The cost of college education in the U.S.

The average student loan in the U.S. is $38,375. [1] But is this expense worth it? According to a survey by New America in 2025, 70% of Americans believe so, even if they are frustrated about the costs. [2]

College costs have risen across the board, but how fast and where vary. We broke down tuition, housing, and other student expenses from 2021 to 2025 to uncover the biggest cost drivers and regional outliers.

Key findings:

The annual cost of attending college, tuition, board, and other living and studying expenses is $29,485 per student.
In five years, the annual cost of attending college has increased by 14.5% or $3,698 more per year ($25,787 in 2020-21 to $29,485 in 2024-25) – this is below the rate of inflation (which would have brought it to $32,156).
New Jersey has the most expensive annual college costs ($38,569), followed by Vermont ($37,149) and Connecticut ($37,048).
Wyoming has the most affordable annual college costs ($21,795), followed by Utah ($25,531) and Florida ($23,935).
Tuition at a top-50 US college (out-of-state) is $57,768, and $65,681 at a top-10 rated college.

The average cost to attend college in the U.S.

Considering public four-year in-state tuition and fees (the most common fees combination), room and board (on campus), books, and other expenses (which refers to money needed to cover expenses such as laundry, transport, and entertainment), the average annual cost to attend college comes to $29,485 across the states. This is a 4.3% increase from 2024 ($28,277), and a 14.3% five-year increase ($25,787).

Although the annual cost has increased by $3,698 since 2020-21, this is still below the national inflation rate. When inputting the original cost in 2014-2015 ($25,787) into the CPI inflation calculator (which applies historical interest rates), the cost was forecasted to have reached $32,156 by June 2024, the year’s midpoint. This would have been $2,671 above the actual figure.

The changing cost of attending college (per component)
	2021	2022	2023	2024	2025
Books	$1,190	$1,188	$1,179	$1,177	$1,161
Tuition	$10,679	$10,870	$11,145	$11,464	$11,772
Room	$10,487	$10,711	$11,097	$11,759	$12,416
Other Expenses*	$3,430	$3,487	$3,680	$3,877	$4,135
Total Costs	$25,787	$26,257	$27,101	$28,277	$29,485

*Other expenses include additional costs like laundry, transportation, and entertainment.

The annual costs of college attendance by category

The greatest proportion of these costs comes from room and board fees (42%), followed by tuition fees (39.8%). For context, in the past decade, room and board costs have increased by an average of 23.1%, while tuition fees have increased by an average of 30.5%. Whereas tuition fees have increased steadily since 2013-14 (when this study’s comparative data begins), the cost of accommodation dips circa 2019-20, and then rises again, reflecting the shift to remote learning during the pandemic.

The average annual on-campus room and board costs

Research by The College Board estimates that 40% of full-time college students at public universities and 64% at private universities live on campus. [3] Since 2024, the cost of on-campus room and board has overtaken tuition fees as the most expensive cost component.

In 2025, the average cost of on-campus room and board across the states was $12,416. Since 2021, room and board costs have increased by 18.4%.

The changing cost of on-campus room and board
	2021	2022	2023	2024	2025
Room	$10,487	$10,711	$11,097	$11,759	$12,416

The three states with the most expensive public on-campus room and board costs:

California: $17,652
New York: $16,400
New Jersey: $16,400

The average in-state tuition fees

According to College Board data, more students enroll in an in-state university (73%) than out of state. [4] In-state tuition fees are the second most expensive component of college education in 2025, with an annual cost of $11,772. Since 2021, in-state tuition fees have increased by 10.2%.

The changing cost of in-state tuition fees
	2021	2022	2023	2024	2025
Tuition	$10,679	$10,870	$11,145	$11,464	$11,772

The three states with the most expensive in-state tuition fees are:

Vermont: $17,489
New Hampshire:$17,363
Connecticut: $17,186

The average out-of-state tuition fees

Out-of-state tuition fees in the U.S. tend to be more expensive because prospective students who live in-state are more likely to have contributed towards college funding directly or indirectly (via their families’ taxes). [5]

The study found that the average out-of-state tuition fees for 2024-2025 were $20,685, 66.6% higher than the average for in-state tuition fees of $11,772. Virginia has the most expensive out-of-state tuition fees, costing on average $35,322, followed by Vermont $33,899, and Rhode Island $32,223.

But how much the universities markup their tuition fees for out-of-state students varies. In Florida, the markup is 113.7% (where the in-state tuition fees are $3,808 and the out-of-state tuition fees are $13,841). In Nevada, the in-state tuition fees are $5,985, and the out-of-state tuition fees are $18,389, a 101.8% increase. California has a similar markup difference, charging out-of-state students 101.1% more ($7,369 compared to $22,433).

