College costs, school by school

What college really costs, school by school

CostByCollege lists the full yearly cost of 300 colleges and universities in the United States, with the parts of the cost shown separately and added up in front of you. Each school page also shows the average price after grant aid, what graduates earn, and what borrowers owe, so cost can be weighed against outcomes.

The headline picture

Typical total cost

The middle total cost across the 293 pilot schools that publish one is $32,205 for one year, in state.

Public schools

Across 201 public pilot schools that publish a total, the average is $29,344 and the middle value is $28,802 for one year, in state.

Private nonprofit schools

Across 80 private nonprofit pilot schools that publish a total, the average is $77,401 and the middle value is $85,360 for one year.

Across all pilot schools that publish a total cost, the simple average total is $42,663 for one year for in state students and $53,000 for out of state students. The average net price, after grant and scholarship aid, is $18,004. Those gaps are the story of college pricing in the United States. The published total is the starting point, and aid decides what a student actually pays.

Cost of attendance is the full yearly price a school publishes. It counts tuition, required fees, books and supplies, room and board, and other living expenses. Average net price is different. It is what students pay on average after grant and scholarship aid is taken off. The methodology page explains both terms and how every average on this site is worked out.

Start with your school

All 300 pilot schools

AlabamaAlabama A & M UniversityAlliant International University-San DiegoAmerican Public University SystemAmerican River CollegeAmherstAppalachian State UniversityArizonaArizona StateArkansasAshford UniversityASU OnlineAuburnAustin Community CollegeBabson CollegeBakersfield CollegeBall StateBarnardBatesBaylorBoise StateBoston CollegeBoston UniversityBowdoinBroward CollegeBrownBYUBYU-IdahoCal PolyCalifornia State Polytechnic University-PomonaCalifornia State University-FresnoCalifornia State University-Los AngelesCalifornia State University-NorthridgeCalifornia State University-SacramentoCalifornia State University-San BernardinoCaltechCapellaCarnegie MellonCentral New Mexico Community CollegeCerritos CollegeChaffey CollegeChamberlain University-IllinoisClaremont McKennaClemsonColbyColgateCollege of DuPageCollege of Southern NevadaCollege of the OzarksCollin County Community College DistrictColoradoColorado CollegeColorado StateColorado Technical University-Colorado SpringsColumbiaColumbus State Community CollegeConnecticut State Community CollegeCooper Union for the Advancement of Science and ArtCornellCSU FullertonCSU Long BeachCUNY Bernard M Baruch CollegeCUNY Hunter CollegeCUNY Kingsborough Community CollegeDallas CollegeDartmouthDavidsonDelawareDenison UniversityDePaul UniversityDes Moines Area Community CollegeDeVryDrexel UniversityDukeEast CarolinaEast Los Angeles CollegeEl Camino Community College DistrictEl Paso Community CollegeEmoryEmory OxfordFAUFayetteville State UniversityFIUFloridaFlorida A&MFlorida StateFlorida State College at JacksonvilleFresno City CollegeFront Range Community CollegeFull Sail UniversityGeorge Mason UniversityGeorge Washington UniversityGeorgetownGeorgiaGeorgia Southern UniversityGeorgia StateGeorgia TechGrand CanyonGrand Valley State UniversityGrinnellHamiltonHarvardHarvey MuddHaverfordHillsborough Community CollegeHoustonHouston Community CollegeHowardIllinoisIllinois StateIndianaIndiana University-IndianapolisIowaIowa StateIvy Tech Community CollegeJames Madison UniversityJohns Hopkins UniversityJuilliard SchoolKansasKansas StateKeiser University-Ft LauderdaleKennesaw StateKent StateKentuckyLibertyLone Star CollegeLong Beach City CollegeLSUMaineMarylandMiami DadeMiami OhioMichiganMichigan StateMiddle Tennessee StateMiddleburyMinnesotaMississippi StateMissouri State University-SpringfieldMITMizzouMontana StateMontclair State UniversityMorgan State UniversityMt SACNational UniversityNC A&TNC StateNebraskaNevada RenoNew MexicoNorth Carolina Central UniversityNorth DakotaNortheasternNorthern ArizonaNorthern Virginia CCNorthwest Vista CollegeNorthwesternNotre DameNova Southeastern UniversityNYUOberlinOhio StateOhio UniversityOklahomaOklahoma StateOld Dominion UniversityOle MissOregonOregon StatePacific Oaks CollegePalm Beach State CollegePalomar CollegePasadena City CollegePennPenn StatePepperdinePittPitzer CollegePomonaPortland Community CollegePortland State UniversityPost UniversityPrairie View A&MPrincetonPurduePurdue University GlobalRhode IslandRhode Island School of DesignRiceRio Salado CollegeRiverside City CollegeRowan UniversityRutgersSacramento City CollegeSalt Lake Community CollegeSam Houston State UniversitySan Antonio CollegeSan Diego Mesa CollegeSan Diego StateSan Francisco State UniversitySan Jacinto Community CollegeSan Jose StateSanta Ana CollegeSanta Monica CollegeSmithSNHUSouth CarolinaSouth Dakota StateSouth Texas CollegeSouthern University and A & M CollegeSt Petersburg CollegeSt Philip's CollegeSt. John's University-New YorkStanbridge UniversityStanfordStony Brook UniversitySuffolk County Community CollegeSwarthmoreSyracuseTarrant County CollegeTemple UniversityTennesseeTennessee StateTexas A&M University-College StationTexas Southern UniversityTexas State UniversityTexas TechTowson UniversityTufts UniversityTulaneUABUC BerkeleyUC DavisUC IrvineUC RiversideUC San DiegoUC Santa BarbaraUC Santa CruzUCFUChicagoUCLAUConnUICUMass AmherstUMGCUNCUNC CharlotteUnited States Air Force AcademyUnited States Military AcademyUnited States Naval AcademyUniversity at BuffaloUniversity of Alaska AnchorageUniversity of CincinnatiUniversity of Colorado Denver/Anschutz Medical CampusUniversity of Hawaii at ManoaUniversity of LouisvilleUniversity of MemphisUniversity of MiamiUniversity of North TexasUniversity of PhoenixUniversity of South FloridaUniversity of Texas at ArlingtonUniversity of Texas at DallasUniversity of Texas at El PasoUniversity of Texas at San AntonioUniversity of Texas Rio Grande ValleyUniversity of the CumberlandsUniversity of the PeopleUniversity of Wisconsin-MilwaukeeUNLVUSCUT AustinUtahUtah StateUtah Valley UniversityValenciaVanderbiltVassar CollegeVermontVirginiaVirginia Commonwealth UniversityVirginia TechWake Technical Community CollegeWaldenWashingtonWashington and Lee UniversityWashington StateWashington University of Science and TechnologyWashUWayne State UniversityWeber State UniversityWellesleyWesleyanWest VirginiaWestern GovernorsWilliamsWisconsinWyomingYale

Browse by state

Each state page ranks the pilot schools in that state by total cost and by acceptance rate, and shows the state averages worked out from those schools.

How to use these pages

Start with the total

The total cost at the top of each school page is one full year. Multiply by the length of the program for a rough full program figure, and remember that prices usually rise each year.

Then look at net price

The average net price shows what students at that school paid on average after grant aid. For many students it is far below the published total.

Weigh cost against outcomes

Each school page puts median earnings ten years after entry and median debt at graduation beside the cost, with the graduation rate, so an expensive school has to show results to match.

Read the methodology