From the academic year 2000/01 to 2022/23, the average cost of tuition and required fees at all degree-granting postsecondary institutions in the United States has increased from 5,377 U.S. dollars to 14,688 U.S. dollars. This includes all four-year and two-year universities, both private and public.

The average cost of attendance (which includes tuition, fees, room and board) in public four-year in-state higher education institutions in the United States was 24,920 U.S. dollars in the academic year of 2024/25. The total cost was lowest for public, two-year in-district institutions in that academic year, at 14,440 U.S. dollars.

The average annual fee for tuition and required services at public higher education institutions in the United States was 7,998 U.S. dollars in 2023. This figure was significantly higher at private higher education institutions, which stood at 34,923 U.S. dollars.

The average annual undergraduate tuition, fees, room, and board for full-time students attending four-year universities in the United States has increased significantly since 1990, reaching 30,884 U.S. dollars by the academic year of 2022/23. In comparison, the average annual undergraduate tuition, fees, room, and board to attend a four-year university in 1990/91 was 17,011 U.S. dollars.

Graph and download economic data for Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers: Education in U.S. City Average (CUUR0000SAE1) from Jan 1993 to May 2025 about education, urban, consumer, CPI, inflation, price index, indexes, price, and USA.

In 2020, there were 3,931 higher education institutions across the United States. This was a decrease from 2015, when there were 4,583 higher education institutions across the nation.

Higher education in the U.S.

Higher education in the United States refers to colleges and universities in the country. The U.S. has some notable distinctions in regards to higher education when compared to the rest of the world, including NCAA sports, Greek life, and high attendance costs. However, a large majority of the world’s best universities are located in the United States. Some of these universities include the eight Ivy League schools, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and Stanford University.

Higher education costs

The cost of university in the United States has increased significantly over the last few decades. As a result of these high tuition costs, it has caused students to take out exorbitantly high student loans. Both federal and state governments have decreased the amount of funding towards public schools, but mandatory outlays for higher education are expected to increase over the next several years. In 2021, California had the highest amount of higher education expenditures by state and local governments. California also has the most higher education institutions in the country.

It's no secret that US university students often graduate with debt repayment obligations that far outstrip their employment and income prospects. While it's understood that students from elite colleges tend to earn more than graduates from less prestigious universities, the finer relationships between future income and university attendance are quite murky. In an effort to make educational investments less speculative, the US Department of Education has matched information from the student financial aid system with federal tax returns to create the College Scorecard dataset.

Kaggle is hosting the College Scorecard dataset in order to facilitate shared learning and collaboration. Insights from this dataset can help make the returns on higher education more transparent and, in turn, more fair.

Data Description

Here's a script showing an exploratory overview of some of the data.

college-scorecard-release-*.zip contains a compressed version of the same data available through Kaggle Scripts.

It consists of three components:

• All the raw data files released in version 1.40 of the college scorecard data
• Scorecard.csv, a single CSV file with all the years data combined. In it, we've converted categorical variables represented by integer keys in the original data to their labels and added a Year column
• database.sqlite, a SQLite database containing a single Scorecard table that contains the same information as Scorecard.csv

New to data exploration in R? Take the free, interactive DataCamp course, "Data Exploration With Kaggle Scripts," to learn the basics of visualizing data with ggplot. You'll also create your first Kaggle Scripts along the way.

In 2024, white respondents had the highest rates of confidence about being able to meet the costs of a college education in the United States. Meanwhile, ** percent of Hispanic respondents and ** of Black respondents were completely confident about being able to pay the costs of college education. On the other side of the spectrum, *** percent of white and Black respondents were unconfident about being able to meet these costs.

For the 2020-21 academic year, annual expenses for tuition, room, fees, and board for students at private institutions in the state of Massachusetts stood at 65,784 U.S. dollars, making it the most expensive state for private colleges in the U.S. The average cost for 4-year, private institutions in the United States stood at 46,313 U.S. dollars in that year.