On the other hand, the most affordable state for out-of-state students is South Dakota, where out-of-state tuition fees are $9,883, North Dakota, where they are $9,905, and the District of Columbia, where they are $12,514. South Dakota also has the least expensive price difference. Here, the out-of-state costs are just 5% greater ($9,416 compared to $9,883). In North Dakota, the difference in fee cost is 13% ($8,773 in-state and $9,905 out-of-state).

The average costs of books and study supplies

The cost of books and study supplies in 2025 averages at $1,161 a year ($97 a month). The cost of books and supplies has actually decreased over the past five years by 2.4% or $29 in real terms.

The changing cost of books and supplies
	2021	2022	2023	2024	2025
Books and supplies	$1,190	$1,188	$1,179	$1,177	$1,161

The three states with the most expensive books and study supplies are:

Delaware $1,616
South Carolina $1,473
Ohio $1,380

The average combined cost of other expenses (laundry, transport, entertainment, etc.)

“Other expenses” is a sum calculated by the financial aid office that estimates the funds needed to cover miscellaneous costs like laundry, transportation, and entertainment. These costs have increased more than any other component, increasing by 20.6% since 2021 to 2025.

The changing cost of other college expenses*
	2021	2022	2023	2024	2025
Other expenses	$3,430	$3,487	$3,680	$3,877	$4,135

*Calculated by the financial aid office and includes laundry, transportation, and entertainment.

The three states with the most expensive other expenses are:

Mississippi: $6,378
Alaska: $6,222
Arkansas: $5,986

The states where it’s most expensive to attend college

The costs of college (tuition, board, books, and other expenses) varied by $16,774 a year between the most expensive and least expensive state averages. Taking a typical four-year attendance, this is a difference of $67,096. So, which are the most and least affordable states to gain an undergraduate degree?

New Jersey had the most expensive combined costs for in-state students, at $38,569 a year. This is the third year New Jersey has been the most expensive state to attend college in.

Following New Jersey is Vermont, with an average cost of $37,149. Vermont has been the second most expensive state for college tuition and boarding for the past four years. Vermont was the most expensive state to attend college in 2020-21 and 2021-22, and currently has the highest in-state tuition fees in the study ($17,489).

Connecticut completes the top three with an average college cost of tuition and board of $37,048. After Vermont and New Hampshire, Connecticut has the third-highest in-state tuition fees in the study at $17,186 – this is 37.4% higher than the study average of $11,772.

The top 10 most expensive states for attending college (tuition, rooms, other expenses, and books)*
Rank	State	2024-2025 average annual costs
1	New Jersey	$38,569
2	Vermont	$37,149
3	Connecticut	$37,048
4	Delaware	$36,812
5	Pennsylvania	$35,485
6	Massachusetts	$35,245
7	California	$34,963
8	New Hampshire	$34,928
9	Virginia	$34,880
10	Rhode Island	$33,563

*In-state, four-year, public tuition costs and on-campus boarding.

Changes over time

Vermont had the greatest one-year increase in college attendance costs, increasing by 10.8% from $33,534 to $37,149. Mississippi and Delaware followed, with an 8.4% increase ($26,368 to $28,582) and an 8% increase ($36,812 to $34,081), respectively.

2019 marked the beginning of the global COVID-19 outbreak, which disrupted teaching across American colleges, with some institutions switching entirely to online learning. [6] For those already with student loans, the U.S. government issued emergency financial relief, including a payment pause and 0% interest rate on loans for a limited period. [7] But how much have college tuition and accommodation costs increased per state in the past five years?

There was a 14.5% five-year increase in combined college costs. But in certain places, the increase was far higher. In Wyoming, the costs between 2020-21 and 2024-2025 increased by 25.3% ($17,394 to $21,795). Other states where costs significantly increased were Missouri (a 24.9% increase from $23,945 to $29,909) and the District of Columbia (an increase of 23.5% from $25,871 to $31,946).

The states with the least expensive combined tuition fees and accommodation costs

According to a survey conducted by the Lumina Foundation in partnership with Gallup, most Americans believe that college costs are too high. [8] Considering this huge investment, which states offer students the most affordable in-state tuition fees and on-campus boarding costs?

Wyoming’s combined costs come to $21,795 a year, that’s $7,690 less per year than the $29,485 study average. After Florida, Wyoming has the second-cheapest annual in-state tuition fees at $6,957. Multiplying the overall difference by the four-year standard attendance, that’s a total saving of $30,760.

