Calculating College Tuition

Going to college is often very expensive with all the fees and charges it includes, but many students are unaware of where their tuition ends up. The average for in-state, out-of-state, and community college is a big difference.

Data from College Board says that the average public four-year tuition is around $9,000 for in-state colleges in the United States. The room and board is about $10,000, and the books and supplies are about $4,672. These are the national averages for four-year, in-state colleges.

What would give you the exact same offer on average is a lot different when it is out-of-state. Here it is $23,893 for tuition and $10,132 for the room and board. The reason why this is so much more expensive is because the college does not earn money on the tax you pay, so they simply have to charge more.

Of course you have other options, including going to community college, which is a lot cheaper. Here the average tuition is $3,347, the housing is $7,705, and books are $1,328. This is the ultimate solution if you can not afford an expensive college.

One of the main reasons why you want to attend college is to get employed after finishing. The better the college you attend, the more chance you have to be hired for any particular job. That also often involves paying more money. But with that means bigger investing, which you can take advantage of when choosing an occupation.

So where does all of this money go to? Arizona State University gives a list of what your college tuition includes:

• “Continue financial aid programs to ensure that a lack of family resources will not prevent enrollment or continued attendance for any qualified student in any case.
• Continue a cutting-edge range of program options.
• Continue to provide guaranteed seats in all required courses in the sequence needed to ensure that all students so motivated can complete their undergraduate degree work in four years or less.
• Continue an enhanced advising infrastructure.
• Continue opportunities for exposure and involvement in research activities in a student’s field of study.
• Continue guaranteed admission to master’s programs at ASU for any Arizona resident who meets specific requirements
• Continue career counseling, internships and placement services.”

There is difference between the prices depending on which college you attend. But it will, in most cases, be most expensive to attend out-of-state, then in-state and finally community college options.