Federal cost data, decoded
What college actually costs, for every U.S. school
Published prices are not what most students pay. Search any of 4,319 U.S. colleges to see the average net price by household income, straight from U.S. Department of Education datasets.
4,319 institutions covered
Federal data only, cited on every figure
Independent, no school can pay to change its numbers
Refreshed annually, retrieval dates shown
$23,703
average net price at private 4-year colleges, vs $29,514
published tuition (IPEDS 2022-23, retrieved 2026-08-06)
$12,948
average in-state net price at public 4-year colleges (IPEDS 2022-23)
$14,476
average published tuition at primarily online bachelors institutions (IPEDS 2023-24)
Cost guides
How much does online college cost?
Per-credit pricing, fees, and what a degree really adds up to.
Affordable accredited online colleges
Ranked by published tuition with a stated methodology.
Paying for college as an adult
FAFSA, Pell, employer help, and military benefits for working students.
Online vs campus costs
What our data says about the real price gap.
How we calculate everything on this site: methodology and data sources. Browse costs by state.