Utah follows with an attractive annual cost of $23,531 in 2024-2025. Utah has the 3rd most affordable room and board costs in the study ($9,289 a year) and the fourth most affordable tuition fees ($7,998).

South Dakota is the third most affordable, with a $23,935 average annual cost. After its neighbour, North Dakota, South Dakota has the cheapest room and board costs in the study, at an average of $9,129 a year.

The top 10 least expensive states for in-state college costs (tuition and board)*
Rank	State	2024-2025 average annual costs
1	Wyoming	$21,795
2	Utah	$23,531
3	South Dakota	$23,935
4	Florida	$23,995
5	North Dakota	$24,087
6	Wisconsin	$24,195
7	Montana	$24,497
8	North Carolina	$24,659
9	Kansas	$25,600
10	Nevada	$25,631

*In-state, four-year, public tuition costs and on-campus boarding.

Changes over time

From 2023-2024, the average cost to attend college increased by 4.3%. But in Louisiana, costs only increased by 0.6%, from $27,949 to $28,104 in 2025. In the same period, college costs in Kansas increased by a small 2% ($25,097 to $25,600) and in New York by 2.1% ($28,766 to $29,357).

Analysing further back, since 2019-2020, the average college costs increased by 14.5% but in New Hampshire, this increase was much lower (7.1%), and it is the state with the smallest five-year increase, followed by Georgia (7.8%) and New York (8.7%).

The cost of tuition at a top-ranking college

As mentioned previously, more students enrol in an in-state university (73%) than out-of-state. The average cost of in-state tuition across the states is $11,772 in 2024-2025.

However, the prestigious credentials of the top 50 colleges in the U.S. (including Princeton University, M.I.T., or Harvard) attract students from all over the world, and often have a higher percentage of out-of-state than in-state students. [9]

But tuition fees at one of the top 50 colleges in the U.S. (according to U.S. News) cost an average of $57,768. Whereas the average cost of in-state tuition in the U.S. increased by 5.6% 2023, the cost increased by 0.9% in the top-ranking colleges considered (from $57,333 in 2023).

Considering just the top 10 ranked colleges in the U.S., this out-of-state tuition fee increases to $65,681. However, eight of the top 10 colleges have not increased their out-of-state tuition fees since 2023, and Duke University even lowered its out-of-state tuition fees by 0.6% (from $69,140 in 2023 to $68,758 in 2025). Only prices at Princeton University increased, by a small 0.5% from $62,400 to $62,688 in the same time period.

The costs to attend the top 10-ranked colleges in the U.S.

The cost to attend the top 10-ranked colleges*
Rank	College	Location	Out-of-state undergrad Tuition and Fees 2023	Out-of-state undergrad Tuition and Fees 2025	Two-year percentage change
1	Princeton University	Princeton, NJ	$62,400	$62,688	0.5%
2	Massachusetts Institute of Technology	Cambridge, MA	$62,396	$62,396	0.0%
3	Harvard University	Cambridge, MA	$61,676	$61,676	0.0%
4	Stanford University	Stanford, CA	$65,910	$65,910	0.0%
5	Yale University	New Haven, CT	$67,250	$67,250	0.0%
6	California Institute of Technology	Pasadena, CA	$65,898	$65,898	0.0%
6	Johns Hopkins University	Baltimore, MD	$65,230	$65,230	0.0%
6	Duke University	Durham, NC	$69,140	$68,758	-0.6%
6	Northwestern University	Evanston, IL	$68,322	$68,322	0.0%
10	University of Pennsylvania	Philadelphia, PA	$68,686	$68,686	0.0%

*according to U.S. News, 2025

Methodology

Data was collected in June and July 2025. The methodology for each metric in the study can be found below:

Tuition fees

Tuition fees for an in-state student for a four-year public college in each state were considered. This is because this is the most common combination, according to the College Board. Tuition fees (in-state and out-of-state) for each state (including historical data) were taken from:

Boarding and accommodation costs

On-campus accommodation costs for a four-year undergraduate student were chosen, as this is a commonly chosen combination. [3] These costs (including historical data) were sourced from:

Books and supplies, and other expenses

Books and supplies were sourced from College Tuition Compare. The National Center for Education Statistics defines other expenses as the amount of money needed by a student to cover expenses such as laundry, transportation, and entertainment, and is estimated by the financial aid office. Costs were sourced from:

Top-ranking colleges

A seed list of top-ranking colleges in 2025 was compiled using: