Prices for college tuition and fees have increased by 1.6% over the 12 months ending in August compared to an annual rise of 2.0% in July, according to data published on September 13, 2023, by the U.S. Labor Department’s Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). The BLS collects pricing on thousands of goods and services as a part of their Consumer Price Index (CPI). The CPI is a measure of U.S. inflation at the consumer level.
Usually, college costs outpace the overall rate of inflation, but this has not been the case lately. The latest annual inflation rate is 3.7%, which is higher than the rate of increase in prices for college tuition and fees.
Chart: Annual Change in Prices for College Tuition and Fees
(Average by Calendar Year)
The following chart plots the average change in prices for college tuition and fees by calendar year since 1979. As the year 2023 is not yet complete, the final point on the chart shows the change in prices from August 2022 to August 2023.
Adjusting the Price of College Tuition and Fees for Inflation
For some perspective, the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) reported that the average tuition and fees at public 4-year institutions were $9,400 in the academic year 2019-2020. NCES has not yet published any prices beyond 2019-2020, but BLS CPI data can be used to calculate how much they have changed over time. For example, comparing inflation data from September 2020 and June 2022 shows that pricing increased by 2.02%, bringing the average price to $9,589.76.
The data and calculations involved in finding the increase follow:
- The average college tuition and fees costs for academic year 2019-2020 was $9,400.
- The CPI average for college tuition and fees in September 2020 was 880.234.
- The CPI average for college tuition and fees in June 2022 was 898.003.
The following formula shows how to adjust the price for inflation:
Academic year 2019-2020 Price x (CPI for June 2022 / CPI September 2020) = Adjusted Price
Using the actual numbers:
$9,400 x (898.003/880.234) = $9,589.76
Table of Inflation Rates for College Tuition and Fees (Percent Change in Prices) from 1978 to 2023
