Education

How Affordable is College?

By Bonnie Ho — October 08, 2008 1 min read
  • Save to favorites
  • Print

Few would dispute the economic, educational, and social advantages a college education can offer. Those benefits, however, must be weighed against the costs of postsecondary education, which have risen significantly in recent years. Quality Counts 2007 reported an analysis of college costs based on data from the federal Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System. In the 2005-06 school year, the average annual cost for a four-year public institution of higher education was $11,894. That amount—which includes tuition, room, and board—is equal to about one-fifth of a typical American family’s annual income. However, college costs varied significantly from state to state. The lowest cost per year for four-year public institutions ($8,344) was found in Louisiana. New Jersey weighed in with the highest costs, at $17,515. Two-year public institutions represent a substantially more affordable higher-education alternative, with an average tuition cost of $1,939 nationwide. At just $718 per year, California had the lowest tuition cost for two-year public institutions; New Hampshire had the highest price tag at $5,719.

For more state-by-state data on postsecondary costs and other topics, search the EPE Research Center’s Education Countsdatabase.

BRIC ARCHIVE

Events

This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
Mathematics Webinar
Pave the Path to Excellence in Math
Empower your students' math journey with Sue O'Connell, author of “Math in Practice” and “Navigating Numeracy.”
Content provided by hand2mind
This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
Recruitment & Retention Webinar
Combatting Teacher Shortages: Strategies for Classroom Balance and Learning Success
Learn from leaders in education as they share insights and strategies to support teachers and students.
Content provided by DreamBox Learning
Classroom Technology K-12 Essentials Forum Reading Instruction and AI: New Strategies for the Big Education Challenges of Our Time
Join the conversation as experts in the field explore these instructional pain points and offer game-changing guidance for K-12 leaders and educators.

EdWeek Top School Jobs

Teacher Jobs
Search over ten thousand teaching jobs nationwide — elementary, middle, high school and more.
View Jobs
Principal Jobs
Find hundreds of jobs for principals, assistant principals, and other school leadership roles.
View Jobs
Administrator Jobs
Over a thousand district-level jobs: superintendents, directors, more.
View Jobs
Support Staff Jobs
Search thousands of jobs, from paraprofessionals to counselors and more.
View Jobs

Read Next

Education Briefly Stated: September 20, 2023
Here's a look at some recent Education Week articles you may have missed.
8 min read
Education From Our Research Center What's on the Minds of Educators, in Charts
Politics, gender equity, and technology—how teachers and administrators say these issues are affecting the field.
1 min read
Stylized illustration of a pie chart
Traci Daberko for Education Week
Education Briefly Stated: August 30, 2023
Here's a look at some recent Education Week articles you may have missed.
8 min read
Education Briefly Stated: August 23, 2023
Here's a look at some recent Education Week articles you may have missed.
9 min read