2024 Average Cost of U.S. colleges

Average Cost of Attendance (COA)

In addition to the tuition & fees, the cost of college includes cost for room & board, books & supplies, and other living expenses. This total costs of attendance (COA) is important when preparing for the college admission and checking student loans.

The 2024 average COA of the four-year U.S. colleges is $29,072 for residents and $39,044 for out-of-state students. At private four-year schools, average COA is $45,247. At community colleges (2-4 year school), the average COA is $18,666 for residents and $22,724 for out-of-state students.

The following table summarizes the 2024 average COA by school types and levels. In addition, you can check the changes of COA by comparing to last year.

2024 Average Cost of Colleges
	Residents	Out-of-State
Public 4 Years Colleges	$29,072	$39,044
Public 2 Years Colleges (Community Colleges)	$18,666	$22,724
Private 4 Years Colleges	$45,247

Undergraduate Tuition & Fees

In United States, 6,206 out of 6,512 colleges are offering undergraduate programs. By schools type, there are 2,061 public and 3,456 private colleges. The average undergraduate tuition & fees is $9,009 for residents and $19,069 for out-of-state students. At private schools, the undergraduate tuition & fees is $27,113

At community colleges (2-4 years schools), the average tuition & fees is $4,781 for residents and $8,838 for out-of-state students.

2024 Average Tuition & fees of U.S. colleges
	Residents	Out-of-State
Public 4 Years Colleges	$9,009	$19,069
Private 4 Years Colleges	$27,113
Public 2 Years Colleges (Community Colleges)	$4,781	$8,838
Less than 2 Years Schools (Trade/Technical Colleges)	$17,110

Graduate Programs Tuition & Fees

In United States, 2,267 colleges and universities offer graduate programs. The average graduate school tuition & fees is $10,070 for state residents and $19,364 for out-of-state students. At private schools, the graduate program tuition & fees is $18,749

2024 Average Graduate Tuition & fees of U.S. colleges
	Residents	Out-of-State
Public Schools	$10,070	$19,364
Private Schools	$18,749

Tuition per Credit Hour

The tuition per credit hour is used and charged to part-time students and/or full-time students who takes extra courses (credits). The average cost per credit hour of U.S. colleges is $312 for state residents and $685 for out-of-state students. At private schools, the average cost is $992

For graduate programs, the average tuition per credit hour is $522 for state residents and $951 for out-of-state students. At private graduate schools, the average cost per credit hour is $856

2024 Average Tuition per Credit Hour of U.S. colleges
	Residents	Out-of-State
Undergraduate
Public 4 Years Colleges	$312	$685
Private 4 Years Colleges	$992
Public 2 Years Colleges (Community Colleges)	$153	$308
Graduate
Public Schools	$522	$951
Private Schools	$856

Average Living Costs at U.S. colleges

At colleges in United States, the average living cost is $15,403 when a student lives on campus facility and $16,871 when living off campus. It includes the cost for room & board, and other living expenses.

2024 Average Living Cost of U.S. colleges
	On-Campus	Off-Campus
Public Schools	$15,000	$16,864
Private Schools	$15,684	$16,876

2024 Tuition and Living Costs Summary By States

The following table summarizes 2024 tuition, fees, and living costs by State. You may want to check detailed costs information by school type, level, degree, and more by following a link on State name. In addition, you can see all schools located in your desired state by following a link on the number of schools of the State.

