Regional Variation in Charges

Both published tuition and fee prices and the rates of change in those prices vary considerably across regions of the country.
Between 1998-99 and 2008-09, the average price at public two-year colleges in the West declined by 9%, or $127 (in constant 2008 dollars), while the average price in the South increased by 42%, or $697.

Key Takeaways

In public four-year institutions, the largest increase over the decade was 89% ($3,016 in constant 2008 dollars) in the Southwest. The smallest dollar increase was $1,807 (50%) in the South and the smallest percentage increase was 34% ($1,903) in the Middle States region.
When housing and food costs are also considered, relatively low tuition and fees do not necessarily correspond to low total costs of attendance. Despite their low tuition and fees, students at public two-year colleges in the West have higher total costs (before grant aid) than those in the South, the Southwest, and the Midwest.
Published tuition and fees for public four-year institutions in the Midwest are second only to those in New England. However, relatively low room and board charges lead to total charges that are lower than those in all other regions except the South and the Southwest.

Tuition and fees constitute only 9% of the total budget for commuter students at public two-year colleges in the West, but about a quarter of the budget for similar students in New England, the Middle States region, and the Midwest.
Tuition and fees constitute 28% of the total budget for in-state public four-year college students in the West, compared to 43% in New England.
Tuition and fees constitute 65% to 70% of the total budget for private four-year college students in all regions of the country.
While tuition and fees are higher in all sectors in New England than in other regions, student budgets for books and supplies, transportation, and other costs are lowest in New England

Room and board charges in New England are the highest among private four-year institutions, but in the public four-year sector, the highest room and board charges are in the West.
Budgets for books and supplies are highest in the West, while estimated transportation costs are highest in the Southwest and lowest in New England.
Like tuition and fees for in-state students, the average out-of-state premium is highest in New England. The out-of-state premium is lowest in the Southwest.
Out-of-state tuition and fees are 3.3 times as high as in-state tuition and fees in the West. In the Middle States region, out-of-state tuition and fees at public four-year institutions are 2.2 times as high as in-state tuition and fees.

Table 6: Average Student Expenses by College Board Region, 2008-09 (Enrollment-Weighted)

					Resident			Commuter
Region	Sector	Tuition and Fees	Additional Out-of-State Charges*	Books and Supplies	Room and Board	Transportation	Other Costs	Room and Board**	Transportation	Other Costs
National	Public Two-Year	$2,402	$4,593	$1,036	—	—	—	$7,341	$1,380	$1,895
	Public Four-Year	$6,585	$10,867	$1,077	$7,748	$1,010	$1,906	$7,814	$1,401	$2,197
	Private Four-Year	$25,143		$1,054	$8,989	$807	$1,397	$7,696	$1,241	$1,784
New England	Public Two-Year	$3,698	$6,261	$894	—	—	—	$7,100	$1,271	$1,925
	Public Four-Year	$8,602	$12,664	$949	$8,443	$632	$1,325	$7,453	$987	$1,510
	Private Four-Year	$31,680		$965	$10,701	$597	$1,183	$9,572	$890	$1,342
Middle States	Public Two-Year	$3,554	$3,589	$1,000	—	—	—	$7,654	$1,318	$1,528
	Public Four-Year	$7,565	$8,815	$1,108	$8,688	$787	$1,861	$8,341	$1,181	$2,339
	Private Four-Year	$26,703		$1,049	$10,058	$681	$1,224	$8,305	$1,198	$1,670
South	Public Two-Year	$2,362	$5,351	$920	—	—	—	$5,998	$1,578	$1,825
	Public Four-Year	$5,412	$11,563	$1,006	$6,760	$1,227	$1,831	$7,241	$1,606	$2,016
	Private Four-Year	$21,773		$1,062	$7,939	$1,067	$1,517	$7,559	$1,452	$1,832
Midwest	Public Two-Year	$3,065	$3,885	$943	—	—	—	$5,668	$1,486	$1,679
	Public Four-Year	$7,785	$10,910	$937	$7,210	$929	$2,026	$6,796	$1,316	$2,243
	Private Four-Year	$23,431		$1,043	$7,697	$813	$1,473	$6,480	$1,281	$1,930
Southwest	Public Two-Year	$1,822	$2,716	$912	—	—	—	$5,548	$1,625	$1,771
	Public Four-Year	$6,421	$8,384	$1,031	$6,651	$1,356	$2,126	$6,674	$1,740	$2,233
	Private Four-Year	$21,116		$1,100	$7,395	$1,039	$1,505	$6,560	$1,464	$1,809
West	Public Two-Year	$1,292	$5,269	$1,318	—	—	—	$8,934	$1,132	$2,329
	Public Four-Year	$5,428	$12,320	$1,359	$9,796	$1,063	$1,974	$9,070	$1,319	$2,294
	Private Four-Year	$24,610		$1,158	$9,150	$791	$1,789	$8,131	$1,097	$1,981

— Sample too small to provide meaningful information.
* Average out-of-state charges measure the premium charged to students who are not state residents, weighted by full-time out-of-state enrollment. The out-of-state tuition and fees reported in Tables 1 and 2 reflect the sum of this premium and average in-state tuition and fees, which are weighted by total full-time enrollment.
** Room and board costs for commuter students are average estimated living expenses for students living off campus but not with parents, as reported by institutions in the Annual Survey of Colleges.
Source: The College Board, Annual Survey of Colleges. excel

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Figure 6: Tuition and Fee and Room and Board (TFRB) Charges by College Board Region and Sector,
in Constant (2008) Dollars, 1998-99 and 2008-09 (Enrollment-Weighted)

1998-99 Room and Board

1998-99 Tuition and Fees

2008-09 Room and Board

2008-09 Tuition and Fees

The green bars report 1998-99 prices and the blue bars report 2008-09 prices. In each bar, the darker segment corresponds to published tuition and fees and the lighter segment corresponds to room and board charges. The height of the entire bar reflects total TFRB charges. Regions are arranged in descending order of 2008-09 tuition and fees.

Note: States included in the regions are as follows. New England: CT, MA, ME, NH, RI, and VT; Middle States: DC, DE, MD, NJ, NY, PA, and PR; South: AL, FL, GA, KY, LA, MS, NC, SC, TN, and VA; Midwest; IA, IL, IN, KS, MI, MN, MO, NE, ND, OH, SD, WI, and WV; Southwest: AR, NM, OK, and TX; West: AK, AZ, CA, CO, HI, ID, MT, NV, OR, UT, WA, and WY. In addition to regional differences, there are also state differences in published tuition and fees (see Table 6c).
Source: The College Board, Annual Survey of Colleges.
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Table 6a: Tuition and Fees by College Board Region and Institution Type, in Current Dollars, 1990-91 to 2008-09 (Enrollment-Weighted)

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Source: The College Board, Annual Survey of Colleges. excel

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Table 6b: Tuition and Fees by College Board Region and Institution Type, in Constant (2008) Dollars, 1990-91 to 2008-09 (Enrollment-Weighted)

— Sample too small to provide meaningful information.
Source: The College Board, Annual Survey of Colleges. excel

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