The following table displays the annual rate of inflation for college tuition and fees by month and calendar year. In other words, it shows the percentage increase or decrease in those costs over the listed periods. As the figures are based on a 12-month period, you can find the overall change in prices by calendar year in the December column. The last column, labeled ‘Ave’, shows the average inflation rate for college tuition and fees per year.
| Year | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Ave |
| 1978 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 8.6 | |
| 1979 | 7.9 | 7.9 | 7.9 | 7.9 | 7.9 | 8.0 | 8.0 | 8.0 | 8.0 | 7.9 | 7.9 | 7.9 | 8.0 |
| 1980 | 8.3 | 8.4 | 8.3 | 8.3 | 8.3 | 8.1 | 8.1 | 8.2 | 11.7 | 12.1 | 12.1 | 12.1 | 9.4 |
| 1981 | 12.2 | 12.2 | 12.3 | 12.3 | 12.3 | 12.3 | 12.7 | 12.2 | 12.0 | 12.7 | 12.7 | 12.7 | 12.4 |
| 1982 | 13.6 | 13.6 | 13.8 | 14.1 | 14.1 | 14.2 | 14.2 | 14.0 | 12.6 | 12.5 | 12.5 | 12.5 | 13.4 |
| 1983 | 11.3 | 11.3 | 10.9 | 10.9 | 10.9 | 10.6 | 10.5 | 10.6 | 9.6 | 9.5 | 9.5 | 9.6 | 10.4 |
| 1984 | 9.6 | 9.5 | 10.4 | 10.3 | 10.3 | 10.5 | 10.4 | 10.3 | 10.7 | 10.3 | 10.3 | 10.1 | 10.2 |
| 1985 | 10.0 | 10.1 | 9.2 | 9.2 | 9.2 | 9.2 | 9.2 | 9.3 | 8.4 | 8.4 | 8.5 | 8.6 | 9.1 |
| 1986 | 8.6 | 8.5 | 8.5 | 8.5 | 8.5 | 8.5 | 8.2 | 8.4 | 7.6 | 7.4 | 7.4 | 7.4 | 8.1 |
| 1987 | 7.6 | 7.7 | 7.7 | 7.8 | 7.9 | 8.1 | 8.2 | 8.7 | 6.6 | 6.6 | 6.6 | 7.0 | 7.6 |
| 1988 | 7.0 | 7.5 | 7.4 | 7.3 | 7.2 | 7.2 | 7.1 | 8.4 | 8.3 | 8.2 | 8.1 | 7.7 | 7.6 |
| 1989 | 8.2 | 7.9 | 8.0 | 8.0 | 8.0 | 7.5 | 7.8 | 7.8 | 7.9 | 8.0 | 8.1 | 8.1 | 7.9 |
| 1990 | 7.8 | 7.7 | 7.6 | 7.5 | 7.6 | 8.1 | 8.4 | 9.2 | 8.3 | 8.3 | 8.2 | 8.2 | 8.1 |
| 1991 | 9.0 | 9.0 | 9.1 | 9.3 | 9.3 | 9.4 | 9.4 | 8.7 | 12.3 | 12.1 | 12.1 | 12.1 | 10.2 |
| 1992 | 11.2 | 11.0 | 11.3 | 11.6 | 11.6 | 11.7 | 11.4 | 11.4 | 9.0 | 9.6 | 9.6 | 10.0 | 10.7 |
| 1993 | 10.5 | 10.5 | 10.2 | 9.7 | 9.8 | 9.6 | 9.7 | 9.3 | 8.7 | 8.3 | 8.3 | 7.9 | 9.4 |
| 1994 | 7.3 | 7.3 | 7.3 | 7.3 | 7.3 | 7.3 | 7.2 | 7.2 | 6.7 | 6.4 | 6.3 | 6.3 | 7.0 |
| 1995 | 6.1 | 6.4 | 6.4 | 6.2 | 6.1 | 5.9 | 5.9 | 6.4 | 5.6 | 5.7 | 5.7 | 5.7 | 6.0 |
| 1996 | 5.9 | 5.7 | 5.7 | 6.0 | 5.9 | 5.9 | 5.8 | 5.7 | 5.4 | 5.3 | 5.3 | 5.3 | 5.7 |
| 1997 | 5.5 | 5.4 | 5.4 | 5.2 | 5.3 | 5.3 | 5.4 | 5.1 | 4.7 | 4.7 | 4.7 | 4.6 | 5.1 |
| 1998 | 4.6 | 4.5 | 4.5 | 4.5 | 4.5 | 4.4 | 4.3 | 3.9 | 3.8 | 3.8 | 3.9 | 3.9 | 4.2 |
| 1999 | 3.8 | 4.0 | 4.0 | 4.0 | 4.0 | 3.9 | 3.9 | 3.9 | 4.0 | 4.1 | 4.0 | 4.0 | 4.0 |
