College Board reports rise in 2011-12 college costs

The College Board has released its annual Trends in College Pricing report for the 2011-12 school year showing an 8.3% average increase (to $8,244) in tuition and fees for in-state students at public four-year institutions, an 8.7% increase (to $2,963) at public two-year institutions, and a 4.5% increase (to $28,500) at private non-profit four-year colleges.

The addition of room and board charges brings the totals to $17,131 and $38,589 at public four-year institutions (in-state) and private four-year colleges, respectively.

Ten-year trends show published tuition and fees for in-state students at public four-year institutions increasing at an average rate of 5.6% each year BEYOND general inflation. The comparable average increases for public two-year institutions and private four-year colleges are 3.8% and 2.6%.

The report points out that the net price of tuition and fees, after taking into account grants, tuition discounts, and federal tax benefits, has increased at a much lower pace than published prices over the past five years at public four-year institutions (1.4% annually beyond inflation) and has actually declined relative to inflation at public two-year institutions and private four-year colleges.
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