For parents trying to figure out what a college education might cost their child, the numbers can be eye-opening. For the 2025–26 academic year, the average total cost of attendance was about $25,850 at a public four-year school, compared with $60,920 at a private nonprofit four-year institution.
Those totals include more than tuition. Room and board, books, supplies, transportation and other expenses can add substantially to the final bill families face.
NCES reported that in 2022–23, the average cost for an on-campus student was $27,100 at a public four-year institution and $58,600 at a private nonprofit school.
College Has Become Much More Expensive
The long-term increase is even more striking when today’s prices are compared with previous generations. Forbes reports that the inflation-adjusted annual cost of attending a four-year college, including tuition, fees and room and board, was $10,231 in 1980, compared with about $30,990 in 2025–26—a 203% increase.
Tuition alone has also climbed substantially. Forbes says average tuition and fees increased 93.2% between the 2005–06 and 2025–26 academic years, although inflation-adjusted college costs have been relatively stable in more recent years.
NCES shows that the pattern varies by school type. Between 2012–13 and 2022–23, average tuition at private nonprofit four-year institutions increased 8% in constant dollars, while public four-year tuition fell 5%.
How U.S. College Costs Compare Globally
The U.S. is among the world’s higher-cost systems for domestic university students. Visual Capitalist, using OECD data, puts annual public-university tuition for a domestic bachelor’s student at $9,596 in the U.S., compared with an OECD average of $3,186.
The differences become particularly dramatic in Europe. England averages $13,135 annually, while Germany charges $157 and France $252; Denmark, Finland, Norway, Sweden and Türkiye report no tuition for domestic students.
But tuition isn’t the whole story. Students in countries with free tuition can still borrow money for living expenses, showing why parents comparing international education costs need to consider the entire cost of earning a degree.