| 2000 | 3.8 | 3.7 | 3.7 | 3.7 | 3.8 | 4.4 | 4.4 | 4.3 | 4.3 | 4.5 | 4.5 | 4.5 | 4.1 |
| 2001 | 4.5 | 4.5 | 4.5 | 4.5 | 4.5 | 4.2 | 4.3 | 5.6 | 6.0 | 6.0 | 6.2 | 6.2 | 5.1 |
| 2002 | 6.3 | 6.4 | 6.5 | 6.5 | 6.5 | 6.8 | 7.0 | 7.1 | 7.2 | 7.3 | 7.1 | 7.0 | 6.8 |
| 2003 | 7.2 | 7.3 | 7.4 | 7.4 | 7.4 | 7.4 | 7.8 | 9.5 | 9.5 | 9.7 | 9.7 | 9.8 | 8.4 |
| 2004 | 10.2 | 10.1 | 10.2 | 10.1 | 10.2 | 10.1 | 9.8 | 8.4 | 8.9 | 8.6 | 8.7 | 8.6 | 9.5 |
| 2005 | 7.9 | 8.0 | 7.9 | 7.9 | 8.1 | 8.1 | 7.9 | 7.3 | 6.8 | 6.7 | 6.6 | 6.6 | 7.5 |
| 2006 | 6.7 | 6.6 | 6.5 | 6.6 | 6.4 | 6.4 | 6.8 | 7.1 | 6.5 | 6.8 | 7.0 | 7.0 | 6.7 |
| 2007 | 6.6 | 6.7 | 6.7 | 6.6 | 6.4 | 6.3 | 6.2 | 6.0 | 5.5 | 6.1 | 6.0 | 6.1 | 6.2 |
| 2008 | 6.3 | 6.2 | 6.1 | 6.4 | 6.4 | 6.4 | 6.3 | 6.3 | 6.7 | 6.1 | 5.9 | 5.8 | 6.2 |
| 2009 | 5.8 | 5.8 | 5.8 | 5.7 | 5.9 | 5.9 | 5.9 | 6.5 | 6.4 | 6.4 | 6.0 | 6.0 | 6.0 |
| 2010 | 5.8 | 5.7 | 6.0 | 6.1 | 5.8 | 5.8 | 5.8 | 5.1 | 4.4 | 3.8 | 4.2 | 4.1 | 5.2 |
| 2011 | 4.5 | 4.7 | 4.5 | 4.3 | 4.5 | 4.4 | 4.7 | 5.3 | 5.6 | 5.7 | 5.9 | 6.0 | 5.0 |
| 2012 | 5.6 | 5.4 | 5.4 | 5.4 | 5.3 | 5.3 | 5.4 | 4.2 | 4.0 | 4.4 | 4.1 | 4.0 | 4.8 |
| 2013 | 4.5 | 4.6 | 4.5 | 4.6 | 4.5 | 4.5 | 4.2 | 4.2 | 3.7 | 3.7 | 3.9 | 3.9 | 4.2 |
| 2014 | 3.5 | 3.9 | 3.9 | 4.0 | 4.0 | 4.1 | 3.9 | 3.3 | 3.4 | 3.5 | 3.5 | 3.4 | 3.7 |
| 2015 | 3.6 | 3.3 | 3.4 | 3.4 | 3.4 | 3.4 | 3.5 | 3.3 | 3.7 | 3.5 | 3.5 | 3.5 | 3.5 |
| 2016 | 3.1 | 3.2 | 3.1 | 3.0 | 3.1 | 3.0 | 2.7 | 2.3 | 2.2 | 2.2 | 2.1 | 2.3 | 2.7 |
| 2017 | 2.1 | 2.0 | 1.9 | 1.8 | 1.7 | 1.9 | 2.0 | 1.9 | 2.1 | 2.2 | 2.3 | 2.1 | 2.0 |
| 2018 | 2.2 | 2.0 | 1.7 | 1.7 | 1.7 | 1.7 | 2.0 | 2.7 | 2.4 | 2.8 | 2.8 | 2.8 | 2.2 |
| 2019 | 2.9 | 3.1 | 3.8 | 3.9 | 3.8 | 3.4 | 2.9 | 2.5 | 2.4 | 2.0 | 1.9 | 1.7 | 2.9 |
| 2020 | 1.9 | 1.9 | 1.7 | 1.6 | 1.7 | 1.7 | 2.1 | 1.3 | 0.7 | 0.6 | 0.6 | 0.7 | 1.4 |
| 2021 | 0.4 | 0.4 | 0.3 | 0.3 | 0.3 | 0.4 | 0.2 | 0.8 | 1.7 | 1.8 | 1.9 | 1.8 | 0.9 |
| 2022 | 1.9 | 2.0 | 2.1 | 2.1 | 2.1 | 2.2 | 2.4 | 2.8 | 2.1 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 2.3 | 2.2 |
| 2023 | 2.3 | 2.3 | 2.3 | 2.3 | 2.3 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 1.6 | Avail. Oct. 12 |
Table of CPI Data for College Tuition and Fees (1978-2023)
The following table displays the CPI data for college tuition and fees from the BLS.
