How much does it cost to get a Bachelor’s degree in the U.S.

Evidence snapshot:

• The average total cost of attending a four-year public college in the U.S. was $33,016 per year in 2014 - the most common choice for students.
• The average total cost of attending a four-year college in the U.S., combining public and private institutions, was $49,688 per year in 2014.
• The average annual cost of attending a four-year private college in the U.S. is $63,236 in 2014.
• The average cost of earning a bachelor’s degree in the U.S. is $198,752.
• The average total cost of earning an associate degree is $48,882.
• The average total cost of earning a master’s degree is $126,472.

How much does college really cost in the U.S.and what’s driving those numbers? In this article, we break down tuition, room and board, books, and total degree costs across public and private institutions. You’ll learn how prices vary by residency, degree type, and even by specific university. We’ll also look at how fast costs are rising and which expenses hit students hardest.

Let’s unpack the data and get clear answers together.

Average cost of 4 year college

How much does public college cost?

Here are the average total costs of attending a public 4-year college in the U.S. in 2023–24, based on student residency and assuming the student lives on campus (which is the most typical setup for first-time full-time undergraduates):

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• The average total cost of attending a public in-district four-year college in the U.S. is $32,933 per year.
• The average total cost of attending a public in-state four-year college in the U.S. is $33,016 per year.
• The average total cost of attending a public out-of-state four-year college in the U.S. is $43,382 per year.

Average public college cost breakdown by residency

Average annual cost of private college

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• The average total cost of attending a private nonprofit four-year college in the U.S. is $63,236 per year.
• The average total cost of attending a private for-profit four-year college in the U.S. is $52,811 per year.

Average private college cost breakdown by type

Which educational institutions typically cost the most to attend?

Private nonprofit four-year colleges typically cost the most to attend, averaging $63,236 per year. That’s $30,220 (91.5%) more than public in-state colleges and $19,854 (45.8%) more than public out-of-state colleges. These higher costs stem from the lack of state subsidies and greater institutional spending on facilities, academics, and student services.

What cost is generally the most expensive for a year of college?

• At public colleges, the most expensive cost is food and housing, at $12,069 per year for all residency types (in-district, in-state, out-of-state).
• At private colleges, the most expensive cost is tuition and fees, at $32,575 for nonprofit and $18,694 for for-profit institutions.

Why is there a difference?

Public colleges receive state funding that keeps tuition relatively low, making living costs like housing and meals the biggest part of the budget. Private colleges rely heavily on tuition for funding, so tuition and fees are the dominant cost.

How much is the average college tuition for 4 years

• The average college tuition for a four-year degree in the U.S. is approximately $79,557, based on national tuition data across public and private institutions.

What is the average college tuition per year?

• The average college tuition per year in the U.S. is approximately $19,889, based on data from public and private four-year institutions.

What is the average college tuition per semester?

• The average college tuition per semester in the U.S. is approximately $9,945.

Average public university tuition by residency

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How much is in-state tuition?

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• The average tuition and fees at a public in-state four-year college in the U.S. are $8,961 per year.

What is the in-state tuition at Arizona State University (ASU) for the 2025–2026 academic year?

• For Arizona residents enrolled in an on-campus undergraduate degree program at ASU’s Downtown Phoenix, Polytechnic, Tempe, or West Valley campus, the base tuition is $11,822 per year.

What is the in-state tuition at the University of Arizona for the 2025–2026 academic year?

• The in-state tuition for undergraduate students at the University of Arizona for the 2025–2026 academic year is $12,168.

What is the in-state tuition at Northern Arizona University (NAU) for the 2025–2026 academic year?

• The in-state tuition for undergraduate students at Northern Arizona University for the 2025–2026 academic year is $12,096.

What is the in-state tuition at Penn State University for the 2025–2026 academic year?

• For Pennsylvania residents attending Penn State's University Park campus, the in-state tuition for the 2025–2026 academic year is $20,468.

What is the in-state tuition at UCLA for the 2025–2026 academic year?

• For California residents, the estimated in-state tuition and fees at UCLA for the 2025–2026 academic year are $15,154.

What is the in-state tuition at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill for the 2025–2026 academic year?

• For North Carolina residents, the in-state tuition at UNC-Chapel Hill for the 2025–2026 academic year is $7,020.

What is the in-state tuition at the University of Washington for the 2025–2026 academic year?

• The in-state tuition for undergraduate students at the University of Washington for the 2025–2026 academic year is $12,973.

What is the in-state tuition at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign for the 2025–2026 academic year?

• For Illinois residents, the base in-state tuition at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign for the 2025–2026 academic year is $12,992.

What is the in-state tuition at the University of Utah for the 2025–2026 academic year?

• For Utah residents, the in-state tuition and fees at the University of Utah for the 2025–2026 academic year are $10,004.

What is the in-state tuition at the University of Texas at Austin for the 2025–2026 academic year?

• For Texas residents, the estimated in-state tuition and fees at UT Austin for the 2025–2026 academic year range from $11,500 to $13,000, depending on the specific college and program.

How much is in-district tuition?

• The average tuition and fees at a public in-district four-year college in the U.S. are $8,878 per year.

How much is out-of-state tuition?

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• The average tuition and fees at a public out-of-state four-year college in the U.S. are $19,327 per year.

What is the out-of-state tuition at the University of Mississippi (Ole Miss) for the 2025–2026 academic year?

• For non-resident undergraduate students, the out-of-state tuition at Ole Miss for the 2025–2026 academic year is $28,440.

What is the out-of-state tuition at the University of Utah for the 2025–2026 academic year?

• For non-resident undergraduate students, the out-of-state tuition at the University of Utah for the 2025–2026 academic year is $31,748.

