Reference: U.S. Department of Education Releases New and Updated College Cost Data

From the U.S. Department of Education:

The U.S. Department of Education continued to increase transparency around the cost of college by updating several lists on its College Affordability and Transparency Center today, highlighting institutions with the highest and lowest tuition and net price, and those schools where prices are rising the fastest. In addition, this year the Department is releasing full lists so consumers can see how much a specific school costs in comparison to similar institutions.

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Last year, the Department published its first set of College Affordability and Transparency Lists. Three lists focus on tuition and fees, and three others look at the institution’s average net price, which is the average price of attendance that is paid by full-time, first-time students after grants and scholarships are taken into account. Those colleges and universities where prices are rising the fastest will report why costs have gone up and how the institution will address rising prices, and the Department will summarize these reports into a document that it will post online. There are 1,878 institutions included in these lists, and schools are allowed to appear on more than one of the lists.

This year, in response to several requests from consumers for more comparison data, the Department is also providing tuition and net price information for all institutions, broken out by sector in order to allow students to compare costs at similar types of schools. A total of 4,165 institutions are included on the combined lists:

Lists
Highest tuition and fees (top 5 percent)
Highest average net price (top 5 percent)
Lowest tuition and fees (bottom 10 percent)
Lowest average net price (bottom 10 percent)
Highest percentage increases in tuition and fees (top 5 percent)
Highest percentage increases in average net price (top 5 percent)
All title IV institutions

Sectors
4-year public
4-year private nonprofit
4-year private for-profit
2-year public
2-year private nonprofit
2-year private for-profit
Less-than-2-year public
Less-than-2-year private nonprofit
Less than-2-year private for-profit

Direct to Lists (via College Affordability and Transparency Center)

Coverage

Searchable database makes comparing college costs easier (via USA Today)

USA TODAY’s higher education reporter Mary Beth Marklein, in a quick dive into the database, tells us that among four-year public institutions, the most recent available data show:

• The University of the District of Columbia posted the largest percentage increase, 122.9%. Tuition and fees for 2010-11 were $7,000.
• The University of Guam posted the highest net price in 2009-10. The net price for 2009-10 was $25,956
• Haskell Indian Nations University in Kansas posted the lowest tuition and fees, $430 in 2010-11.
• Pennsylvania State University’s main campus in State College posted the highest published tuition and fees in 2010-11, at $15,250.
• Macon State College in Georgia had the lowest net price in 2009-10. There, 77% of students receive an average grant package that gives them $1,550 more than the published tuition price.