| Year | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Ave |
| 1977 | 57.9 | ||||||||||||
| 1978 | 58.3 | 58.3 | 58.4 | 58.4 | 58.4 | 58.4 | 58.5 | 58.8 | 62.7 | 62.9 | 62.9 | 62.9 | 59.9 |
| 1979 | 62.9 | 62.9 | 63.0 | 63.0 | 63.0 | 63.1 | 63.2 | 63.5 | 67.7 | 67.9 | 67.9 | 67.9 | 64.7 |
| 1980 | 68.1 | 68.2 | 68.2 | 68.2 | 68.2 | 68.2 | 68.3 | 68.7 | 75.6 | 76.1 | 76.1 | 76.1 | 70.8 |
| 1981 | 76.4 | 76.5 | 76.6 | 76.6 | 76.6 | 76.6 | 77.0 | 77.1 | 84.7 | 85.8 | 85.8 | 85.8 | 79.6 |
| 1982 | 86.8 | 86.9 | 87.2 | 87.4 | 87.4 | 87.5 | 87.9 | 87.9 | 95.4 | 96.5 | 96.5 | 96.5 | 90.3 |
| 1983 | 96.6 | 96.7 | 96.7 | 96.9 | 96.9 | 96.8 | 97.1 | 97.2 | 104.6 | 105.7 | 105.7 | 105.8 | 99.7 |
| 1984 | 105.9 | 105.9 | 106.8 | 106.9 | 106.9 | 107.0 | 107.2 | 107.2 | 115.8 | 116.6 | 116.6 | 116.5 | 109.9 |
| 1985 | 116.5 | 116.6 | 116.6 | 116.7 | 116.7 | 116.8 | 117.1 | 117.2 | 125.5 | 126.4 | 126.5 | 126.5 | 119.9 |
| 1986 | 126.5 | 126.5 | 126.5 | 126.6 | 126.6 | 126.7 | 126.7 | 127.0 | 135.1 | 135.8 | 135.8 | 135.8 | 129.6 |
| 1987 | 136.1 | 136.2 | 136.3 | 136.5 | 136.6 | 136.9 | 137.1 | 138.1 | 144.0 | 144.7 | 144.8 | 145.3 | 139.4 |
| 1988 | 145.6 | 146.4 | 146.4 | 146.4 | 146.4 | 146.7 | 146.9 | 149.7 | 156.0 | 156.5 | 156.5 | 156.5 | 150.0 |
| 1989 | 157.5 | 158.0 | 158.1 | 158.1 | 158.1 | 157.7 | 158.3 | 161.4 | 168.3 | 169.0 | 169.2 | 169.1 | 161.9 |
| 1990 | 169.8 | 170.1 | 170.1 | 170.0 | 170.1 | 170.5 | 171.6 | 176.2 | 182.2 | 183.0 | 183.0 | 183.0 | 175.0 |
| 1991 | 185.0 | 185.4 | 185.5 | 185.8 | 185.9 | 186.6 | 187.7 | 191.6 | 204.6 | 205.1 | 205.1 | 205.1 | 192.8 |
| 1992 | 205.8 | 205.8 | 206.4 | 207.4 | 207.5 | 208.4 | 209.1 | 213.5 | 223.0 | 224.8 | 224.8 | 225.7 | 213.5 |
| 1993 | 227.5 | 227.5 | 227.5 | 227.6 | 227.8 | 228.5 | 229.3 | 233.4 | 242.4 | 243.4 | 243.5 | 243.5 | 233.5 |
| 1994 | 244.0 | 244.1 | 244.1 | 244.3 | 244.4 | 245.2 | 245.7 | 250.3 | 258.7 | 258.9 | 258.9 | 258.9 | 249.8 |
| 1995 | 259.0 | 259.8 | 259.8 | 259.4 | 259.4 | 259.6 | 260.3 | 266.3 | 273.1 | 273.7 | 273.7 | 273.7 | 264.8 |
| 1996 | 274.2 | 274.6 | 274.6 | 274.9 | 274.8 | 274.8 | 275.5 | 281.5 | 287.8 | 288.3 | 288.3 | 288.3 | 279.8 |
| 1997 | 289.3 | 289.3 | 289.3 | 289.3 | 289.5 | 289.5 | 290.5 | 295.9 | 301.3 | 301.8 | 301.8 | 301.7 | 294.1 |
| 1998 | 302.5 | 302.4 | 302.4 | 302.4 | 302.4 | 302.3 | 303.1 | 307.4 | 312.9 | 313.3 | 313.6 | 313.6 | 306.5 |
| 1999 | 314.1 | 314.5 | 314.5 | 314.5 | 314.5 | 314.1 | 314.9 | 319.5 | 325.5 | 326.0 | 326.1 | 326.1 | 318.7 |
| 2000 | 326.0 | 326.2 | 326.1 | 326.1 | 326.6 | 327.8 | 328.6 | 333.1 | 339.5 | 340.7 | 340.8 | 340.9 | 331.9 |
| 2001 | 340.8 | 341.0 | 340.9 | 340.9 | 341.4 | 341.7 | 342.7 | 351.9 | 359.9 | 361.1 | 361.8 | 361.9 | 348.8 |
| 2002 | 362.4 | 362.9 | 362.9 | 363.0 | 363.7 | 365.1 | 366.6 | 376.9 | 385.9 | 387.3 | 387.5 | 387.4 | 372.6 |
| 2003 | 388.6 | 389.4 | 389.6 | 390.0 | 390.6 | 392.0 | 395.1 | 412.8 | 422.6 | 424.9 | 425.1 | 425.5 | 403.9 |