What is the out-of-state tuition at the University of Texas at Austin for the 2025–2026 academic year?

• For non-resident undergraduate students, the estimated out-of-state tuition and fees at UT Austin for the 2025–2026 academic year range from $40,582 to $48,712, depending on the specific college and program.

What is the out-of-state tuition at Louisiana State University (LSU) for the 2025–2026 academic year?

• For non-resident undergraduate students, the out-of-state tuition and fees at LSU for the 2025–2026 academic year are $29,148.

What is the out-of-state tuition at the University of Oregon for the 2025–2026 academic year?

• For non-resident undergraduate students, the estimated out-of-state tuition and fees at the University of Oregon for the 2025–2026 academic year are $46,077.

What is the out-of-state tuition at the University of Washington for the 2025–2026 academic year?

• For non-resident undergraduate students at the University of Washington's Seattle campus, the out-of-state tuition for the 2025–2026 academic year is $43,209.

What is the out-of-state tuition at UCLA for the 2025–2026 academic year?

• For non-resident undergraduate students, the estimated out-of-state tuition and fees at UCLA for the 2025–2026 academic year are $53,502. This figure includes both the base tuition and the nonresident supplemental tuition.

What is the out-of-state tuition at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville for the 2025–2026 academic year?

• For non-resident undergraduate students, the out-of-state tuition and fees at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville for the 2025–2026 academic year are $33,256.

What is the out-of-state tuition at Purdue University for the 2025–2026 academic year?

• For non-resident undergraduate students, the out-of-state tuition and fees at Purdue University for the 2025–2026 academic year are $28,794.

What is the out-of-state tuition at Stanford University for the 2025–2026 academic year?

• For all undergraduate students, including out-of-state and international students, Stanford University charges a uniform tuition rate. For the 2025–2026 academic year, this tuition is $67,731.

Average private university tuition

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• The average tuition and fees at a private nonprofit four-year college in the U.S. are $32,575 per year.
• The average tuition and fees at a private for-profit four-year college in the U.S. are $18,694 per year.

These cost patterns reveal how college is shaped by inflation, shrinking public investment, and rising demand for specialized skills. As you follow the shifts in room, board, and fees, you’re also seeing signals about labor markets, class mobility, and institutional priorities. The numbers in these tables are data points in a larger story about access, opportunity, and long-term value.

Use this data to sharpen your questions, guide smarter funding strategies, or choose an educational path with clearer long-term value.

How much does a college degree cost

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How much does it cost to get a bachelor’s degree?

• The average total cost of earning a bachelor’s degree in the U.S. is $198,752, based on four years of college at 2023–24 prices.

What is the average cost of associate’s degree?

• The average total cost of earning an associate degree in the U.S. is $48,882, calculated over two years at a public 2-year college.

Cost of master degree in USA

• The average total cost of earning a master’s degree in the U.S. is $126,472, based on two years at a private nonprofit college.

How much does a doctorate degree cost in USA?

• The average total cost of earning a doctorate degree in the U.S. is $106,860.

An average total cost of degree in the U.S. in 2024

When you see the full cost of a college degree, you move from debating annual prices to understanding lifetime investment. The totals let you compare true financial commitments across paths, weigh them against expected earnings, and spot where the value proposition breaks down.

Use this to rethink degree choices, sharpen ROI models, or frame stories and research around affordability with precision.

How much has the cost of college increased?

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• Public college tuition grew by 28.7% over the last decade.
• Private college tuition grew by 42.4% over the last decade.
• Public college tuition rose by 2.6% in the past year.
• Private college tuition rose by 3.6% in the past year.
• The average annual growth rate of public college tuition is 4.35%.
• The average annual growth rate of private college tuition is 3.99%.

A decade of steady increases reveals how financial pressure is compounding on students year after year. These figures you the tools to model future rising costs and stagnant outcomes. If you’re tracking long-term education trends or building projections, this is your baseline.

How much is room and board in the U.S. colleges?

How much are books and supplies for college in the U.S.?

20 most expensive colleges in the U.S. in 2025-2026

20 cheapest colleges in the U.S. in 2025-2026

Conclusions:

• The real cost crisis is how fast non-tuition expenses are overtaking it. Room, board, and “other” costs now rival or exceed tuition at public colleges, shifting the burden from academics to living. This reframes the affordability crisis around housing inflation, food insecurity, and transit costs.
• A bachelor’s degree now regularly costs six figures without guaranteeing upward mobility. With the average total cost near $200,000, a four-year degree has become one of the biggest investments of a person’s life.
• Tuition growth is slowing, but that doesn’t mean college is getting cheaper. Although annual tuition hikes have moderated, total costs keep climbing due to stagnant aid, rising fees, and escalating non-academic expenses. 

Methodology

• We calculated the overall average total cost by taking a simple unweighted mean of the annual costs for public, private nonprofit, and private for-profit four-year colleges in 2023–24. Each sector’s total cost was summed and divided by three, without adjusting for differences in enrollment size.
• We used inflation-adjusted data from IPEDS Table 3 for the 2023–24 academic year. To estimate the cost of a bachelor’s degree, we multiplied the total average annual cost of all 4-year colleges ($49,688) by four years. For private colleges, we calculated the total annual cost by adding tuition and fees, books and supplies, food and housing, and other expenses for private nonprofit 4-year colleges.
• We used 2023–24 inflation-adjusted IPEDS data to calculate the total cost. For the associate degree, we took annual costs from public 2-year colleges and multiplied by 2 years. For the master’s degree, we used private nonprofit annual costs and multiplied by 2 years, which is the typical duration of a full-time master’s program

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