Money

The Rising Cost of University Education - Most Expensive States

Data & Guides Money The Rising Cost of University Education - Most Expensive States

One of the biggest financial challenges younger generations will face in their lifetime is accepting and repaying a student loan. Since 2015, after inflation the cost of university has risen by 4.94% on average per state. This means that the cost of a university education is outpacing the increasing costs of other goods and services nationally, to the tune of $1,344 more per year for aspiring students.

To find out which states are seeing the biggest price hikes, and in which categories, we've mapped the cost of a university education across every state. We wanted to see which states were above or below average and where the overall cost rose faster, as well as a ranking by state in each expense category.

Our map below shows the percentage change in overall university cost since 2015. It also allows you to instantly see the cost by state of tuition, books and supplies, or room and board, for each of the past several years. To get a complete picture, we analyzed all lengths of study, as well as public and private universities.