State	Number of Schools	Tuition & Fees			Living Costs
		Public		Private	On-Campus	Off-Campus
		In-State	Out-of-State	Private	On-Campus	Off-Campus
Alaska	9	$7,722	$17,700	$13,568	$15,725	$19,761
Alabama	83	$7,588	$14,375	$16,901	$13,200	$15,622
Arkansas	88	$5,538	$8,792	$19,274	$13,912	$15,309
Arizona	121	$5,160	$13,425	$20,889	$15,789	$17,721
California	688	$3,071	$13,536	$27,056	$19,154	$23,998
Colorado	93	$7,468	$17,956	$21,281	$16,561	$18,760
Connecticut	75	$14,665	$28,314	$36,827	$18,870	$17,235
District of Columbia	25	$6,152	$13,004	$28,738	$19,191	$19,137
Delaware	18	$8,258	$19,091	$12,862	$17,923	$15,908
Florida	400	$3,828	$13,819	$20,563	$16,633	$18,646
Georgia	167	$5,041	$10,733	$21,645	$15,857	$16,721
Hawaii	24	$5,021	$13,412	$17,045	$15,755	$19,753
Iowa	76	$6,695	$10,386	$31,437	$13,479	$14,120
Idaho	35	$6,449	$16,910	$20,612	$14,005	$14,776
Illinois	247	$10,271	$13,427	$27,016	$15,794	$15,514
Indiana	142	$6,749	$15,340	$27,894	$14,929	$15,329
Kansas	77	$5,249	$8,586	$26,323	$13,785	$15,293
Kentucky	87	$6,744	$11,603	$24,553	$14,422	$14,806
Louisiana	117	$8,806	$11,871	$21,734	$16,287	$16,961
Massachusetts	152	$9,180	$17,548	$41,942	$19,011	$16,433
Maryland	79	$8,739	$16,766	$29,455	$16,464	$16,725
Maine	37	$7,458	$15,345	$37,943	$14,781	$12,427
Michigan	176	$9,147	$14,123	$27,902	$13,843	$14,882
Minnesota	109	$7,880	$8,472	$28,508	$13,673	$15,151
Missouri	158	$7,960	$13,682	$20,409	$14,568	$17,033
Mississippi	54	$4,930	$8,312	$18,176	$11,231	$12,888
Montana	30	$6,040	$13,302	$23,966	$13,602	$13,492
North Carolina	174	$3,415	$11,086	$25,914	$15,781	$16,474
North Dakota	27	$7,981	$8,431	$13,278	$11,816	$13,173
Nebraska	39	$6,213	$10,295	$24,926	$13,704	$15,336
New Hampshire	34	$10,113	$21,428	$32,555	$17,053	$18,323
New Jersey	157	$10,511	$15,786	$21,904	$14,569	$19,865
New Mexico	43	$3,893	$8,317	$25,217	$13,502	$15,631
Nevada	38	$5,648	$17,345	$17,420	$15,031	$19,445
New York	435	$7,417	$14,408	$27,670	$15,800	$19,072
Ohio	288	$7,614	$15,339	$25,384	$15,183	$15,058
Oklahoma	102	$6,397	$13,130	$23,298	$13,621	$15,110
Oregon	73	$8,815	$17,764	$31,949	$15,903	$17,469
Pennsylvania	332	$12,675	$20,005	$31,114	$16,638	$16,321
Puerto Rico	145	$4,902	$5,017	$8,987	$13,619	$11,325
Rhode Island	22	$10,907	$25,511	$40,734	$19,046	$16,110
South Carolina	95	$8,731	$17,914	$24,050	$14,818	$15,336
South Dakota	29	$9,435	$9,151	$18,561	$12,761	$14,902
Tennessee	156	$7,022	$18,600	$22,921	$14,738	$16,404
Texas	424	$6,779	$13,861	$21,834	$13,567	$15,641
Utah	64	$6,381	$18,860	$16,250	$13,924	$17,332
Virginia	161	$9,034	$20,434	$21,334	$16,267	$15,126
Vermont	19	$12,403	$26,313	$44,512	$15,922	$17,511
Washington	108	$6,437	$12,983	$29,062	$17,959	$19,749
Wisconsin	92	$6,626	$11,971	$30,418	$13,973	$13,765
West Virginia	69	$6,966	$13,842	$18,807	$14,544	$12,995
Wyoming	10	$4,868	$12,353	-	$12,101	$13,926
Average		$7,005	$14,201	$25,041	$15,692	$17,165

2024 Average Tuition of U.S. colleges is $11,810 for Residents and $21,782 for Others