Trends in College Pricing: Highlights

Review highlights from the Trends in College Pricing 2026 report. You can find the full report, Excel data, and PowerPoint presentation in the Resources section at the bottom of this page.

Published or Sticker Prices

In 2026-27, the average published (sticker) tuition and fees for full-time undergraduate students are:

• Public four-year in-state: $12,290, $350 higher than in 2025-26 (2.9% before adjusting for inflation).
• Public four-year out-of-state: $32,730, $1,110 higher than in 2025-26 (3.5% before adjusting for inflation).
• Public two-year in-district: $4,210, $100 higher than in 2025-26 (2.4% before adjusting for inflation).
• Private nonprofit four-year: $46,350, $1,640 higher than in 2025-26 (3.7% before adjusting for inflation).

One Price Doesn't Fit All

Published college prices vary widely, depending on the type of institution and where it's located.

• Across the United States, average 2026-27 public two-year in-district tuition and fees range from $1,440 in California and $2,350 in New Mexico to $8,950 in Vermont.
• Average 2026-27 public four-year in-state tuition and fees range from $6,360 in Florida and $7,690 in North Carolina to $18,710 in New Jersey.

Net Prices

The majority of full-time undergraduate students receive grant aid that helps them pay for college.

• On average, first-time full-time students at public two-year colleges have been receiving enough grant aid to cover their tuition and fees since 2009-10.

• After adjusting for inflation, the average net tuition and fees paid by first-time full-time in-state students enrolled in public four-year institutions peaked in 2012-13 at $4,600 (in 2026 dollars) and declined to an estimated $1,920 in 2026-27. 

• After adjusting for inflation, the average net tuition and fees paid by first-time full-time students enrolled in private nonprofit four-year institutions were stable at about $20,000 (in 2026 dollars) between 2026-07 and 2019-20 and declined to an estimated $17,280 in 2026-27. 

Family Income

The income gap between families with the lowest and highest incomes is growing.

• Between 1995 and 2025, the average income increased by 63% for the top quintile of families and by 31% for the lowest quintile of families, after adjusting for inflation.

Institutional Finances

• In 2024-25, state and local funding for public higher education averaged $12,080 per full-time equivalent (FTE) student in the United States; it ranged from $5,460 in New Hampshire and $5,980 in Arizona to more than $20,000 in New Mexico, Hawaii, Illinois, and Alaska.

Enrollment

• Total postsecondary enrollment rebounded to pre-Covid-19 levels in fall 2024. Between fall 2023 and fall 2024, enrollment grew by 555,000 (3%)—from 18.9 million to 19.5 million.