Graph and download economic data for Employment Cost Index: Wages and salaries for State and local government workers in Education services (CIU3026100000000I) from Q1 2001 to Q1 2025 about state & local, ECI, salaries, workers, education, wages, government, services, and USA.

U.S. Higher Education Market size was valued at USD 101165.92 USD Million in 2023 and is projected to reach USD 176174.98 USD Million by 2031, growing at a CAGR of 7.18% during the forecast period 2024-2031.

U.S. Higher Education Market Drivers

The market drivers for the U.S. Higher Education Market can be influenced by various factors. These may include:

Demographics: Shifts in the population's composition and size of the college-age population have an impact on the demand for higher education.

Economic Conditions: A person's desire to pursue higher education and their capacity to pay for it are influenced by a number of economic factors, such as income levels, unemployment rates, and the general health of the economy.

Technological Innovations: These include online learning environments, virtual classrooms, and adaptive learning technologies, which have an impact on how higher education is delivered.

Government Funding and Policies: The higher education industry is greatly impacted by changes to government funding and policy, including financial aid programs and rules pertaining to student loans and accreditation.

Globalization: As more students from outside pursue higher education in the United States and American universities broaden their global reach, there is a corresponding increase in the demand for higher education.

job Market Trends: Higher education institutions' program offerings and enrollment trends are influenced by the job market's need for particular skills and credentials.

Competitive Landscape: Innovation and advancements in higher education offerings are fueled by competition among schools and universities, which includes rivalry for students, faculty, research funds, and rankings.

Social and Cultural Factors: The higher education market is shaped by shifting societal attitudes regarding education, cultural views of the value of higher education, and changing preferences for various educational experiences.

American Public Education cost of goods sold from 2010 to 2025. Cost of goods sold can be defined as the difference between beginning and ending inventories for tangible products resulting in an expense that reflects production and sales costs.

United States CPI U: AW: EC: Education: Tuition, Fees, & Childcare (TF) data was reported at 3.046 % in 2017. This records an increase from the previous number of 3.044 % for 2016. United States CPI U: AW: EC: Education: Tuition, Fees, & Childcare (TF) data is updated yearly, averaging 2.886 % from Dec 1997 (Median) to 2017, with 21 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 3.212 % in 2015 and a record low of 2.421 % in 1997. United States CPI U: AW: EC: Education: Tuition, Fees, & Childcare (TF) data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Bureau of Labor Statistics. The data is categorized under Global Database’s USA – Table US.I011: Consumer Price Index: Urban: Weights (Annual).

The average for 2021 based on 11 countries was 52.4 index points. The highest value was in Uruguay: 93.71 index points and the lowest value was in Colombia: 20.23 index points. The indicator is available from 2017 to 2021. Below is a chart for all countries where data are available.

United States US: Government Expenditure on Tertiary Education: % of Government Expenditure on Education data was reported at 27.502 % in 2014. This records an increase from the previous number of 27.227 % for 2013. United States US: Government Expenditure on Tertiary Education: % of Government Expenditure on Education data is updated yearly, averaging 27.227 % from Dec 2010 (Median) to 2014, with 5 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 28.463 % in 2012 and a record low of 25.653 % in 2010. United States US: Government Expenditure on Tertiary Education: % of Government Expenditure on Education data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s USA – Table US.World Bank: Education Statistics. Expenditure on tertiary education is expressed as a percentage of total general government expenditure on education. General government usually refers to local, regional and central governments.; ; United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) Institute for Statistics.; Median;

United States US: Net Intake Rate in Grade 1: % of Official School-Age Population data was reported at 71.388 % in 2015. This records a decrease from the previous number of 73.004 % for 2014. United States US: Net Intake Rate in Grade 1: % of Official School-Age Population data is updated yearly, averaging 73.097 % from Dec 2002 (Median) to 2015, with 12 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 78.425 % in 2008 and a record low of 70.217 % in 2013. United States US: Net Intake Rate in Grade 1: % of Official School-Age Population data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s USA – Table US.World Bank: Education Statistics. Net intake rate in grade 1 is the number of new entrants in the first grade of primary education who are of official primary school entrance age, expressed as a percentage of the population of the corresponding age.; ; UNESCO Institute for Statistics; Weighted average; Each economy is classified based on the classification of World Bank Group's fiscal year 2018 (July 1, 2017-June 30, 2018).

