students enrolled in public four-year institutions live on campus. Another 40% live in off-campus housing and about 20% live with their parents. Among dependent students at private four-year colleges, 64% live on campus, 19% live in off-campus housing, and 17% live with their parents. (National Postsecondary Student Aid Study (NPSAS) 2004)
Table 4a: Average Published Tuition and Fees in Current Dollars, 1971-72 to 2008-09 (Enrollment-Weighted)
Tuition and Fees—Current Dollars |
||||||
Academic Year |
Private Four-Year |
% Change |
Public Four-Year |
% Change |
Public Two-Year |
% Change |
| 1971-72 | $1,820 |
— |
$376 |
— |
$192 |
— |
| 1972-73 | $1,898 |
4.3% |
$407 |
8.2% |
$233 |
21.4% |
| 1973-74 | $1,989 |
4.8% |
$438 |
7.6% |
$274 |
17.6% |
| 1974-75 | $2,117 |
6.4% |
$432 |
-1.4% |
$277 |
1.1% |
| 1975-76 | $2,272 |
7.3% |
$433 |
0.2% |
$245 |
-11.6% |
| 1976-77 | $2,534 |
11.5% |
$617 |
42.5% |
$283 |
15.5% |
| 1977-78 | $2,700 |
6.6% |
$655 |
6.2% |
$306 |
8.1% |
| 1978-79 | $2,958 |
9.6% |
$688 |
5.0% |
$327 |
6.9% |
| 1979-80 | $3,225 |
9.0% |
$738 |
7.3% |
$355 |
8.6% |
| 1980-81 | $3,617 |
12.2% |
$804 |
8.9% |
$391 |
10.1% |
| 1981-82 | $4,113 |
13.7% |
$909 |
13.1% |
$434 |
11.0% |
| 1982-83 | $4,639 |
12.8% |
$1,031 |
13.4% |
$473 |
9.0% |
| 1983-84 | $5,093 |
9.8% |
$1,148 |
11.3% |
$528 |
11.6% |
| 1984-85 | $5,556 |
9.1% |
$1,228 |
7.0% |
$584 |
10.6% |
| 1985-86 | $6,121 |
10.2% |
$1,318 |
7.3% |
$641 |
9.8% |
| 1986-87 | $6,658 |
8.8% |
$1,414 |
7.3% |
$660 |
3.0% |
| 1987-88 | $7,048 |
5.9% |
$1,485 |
5.0% |
$739 |
12.0% |
| 1988-89 | $8,004 |
13.6% |
$1,578 |
6.3% |
$799 |
8.1% |
| 1989-90 | $8,663 |
8.2% |
$1,696 |
7.5% |
$841 |
5.3% |
| 1990-91 | $9,340 |
7.8% |
$1,908 |
12.5% |
$906 |
7.7% |
| 1991-92 | $9,812 |
5.1% |
$2,107 |
10.4% |
$1,171 |
29.2% |
| 1992-93 | $10,448 |
6.5% |
$2,334 |
10.8% |
$1,116 |
-4.7% |
| 1993-94 | $11,007 |
5.4% |
$2,535 |
8.6% |
$1,245 |
11.6% |
| 1994-95 | $11,719 |
6.5% |
$2,705 |
6.7% |
$1,310 |
5.2% |
| 1995-96 | $12,216 |
4.2% |
$2,811 |
3.9% |
$1,330 |
1.5% |
| 1996-97 | $12,994 |
6.4% |
$2,975 |
5.8% |
$1,465 |
10.2% |
| 1997-98 | $13,785 |
6.1% |
$3,111 |
4.6% |
$1,567 |
7.0% |
| 1998-99 | $14,709 |
6.7% |
$3,247 |
4.4% |
$1,554 |
-0.8% |
| 1999-00 | $15,518 |
5.5% |
$3,362 |
3.5% |
$1,649 |
6.1% |
| 2000-01 | $16,072 |
3.6% |
$3,508 |
4.3% |
$1,642 |
-0.4% |
| 2001-02 | $17,377 |
8.1% |
$3,766 |
7.4% |
$1,608 |
-2.1% |
| 2002-03 | $18,060 |
3.9% |
$4,098 |
8.8% |
$1,674 |
4.1% |
| 2003-04 | $18,950 |
4.9% |
$4,645 |
13.3% |
$1,909 |
14.0% |
| 2004-05 | $20,045 |
5.8% |
$5,126 |
10.4% |
$2,079 |
8.9% |
| 2005-06 | $20,980 |
4.7% |
$5,492 |
7.1% |
$2,182 |
5.0% |
| 2006-07 | $22,308 |
6.3% |
$5,804 |
5.7% |
$2,266 |
3.8% |
| 2007-08 | $23,745 |
6.4% |
$6,191 |
6.7% |
$2,294 |
1.2% |
| 2008-09 | $25,143 |
5.9% |
$6,585 |
6.4% |
$2,402 |
4.7% |
Sources: 1987-88 and after: Annual Survey of Colleges, the College Board, weighted by full-time undergraduate enrollment; 1986-87 and prior: Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS), U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, weighted by full-time equivalent enrollment.
