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Over the past 20 years, average costs for tuition, fees, housing, and food have increased 30% at public colleges and 28% at private colleges over and above general inflation.
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Cost Increases at Private Colleges Outpaced Public Colleges in 2025-2026
Every year, the College Board releases new college cost data and trends in its annual report. The numbers represent average costs for in-state public colleges, out-of-state public colleges, and private colleges and are based on a survey of approximately 4,000 colleges across the U.S.
Over the past 20 years, average costs for tuition, fees, housing, and food have increased 30% at public colleges and 28% at private colleges over and above increases in the Consumer Price Index, straining the budgets of many families and leading to widespread student debt.
Here are cost highlights for the 2025–2026 year, including tuition and fees, housing and food, and the total cost of attendance (COA). The COA includes direct-billed costs for tuition, fees, housing, and food, plus indirect costs for books, transportation, and personal expenses. This year for the first time, the total COA exceeded $30,000 at in-state public colleges, $50,000 at out-of-state public colleges, and $65,000 at private colleges. But the total COA at many private colleges is even higher. For 2025–2026, percentage cost increases at private colleges outpaced those at public colleges.
Public four-year, in-state
- Tuition and fees increased 2.9% to $11,950 (2.7% increase last year)
- Housing and food increased 4.4% to $13,900 (4.2% increase last year)
- Total cost of attendance: $30,990
Public four-year, out-of-state
- Tuition and fees increased 3.4% to $31,880 (3.2% increase last year)
- Housing and food increased 4.4% to $13,900 (4.2% increase last year, same as in-state)
- Total cost of attendance: $50,920
Private four-year
- Tuition and fees increased 4.0% to $45,000 (3.9% increase last year)
- Housing and food increased 4.4% to $15,920 (4.1% increase last year)
- Total cost of attendance: $65,470
Sticker price vs. net price
The College Board's cost figures are based on published college "sticker" prices. But many families don't pay the full sticker price. A net price calculator, available on every college website, can help students see how much grant aid they might qualify for at a particular college, and thus what their out-of-pocket cost — or net price — might be to attend that college. The results aren't a guarantee of grant aid, but they are meant to give as accurate a picture as possible. A net price calculator can be a useful tool for students who are currently researching or applying to colleges.
The new federal student loan landscape
Many families take out student loans to help finance college. Interest rates on federal student loans dipped a bit for 2025–2026: 6.39% for undergraduate Direct Loans (down from 6.53% the previous year), 7.94% for graduate Direct Loans (down from 8.08% the previous year), and 8.94% for graduate and parent Direct PLUS Loans (down from 9.08% the previous year).
Starting July 1, 2026, new borrowing limits and other changes will apply to federal student loans, courtesy of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) that was signed into law in July 2025. Here is what's changing:
- Direct Loans will have a new lifetime borrowing cap of $257,000. This limit applies to undergraduate and graduate loans, not Parent PLUS Loans.
- The Grad PLUS Loan program, which allows graduate and professional students to borrow up to the full cost of their education, is being eliminated. It will be replaced with graduate loans made under the Direct Loan program, but with new loan limits: $20,500 per year and $100,000 total for graduate students, and $50,000 per year and $200,000 total for professional students, such as medical and law students. These new limits do not include undergraduate loans. There is a three-year grace period on the borrowing limits for graduate and professional students who are currently in school and have received at least one loan under the Graduate PLUS Loan program.
- Parent PLUS Loans will have a $20,000 annual limit and a $65,000 total limit per dependent student. (Currently, parents can borrow up to the full cost of their child's undergraduate education, minus any financial aid received.) There is a three-year grace period on the new borrowing limits for parents who have borrowed under the program before June 30, 2026.
- The Saving on a Valuable Education (SAVE) Repayment Plan, the Pay As You Earn (PAYE) Repayment Plan, and the Income-Contingent Repayment (ICR) Plan will be phased out and eliminated by July 1, 2028, and borrowers currently enrolled in one of those plans will need to transition to a new plan by that date.
- As of July 1, 2026, there are two new repayment plans: (1) the Standard Repayment Plan, where borrowers pay a fixed amount each month over a fixed period of time, the length of which is determined by the outstanding loan balance, and (2) the Repayment Assistance Plan, which is a new income-based repayment plan that bases monthly loan payments on a borrower's adjusted gross income.
FAFSA for 2026–2027 school year opened October 1
After opening late two years in a row, the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) for the next school year opened on time this year on October 1. The 2026–2027 FAFSA will rely on income information from an applicant's 2024 tax return and current asset information as of the date the form is completed.
Sources: College Board, Trends in College Pricing and Student Aid 2025; U.S. Department of Education, 2025
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