The USA: Primary school completion rate: The latest value from 2022 is 95.74 percent, a decline from 101.09 percent in 2021. In comparison, the world average is 92.43 percent, based on data from 124 countries. Historically, the average for the USA from 2017 to 2022 is 99.53 percent. The minimum value, 95.74 percent, was reached in 2022 while the maximum of 101.09 percent was recorded in 2021.

Graph and download economic data for Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers: Educational Books and Supplies in U.S. City Average (CUSR0000SEEA) from Jan 1967 to May 2025 about supplies, education, urban, consumer, CPI, inflation, price index, indexes, price, and USA.

Community colleges in the US are undergoing a significant transformation, shaped by shifting student demand, economic pressures and volatile public policy in the wake of COVID. Between 2020 and 2025, community colleges have transitioned from pandemic emergency response to a phase of strategic recovery and adaptation. Following a dramatic enrollment decline during COVID-19, when students paused their education because of public health concerns, economic instability and the rapid transition to online learning, the industry is now experiencing a significant rebound. In spring 2025, two-year colleges saw a 5.4% surge in attendance, the strongest growth among all undergraduate settings. Several factors drove this growth: inflation and rising living costs made community colleges’ lower tuition more attractive, while skepticism about the value of a four-year degree prompted more students to seek affordable, flexible programs that quickly build in-demand skills. Despite rising enrollment, revenue has increased at a CAGR of 0.9%, reaching an estimated $75.2 billion in 2025, because most new students pay low tuition, state funding growth remains modest and operating challenges strain resources. As a result, colleges benefit from stronger demand without a corresponding boost in revenue or profit. Community colleges' policy and regulatory landscape is evolving rapidly at the federal and state levels. Recent federal actions, including the Trump administration’s elimination of race-based admissions practices and equity action plans, signal a move from earlier diversity and accountability requirements tied to federal funding. Persistent FAFSA processing delays and confusing changes have disrupted access to financial aid and uncertainty around Pell Grant structure and funding complicates efforts to support low-income students. State policy directions vary widely: while states like Ohio are imposing new restrictions on DEI initiatives and faculty rights, and New Jersey is contemplating a $20.0 billion funding cut, others like Illinois are expanding community colleges’ authority to offer bachelor’s degrees in high-demand fields. While ongoing policy reforms, demographic shifts and affordability concerns will continue to shape the industry, community colleges are poised to play a crucial role in broadening access to higher education and supporting targeted workforce growth. Colleges face strong tailwinds from increased demand for affordable, career-focused programs, growing interest in upskilling and new private-sector partnerships. However, uncertain funding, regulatory volatility and persistent financial aid challenges remain significant headwinds. Converting higher enrollment into stronger financial health will require stable resources, policy agility and ongoing innovation to serve a diverse student population. Overall, revenue is forecast to rise slowly at CAGR of 0.1%, reaching $75.5 billion in 2030.

United States US: School Enrollment: Primary: Male: % Net data was reported at 92.425 % in 2015. This records an increase from the previous number of 91.790 % for 2014. United States US: School Enrollment: Primary: Male: % Net data is updated yearly, averaging 93.015 % from Dec 1986 (Median) to 2015, with 25 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 98.628 % in 1991 and a record low of 90.756 % in 2004. United States US: School Enrollment: Primary: Male: % Net data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s USA – Table US.World Bank: Education Statistics. Net enrollment rate is the ratio of children of official school age who are enrolled in school to the population of the corresponding official school age. Primary education provides children with basic reading, writing, and mathematics skills along with an elementary understanding of such subjects as history, geography, natural science, social science, art, and music.; ; UNESCO Institute for Statistics; Weighted average; Each economy is classified based on the classification of World Bank Group's fiscal year 2018 (July 1, 2017-June 30, 2018).