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 $26,308 for residents and $36,489 for out-of-state students. At private four-year schools, average COA is $44,661. At community colleges (2-4 year school), the average COA is $18,793 for residents and $22,745 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	$26,308	$36,489
Public 2 Years Colleges (Community Colleges)	$18,793	$22,745
Private 4 Years Colleges	$44,661

Undergraduate Tuition & Fees

In United States, 6,272 out of 6,603 colleges are offering undergraduate programs. By schools type, there are 2,060 public and 3,495 private colleges.

The average undergraduate tuition & fees is $7,311 for residents and $17,305 for out-of-state students. At private schools, the undergraduate tuition & fees is $26,627

At community colleges (2-4 years schools), the average tuition & fees is $4,156 for residents and $8,054 for out-of-state students.

2024 Average Tuition & fees of U.S. colleges
	Residents	Out-of-State
Public 4 Years Colleges	$7,311	$17,305
Private 4 Years Colleges	$26,627
Public 2 Years Colleges (Community Colleges)	$4,156	$8,054
Less than 2 Years Schools (Trade/Technical Colleges)	$17,189

Graduate Programs Tuition & Fees

In United States, 2,300 colleges and universities offer graduate programs. The average graduate school tuition & fees is $10,193 for state residents and $19,453 for out-of-state students. At private schools, the graduate program tuition & fees is $19,209

2024 Average Graduate Tuition & fees of U.S. colleges
	Residents	Out-of-State
Public Schools	$10,193	$19,453
Private Schools	$19,209

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 $303 for state residents and $677 for out-of-state students. At private schools, the average cost is $976

For graduate programs, the average tuition per credit hour is $520 for state residents and $945 for out-of-state students. At private graduate schools, the average cost per credit hour is $853

2024 Average Tuition per Credit Hour of U.S. colleges
	Residents	Out-of-State
Undergraduate
Public 4 Years Colleges	$303	$677
Private 4 Years Colleges	$976
Public 2 Years Colleges (Community Colleges)	$153	$306
Graduate
Public Schools	$520	$945
Private Schools	$853

Average Living Costs at U.S. colleges

At colleges in United States, the average living cost is $15,404 when a student lives on campus facility and $16,874 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	$15,008	$16,866
Private Schools	$15,680	$16,881

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	10	$7,916	$19,667	$14,715	$15,725	$20,602
Alabama	85	$7,601	$14,365	$16,884	$13,200	$15,622
Arkansas	89	$5,651	$8,967	$19,374	$13,912	$15,309
Arizona	126	$4,852	$12,998	$17,919	$15,789	$18,142
California	699	$3,243	$13,502	$28,512	$19,154	$24,034
Colorado	94	$7,482	$18,076	$24,052	$16,561	$18,794
Connecticut	77	$14,105	$28,314	$36,867	$18,870	$17,174
District of Columbia	25	$6,152	$13,004	$30,229	$19,191	$19,137
Delaware	19	$8,258	$19,091	$15,714	$17,923	$15,908
Florida	409	$3,823	$13,865	$20,763	$16,633	$18,638
Georgia	171	$5,224	$10,688	$21,682	$15,857	$16,706
Hawaii	24	$5,021	$13,412	$17,533	$15,755	$19,753
Iowa	76	$6,668	$10,358	$31,699	$13,479	$14,120
Idaho	38	$6,449	$16,910	$20,830	$14,005	$14,776
Illinois	249	$10,485	$13,569	$27,737	$15,778	$15,514
Indiana	143	$6,832	$15,062	$29,511	$14,929	$15,439
Kansas	81	$5,562	$8,768	$26,556	$13,785	$15,362
Kentucky	87	$6,744	$11,603	$25,038	$14,422	$14,806
Louisiana	117	$6,837	$11,862	$21,858	$16,287	$16,961
Massachusetts	152	$9,125	$17,559	$43,304	$18,937	$16,401
Maryland	81	$8,751	$16,864	$31,208	$16,464	$16,725
Maine	39	$7,457	$15,344	$36,312	$14,745	$12,391
Michigan	177	$9,422	$14,280	$28,085	$13,859	$15,061
Minnesota	110	$7,391	$8,471	$29,598	$13,673	$15,151
Missouri	159	$8,588	$14,436	$19,965	$14,565	$17,033
Mississippi	56	$5,313	$8,199	$18,109	$11,231	$13,040
Montana	31	$5,262	$13,285	$23,966	$13,602	$13,492
North Carolina	178	$3,638	$11,149	$26,510	$15,781	$16,474
North Dakota	26	$6,766	$8,431	$14,110	$11,816	$12,798
Nebraska	40	$6,309	$10,346	$24,804	$13,704	$15,336
New Hampshire	34	$10,113	$20,213	$33,292	$17,053	$18,323
New Jersey	159	$10,537	$15,819	$22,280	$14,569	$19,865
New Mexico	44	$3,850	$8,500	$27,808	$13,502	$15,631
Nevada	39	$5,648	$17,069	$20,690	$15,031	$19,445
New York	442	$7,769	$14,663	$27,511	$15,798	$19,087
Ohio	291	$7,753	$15,666	$25,842	$15,183	$15,150
Oklahoma	105	$6,393	$13,379	$24,056	$13,621	$15,110
Oregon	74	$8,420	$17,586	$34,412	$15,903	$17,469
Pennsylvania	338	$12,654	$19,971	$32,050	$16,733	$16,321
Puerto Rico	147	$4,819	$5,008	$8,929	$13,619	$11,289
Rhode Island	23	$10,907	$25,511	$40,051	$19,046	$16,134
South Carolina	97	$8,731	$17,932	$23,815	$14,818	$15,336
South Dakota	29	$7,550	$9,145	$17,447	$12,761	$14,735
Tennessee	162	$7,157	$18,568	$23,635	$14,738	$16,421
Texas	431	$6,724	$13,897	$22,046	$13,567	$15,556
Utah	65	$6,279	$18,796	$15,905	$13,924	$17,424
Virginia	167	$9,062	$20,433	$21,329	$16,267	$15,309
Vermont	18	$12,403	$26,313	$46,503	$15,922	$17,511
Washington	107	$6,397	$12,988	$29,858	$17,959	$19,654
Wisconsin	92	$6,606	$11,955	$30,476	$13,973	$13,765
West Virginia	70	$7,052	$13,885	$18,413	$14,544	$12,995
Wyoming	10	$4,868	$12,353	-	$12,101	$13,926
Average		$6,996	$14,247	$25,521	$15,694	$17,185

2024 Average Tuition of U.S. colleges is $9,024 for Residents and $19,205 for Others