Report: College Cost Hikes Slowing, But Are Still Outpacing Inflation

College costs are continuing to rise faster than inflation, but the annual increases aren’t as steep in percentage as they were just a few years ago, the College Board reported last week.

For the third year in a row, increases in average tuition and fees slowed slightly. Those costs at four-year public colleges rose 6.3 percent—to $5,836—from 2005-06 to 2006-07. In the past decade, tuition for such institutions has increased as much as 8 percent in a single year. The percentage hikes in tuition and fees were smaller at two-year public colleges, which saw a 4.1 percent increase—to $2,272—this academic year, and at four-year private colleges, which went up 5.9 percent, to $20,980.

The average cost of tuition and fees at a four-year public college has gone up by 35 percent over five years, after adjusting for inflation, according to the New York City-based group’s report...