There are 338 colleges in Pennsylvania - 95 public and 243 private schools. At Pennsylvania colleges, the Cost of Attendance (COA)—including tuition, fees, books, housing, dining, and personal living costs—has climbed steadily over the past decade, increasing the financial burden on students and families relying on scholarships or student loans.
The total Cost of Attendance has increased substantially at Pennsylvania colleges:
Tuition and fees saw dramatic increases across institution types:
| Institution Type | 10-Year Increase (2016-2025) | 2025 Average Tuition & Fees |
|---|---|---|
| Public, In-State | 15.26% (from $12,688 to $14,624) | $14,624 |
| Public, Out-of-State | 19.54% (from $20,431 to $24,423) | $24,423 |
| Private Colleges | 27.44% (from $31,654 to $40,341) | $40,341 |
Note on Degrees: Undergraduate tuition & fees increased by 19.54%, while graduate program tuition & fees increased by 23.68% over the same period.
Over the past 10 years, the COA has increased 22.32% when living on campus and 23.61% when living off campus at Pennsylvania Colleges.
In private Pennsylvania Colleges, the COA has increase by 27.02% (on-campus) and 28.04% (off-camus). The COA includes tuition, fees, books & supplies, room & board, and other personal expenses.
For the academic year 2024-2025, the total cost of attendance is $43,246 when a student lives on campus and $43,155 when living off campus at Pennsylvania Colleges. The following table and chart illustrate the changes of COA for Pennsylvania Colleges over the past 10 years.
| Year | Living On Campus | Living Off Campus | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| In-State | Out-of-State | Private Schools | In-State | Out-of-State | Private Schools | |
| 2015-16 | $27,611 | $35,354 | $46,577 | $27,170 | $34,913 | $46,136 |
| 2016-17 | $28,456 3.06% | $36,360 2.85% | $48,421 3.96% | $27,836 2.45% | $35,740 2.37% | $47,801 3.61% |
| 2017-18 | $29,085 2.21% | $37,173 2.24% | $49,599 2.43% | $28,405 2.04% | $36,493 2.11% | $48,919 2.34% |
| 2018-19 | $30,482 4.80% | $39,022 4.97% | $49,983 0.77% | $29,871 5.16% | $38,411 5.26% | $49,372 0.93% |
| 2019-20 | $30,899 1.37% | $39,528 1.30% | $51,089 2.21% | $30,214 1.15% | $38,843 1.12% | $50,404 2.09% |
| 2020-21 | $32,291 4.51% | $40,888 3.44% | $52,145 2.07% | $31,430 4.02% | $40,027 3.05% | $51,284 1.75% |
| 2021-22 | $32,041 -0.77% | $40,530 -0.88% | $53,044 1.72% | $31,029 -1.28% | $39,518 -1.27% | $52,032 1.46% |
| 2022-23 | $31,056 -3.07% | $40,069 -1.14% | $53,981 1.77% | $29,738 -4.16% | $38,751 -1.94% | $52,663 1.21% |
| 2023-24 | $32,662 5.17% | $42,183 5.28% | $56,109 3.94% | $32,133 8.05% | $41,654 7.49% | $55,580 5.54% |
| 2024-25 | $33,447 2.40% | $43,246 2.52% | $59,164 5.44% | $33,356 3.81% | $43,155 3.60% | $59,073 6.28% |
For the current year (2025), the average tuition & fees for Pennsylvania Colleges is $16,179 for Pennsylvania residents and $26,117 out-of-state students. In private schools, the average tuition & fees is $41,727.
For graduate programs, the 2025 average graduate tuition & fees is $22,361 for Pennsylvania residents and $30,098 out-of-state students. In private schools, the average graduate program tuition & fees is $23,176.
The tuition & fees has increased 19.54% for undergraduate programs and 23.68% for graduate programs at Pennsylvania Colleges. The following table and chart illustrate the changes of tuition & fees by tuition rates and degrees.
| Year | Undergraduate | Graduate | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| In-State | Out-of-State | Private Schools | In-State | Out-of-State | Private Schools | |
| 2015-16 | $12,688 | $20,431 | $31,654 | $17,367 | $23,211 | $19,753 |
| 2016-17 | $13,074 3.04% | $20,978 2.68% | $33,039 4.38% | $18,654 7.41% | $25,122 8.23% | $19,653 -0.51% |
| 2017-18 | $13,395 2.46% | $21,483 2.41% | $33,909 2.63% | $19,420 4.11% | $26,137 4.04% | $20,472 4.17% |
| 2018-19 | $14,245 6.35% | $22,785 6.06% | $33,746 -0.48% | $20,285 4.45% | $27,215 4.12% | $20,610 0.67% |
| 2019-20 | $14,298 0.37% | $22,927 0.62% | $34,488 2.20% | $19,457 -4.08% | $25,976 -4.55% | $20,825 1.04% |
| 2020-21 | $15,326 7.19% | $23,923 4.34% | $35,180 2.01% | $13,932 -28.40% | $20,435 -21.33% | $21,481 3.15% |
| 2021-22 | $14,932 -2.57% | $23,421 -2.10% | $35,935 2.15% | $14,077 1.04% | $20,642 1.01% | $21,121 -1.68% |
| 2022-23 | $13,819 -7.45% | $22,832 -2.51% | $36,744 2.25% | $14,716 4.54% | $21,539 4.35% | $21,251 0.62% |
| 2023-24 | $14,508 4.99% | $24,029 5.24% | $37,955 3.30% | $20,518 39.43% | $27,637 28.31% | $21,990 3.48% |
| 2024-25 | $14,624 0.80% | $24,423 1.64% | $40,341 6.29% | $21,115 2.91% | $28,707 3.87% | $22,144 0.70% |
For the current year (2025), the average book & supplies costs is $1,249 for Pennsylvania Colleges. The following table shows the changes of book & supplies costs from year 2016 to 2025.
| Year | Books & Supplies |
|---|---|
| 2015-16 | $1,338 |
| 2016-17 | $1,334 -0.30% |
| 2017-18 | $1,353 1.42% |
| 2018-19 | $1,418 4.80% |
| 2019-20 | $1,438 1.41% |
| 2020-21 | $1,422 -1.11% |
| 2021-22 | $1,386 -2.53% |
| 2022-23 | $1,254 -9.52% |
| 2023-24 | $1,343 7.10% |
| 2024-25 | $1,249 -7.00% |
For Pennsylvania Colleges, the living have increased 24.63% when a student lives on campus facilities and 27.56% when living off campus from year 2016 to 2025. The living costs includes costs for room & board, and other living expenses.
| Year | Living On Campus | Living Off Campus |
|---|---|---|
| 2015-16 | $13,585 | $14,169 |
| 2016-17 | $14,048 3.87% | $14,561 3.18% |
| 2017-18 | $14,337 2.31% | $14,815 2.32% |
| 2018-19 | $14,819 2.72% | $15,323 3.42% |
| 2019-20 | $15,163 2.53% | $15,690 1.90% |
| 2020-21 | $15,543 2.19% | $15,999 1.49% |
| 2021-22 | $15,723 2.85% | $16,211 1.56% |
| 2022-23 | $15,983 3.60% | $16,449 1.60% |
| 2023-24 | $16,811 2.85% | $17,402 8.97% |
| 2024-25 | $17,574 4.88% | $18,204 8.44% |