The cost of college tuition for public universities has become costlier over recent years, forcing more and more students into debt, and a Newsweek map shows the top five worst-affected states
While the Biden-Harris administration continues its pledge to reduce overall student debt for millions of borrowers with numerous debt relief and cancellation plans, the cost of tuition is still rising. Data collated by GOBankingRates shows that the annual cost of attending public higher education schools has increased considerably in a number of U.S. states.
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The research has found that five states: Alaska, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Vermont and Virginia had the largest eight-year dollar change for public universities. Newsweek has contacted GOBankingRates for comment via email outside of normal working hours.
Using data from the National Center for Education Statistics' Digest of Education Statistics, GOBankingRates conducted a study to determine the average college tuition costs for each state from the academic year of 2013-2014 through 2021-2022. It also analyzed school costs for the past eight years, beginning in 2022, and calculated both dollar and percentage changes.
How Much Has Tuition Increased?
Across the five states, Alaska has witnessed the biggest percentage increase in tuition fees. Average rates rose from $15,693 to attend a public college in Alaska, which GOBankingRates says includes tuition, fees and room and board. By 2022, the price had shifted upward to $22,063. While Alaska is not the state by which tuition increased the most in terms of dollar cost, it still rose by 28.9 percent, the highest in the ranking.
Virginia comes second to Alaska, where fees rose by 25.1 percent between 2013-2014 and 2022. Back then, tuition set students back an average of $19,845 per year, rising to a more recent $26,507.
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Connecticut's average fees come third, rising to $28,816, up from $21,638 in the 2013-2014 academic year, an increase just shy of 25 percent in only eight years.
In fourth place is It is closely followed by neighboring Massachusetts, where average tuition costs have jumped from $21,814 to $28,572 in the same period.
While Vermont had the largest cash increase in fees over the past eight years, with tuition rising from $24,071 in 2013 to $30,921 in 2022, its percentage increase rounds off the top five at 22 percent.
According to the Education Data Initiative, the average cost of attendance for a student living on campus at a public 4-year in-state institution is $26,027 per year, working out at $104,108 over 4 years.
The research group has also found that student tuition costs for bachelor degrees have risen considerably throughout the 20th and 21st century. In 1963, the annual cost of tuition at a 4-year public college was $243. While that may seem particularly low, that amount had the same buying power as $2,431.02 in September 2022. It also found that in the 2020-21 academic year, $19,372 was the average price of a bachelor's degree.
Uncommon Knowledge
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
About the writer
Aliss Higham is a Newsweek reporter based in Glasgow, Scotland. Her focus is reporting on issues across the U.S., including ... Read more