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Table 5a: Average Published Tuition and Fee and Room and Board Charges at Four-Year Institutions in Current Dollars,
1975-76 to 2008-09 (Enrollment-Weighted)
1975-76 to 2008-09 (Enrollment-Weighted)
Academic Year |
Private Four-Year |
% Change |
Public Four-Year |
% Change |
1975-76 |
$3,663 |
$1,666 |
||
1976-77 |
$3,977 |
8.6% |
$1,936 |
16.2% |
1977-78 |
$4,240 |
6.6% |
$2,038 |
5.3% |
1978-79 |
$4,610 |
8.7% |
$2,145 |
5.3% |
1979-80 |
$5,013 |
8.7% |
$2,328 |
8.5% |
1980-81 |
$5,594 |
11.6% |
$2,551 |
9.6% |
1981-82 |
$6,330 |
13.2% |
$2,870 |
12.5% |
1982-83 |
$7,126 |
12.6% |
$3,196 |
11.4% |
1983-84 |
$7,759 |
8.9% |
$3,433 |
7.4% |
1984-85 |
$8,451 |
8.9% |
$3,682 |
7.3% |
1985-86 |
$8,902 |
5.3% |
$3,791 |
3.0% |
1986-87 |
$9,852 |
10.7% |
$4,050 |
6.8% |
1987-88 |
$10,455 |
6.1% |
$4,199 |
3.7% |
1988-89 |
$11,660 |
11.5% |
$4,455 |
6.1% |
1989-90 |
$12,557 |
7.7% |
$4,715 |
5.8% |
1990-91 |
$13,476 |
7.3% |
$5,074 |
7.6% |
1991-92 |
$14,188 |
5.3% |
$5,452 |
7.4% |
1992-93 |
$15,027 |
5.9% |
$5,834 |
7.0% |
1993-94 |
$15,795 |
5.1% |
$6,212 |
6.5% |
1994-95 |
$16,498 |
4.5% |
$6,620 |
6.6% |
1995-96 |
$17,382 |
5.4% |
$6,743 |
1.9% |
1996-97 |
$18,357 |
5.6% |
$7,142 |
5.9% |
1997-98 |
$19,360 |
5.5% |
$7,469 |
4.6% |
1998-99 |
$20,463 |
5.7% |
$7,769 |
4.0% |
1999-00 |
$21,475 |
4.9% |
$8,080 |
4.0% |
2000-01 |
$22,240 |
3.6% |
$8,439 |
4.4% |
2001-02 |
$23,856 |
7.3% |
$9,032 |
7.0% |
2002-03 |
$24,867 |
4.2% |
$9,672 |
7.1% |
2003-04 |
$26,057 |
4.8% |
$10,530 |
8.9% |
2004-05 |
$27,465 |
5.4% |
$11,376 |
8.0% |
2005-06 |
$28,743 |
4.7% |
$12,115 |
6.5% |
2006-07 |
$30,497 |
6.1% |
$12,837 |
6.0% |
2007-08 |
$32,326 |
6.0% |
$13,558 |
5.6% |
2008-09 |
$34,132 |
5.6% |
$14,333 |
5.7% |
Sources: 1987-88 and after: Annual Survey of Colleges, the College Board, weighted by full-time undergraduate enrollment; 1986-87 and prior: Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS), U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, weighted by full-time equivalent enrollment.
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Table 5b: Average Published Tuition and Fees, Room and Board, and Total Charges by Institution Type,
in Current Dollars, 1986-87 to 2008-09 (Unweighted)
in Current Dollars, 1986-87 to 2008-09 (Unweighted)
— Sample too small to provide meaningful information.
Note: All data are unweighted averages, intended to reflect the average prices set by institutions.
Source: The College Board, Annual Survey of Colleges. Download Excel for this table.
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This table was prepared in October 2008.
Note: All data are unweighted averages, intended to reflect the average prices set by institutions.
Source: The College Board, Annual Survey of Colleges.
Download Excel for this table.
Download Excel for all tables.This table was prepared in October 2008.