| 2004 | 428.4 | 428.9 | 429.3 | 429.4 | 430.5 | 431.6 | 433.8 | 447.6 | 460.4 | 461.3 | 462.0 | 462.2 | 442.1 |
| 2005 | 462.4 | 463.0 | 463.2 | 463.2 | 465.2 | 466.6 | 468.1 | 480.4 | 491.9 | 492.1 | 492.6 | 492.8 | 475.1 |
| 2006 | 493.5 | 493.5 | 493.5 | 493.8 | 495.2 | 496.4 | 499.7 | 514.3 | 523.9 | 525.4 | 527.2 | 527.2 | 507.0 |
| 2007 | 526.174 | 526.636 | 526.508 | 526.172 | 527.057 | 527.625 | 530.862 | 544.923 | 552.903 | 557.222 | 558.975 | 559.190 | 538.687 |
| 2008 | 559.517 | 559.173 | 558.452 | 559.780 | 560.613 | 561.148 | 564.552 | 579.448 | 589.815 | 591.328 | 591.765 | 591.804 | 572.283 |
| 2009 | 592.071 | 591.782 | 591.115 | 591.571 | 593.848 | 594.178 | 597.671 | 617.211 | 627.302 | 628.981 | 627.294 | 627.061 | 606.674 |
| 2010 | 626.472 | 625.578 | 626.817 | 627.711 | 628.329 | 628.660 | 632.236 | 648.857 | 654.649 | 653.037 | 653.414 | 652.495 | 638.188 |
| 2011 | 654.725 | 655.271 | 655.150 | 654.936 | 656.645 | 656.413 | 662.041 | 683.007 | 691.049 | 690.238 | 691.764 | 691.768 | 670.251 |
| 2012 | 691.260 | 690.527 | 690.570 | 690.168 | 691.213 | 691.295 | 697.731 | 711.449 | 718.908 | 720.332 | 719.962 | 719.677 | 702.758 |
| 2013 | 722.477 | 721.998 | 721.916 | 721.857 | 722.134 | 722.695 | 727.001 | 741.147 | 745.701 | 746.810 | 747.794 | 747.746 | 732.440 |
| 2014 | 747.922 | 749.968 | 749.950 | 750.429 | 751.029 | 752.627 | 755.393 | 765.780 | 770.737 | 773.055 | 773.641 | 773.407 | 759.495 |
| 2015 | 775.175 | 775.041 | 775.426 | 776.190 | 776.379 | 778.244 | 781.714 | 791.039 | 799.221 | 800.426 | 800.652 | 800.690 | 785.850 |
| 2016 | 799.117 | 799.623 | 799.161 | 799.719 | 800.455 | 801.542 | 802.771 | 809.626 | 816.562 | 818.267 | 817.800 | 819.362 | 807.000 |
| 2017 | 815.911 | 815.947 | 814.019 | 814.222 | 814.190 | 817.117 | 818.581 | 824.932 | 833.581 | 835.999 | 836.506 | 836.546 | 823.129 |
| 2018 | 833.625 | 832.620 | 828.234 | 828.112 | 828.332 | 831.156 | 835.314 | 847.084 | 853.208 | 858.998 | 859.711 | 859.588 | 841.332 |
| 2019 | 858.041 | 858.687 | 860.066 | 860.065 | 859.922 | 859.798 | 859.365 | 868.320 | 873.995 | 876.145 | 875.756 | 874.088 | 865.354 |
| 2020 | 874.769 | 874.821 | 874.617 | 874.234 | 874.153 | 874.774 | 877.356 | 879.662 | 880.234 | 881.128 | 880.819 | 880.584 | 877.263 |
| 2021 | 878.569 | 878.405 | 877.503 | 876.996 | 877.052 | 878.506 | 879.192 | 886.919 | 895.395 | 896.770 | 897.128 | 896.184 | 884.885 |
| 2022 | 895.257 | 895.553 | 895.552 | 895.552 | 895.552 | 898.003 | 899.856 | 911.691 | 914.023 | 915.107 | 915.423 | 916.495 | |
| 2023 | 916.002 | 915.969 | 916.072 | 916.096 | 916.096 | 916.370 | 917.804 | 926.302 | Avail. Oct. 12 |
Data Source for Chart and Tables: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: College tuition and fees in U.S. city average, all urban consumers, not seasonally adjusted. Base Period: 1982-84=100.