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Average Cost of College in the U.S.
By
Cece Gilmore
Cece Gilmore is a Content Writer at Scholarships360. Cece earned her undergraduate degree in Journalism and Mass Communications from Arizona State University. While at ASU, she was the education editor as well as a published staff reporter at Downtown Devil. Cece was also the co-host of her own radio show on Blaze Radio ASU.
Maria Geiger is Director of Content at Scholarships360. She is a former online educational technology instructor and adjunct writing instructor. In addition to education reform, Maria’s interests include viewpoint diversity, blended/flipped learning, digital communication, and integrating media/web tools into the curriculum to better facilitate student engagement.
Maria earned both a B.A. and an M.A. in English Literature from Monmouth University, an M. Ed. in Education from Monmouth University, and a Virtual Online Teaching Certificate (VOLT) from the University of Pennsylvania.
The cost of higher education depends on factors such as whether the institution is public or private, the state the institution is located in, scholarships a student may receive and other determining factors. Understanding the cost of education based on these factors will provide transparency to students and families looking to fund a higher education journey and make informed decisions about education and financial planning.
Cost of Attendance (COA) vs. Net Price of Attendance
Cost of Attendance (COA) defined
The cost of attendance, or COA, is the estimated cost of attending college for an entire academic year. COA includes tuition and required fees, books, supplies, and the average cost for room and board. The cost of attendance is sometimes referred to as the “Sticker Price” before the application of financial aid, grants, or scholarships.
Annual Net Price of Attendance defined
After the tuition and required fees, books, supplies, and the average cost for room and board (the COA as described above) are calculated, financial aid, grants, and scholarships are then deducted. That number is the “Net Price of Attendance.” If the number is above zero, it is usually paid for through loans or savings. Students can get a rough estimate of what that number might look like by using a net price calculator.
Annual Net Price of Attendance
Four-year Institutions
The chart below shows the average net price of attendance (total cost minus grant and scholarship aid) for first-time full-time undergraduate students attending 4-year institutions (for the academic year of 2021-22).
Type of Institution
Student Living Situation
On campus
Off campus (living with family)
Off campus (not living with family)
Public
$26,027
$15,552
$26,756
Private nonprofit
$55,840
$43,945
$56,054
Private for-profit
$32,895
$23,391
$31,909
Two-year Institutions
The chart below shows the average net price of attendance (total cost minus grant and scholarship aid) for first-time full-time undergraduate students attending 2-year institutions (for the academic year of 2021-22)
Type of Institution
Student Living Situation
On campus
Off campus (living with family)
Off campus (not living with family)
Public
$16,090
$9,845
$20,091
Private nonprofit
$33,007
$23,686
$33,560
Private for-profit
$27,214
$21,395
$31,370
Average tuition and fees by year and total degree cost
The information below breaks down the cost solely of tuition and fees for first-time undergraduate students. No other expenses (such as room and board, books, living expenses, etc.) are included.
Public colleges and universities
The chart below shows the average tuition and fees of institutions for first-time, full-time undergraduate students
Type of institution
Average tuition and fees for 2021-2022
Average total cost of degree
2-year institutions
$3,970
$7,940
4-year institutions
$9,678
$38,712
Private colleges and universities
The chart below shows the average tuition and fees of institutions for first-time, full-time undergraduate students
Type of institution
Average tuition and fees for 2021-2022
Average total cost of degree
2-year institutions
$16,686
$33,372
4-year institutions
$28,296
$113,184
Private nonprofit colleges and universities
The chart below shows the average tuition and fees of institutions for first-time, full-time undergraduate students
Type of institution
Average tuition and fees for 2021-2022
Average total cost of degree
2-year institutions
$17,735
$35,470
4-year institutions
$38,768
$155,072
Private for-profit colleges and universities
Type of institution
Average tuition and fees for 2021-2022
Average total cost of degree
2-year institutions
$15,637
$31,274
4-year institutions
$17,825
$71,300
Amount of grant and scholarship aid awarded based on family income
Public 4-year institutions
At public 4-year institutions in 2020-21, there was a trend that the lower the income group the student is from the greater the average amount of grant and scholarship aid awarded to first-time, full-time undergraduate students paying in-state tuition. Make sure to check out our free scholarship search resource to help increase the amount of scholarship funds you will receive!
Family Income
Average amount of grant and scholarship aid at 4-year institutions
$0 – $30,000
$13,200
$30,001 – $48,000
$12,700
$48,001 – $75,000
$9,500
$75,001 – $110,000
$5,400
$110,001 +
$3,300
Private nonprofit 4-year institutions
In contrast to public 4-year institutions, private nonprofit 4-year institutions did not follow the same trend regarding decreasing scholarship for higher income families. Rather, the most scholarship aid was awarded to those with a familial income between $30,001 and $75,000.
Family Income
Average amount of grant and scholarship aid at 4-year institutions
$0 – $30,000
$30,100
$30,001 – $48,000
$33,600
$48,001 – $75,000
$32,100
$75,001 – $110,000
$28,500
$110,001 +
$24,000
Undergraduate tuition, fees, room, and board cost by state
This list is the average undergraduate tuition and fees, room and board charges for full-time students in public and private 4-year institutions for the academic year of 2021-22 separated by state. The totals do not include books, transportation, or living expenses.
Notable statistics from the average tuition and fees, room, and board cost by state
The most expensive public 4-year in-state was Vermont with an average total COA of $30,921 while the least expensive public 4-year in-state was Wyoming with an average total COA of $14,634 (DC was not selected as there was only information regarding it’s tuition and fee total rather than COA)
The most expensive public 4-year out-of-state was Vermont with an average total COA of $55,152 while the least expensive public 4-year out-of-state was South Dakota with an average total COA of $21,521 (DC was not selected as there was only information regarding it’s tuition and fee total rather than COA)
The most expensive private 4-year was Michigan with an average total COA of $67,953 while the least expensive private 4-year was Idaho with an average total COA of $15,963
In Arizona, Delaware and Idaho the COA for public 4-year in-state institutions was more expensive than the COA for private 4-year institutions
In both Utah and West Virginia there is only a $1,000-$2,000 difference between the COA of public and private institutions
Most affordable colleges and universities by state
This list was compiled by ranking four-year in-person institutions based on net price and average student debt. The schools with the lowest costs and debt levels were selected and then institutions with a graduation rate below the national average were eliminated. All data was pulled from our own “Top Colleges for Affordability” rankings.
By
Cece Gilmore 
