Skip to main content

College Pricing Trends for 2013-2014

The College Board recently released new college cost figures for the 2013/2014 academic year in its annual Trends in College Pricing report.
The College Board noted that even though this year's increase in tuition and fees was the smallest in many years, the growth in student grant aid from previous years has not continued. As a result, many students are facing higher costs, even in the face of smaller price increases.
To read the full Trends in College Pricing 2013 report, go to trends.collegeboard.org. Here are cost highlights:
Public colleges (in-state students):

  • Tuition and fees increased an average of 2.9% to $8,893
  • Room and board increased an average of 3.6% to $9,498
  • Total cost of attendance for 2013/2014 is $22,826
Public colleges (outstate students):

  • Tuition and fees increased an average of 3.1% to $22,203
  • Room and board increased an average of 3.6% to $9,498
  • Total cost of attendance for 2013/2014 is $36,136
Private colleges:

  • Tuition and fees increased an average of 3.8% to $30,094
  • Room and board increased an average of 3.5% to $10,823
  • Total cost of attendance for 2013/2014 is $44,750

"Total cost of attendance" includes tuition and fees, room and board, books and supplies, and an allowance for transportation and personal expenses.

I know as parents of college-age children read this, they're thinking, "Come on scholarship!" 

Wishing you and your child luck,

Kevin Kroskey, CFP, MBA

Popular posts from this blog

The Cruel Psychology of the 1,000-Point Drop

If you don't already read Jason Zweig's regular column in the Wall Street Journal, you should. He is one of the few financial journalists worth reading. His recent article on the psychology of the recent market drop is rational and instructive. ==== Click here to read the article in it's entirety: http://blogs.wsj.com/moneybeat/2015/08/24/the-cruel-psychology-of-the-1000-point-drop/ See below for a snippet: Experiments have shown , for instance, that people believe cancer is riskier when they are told that it kills “1,286 out of 10,000 people” than when they hear that it kills “24.14 out of 100 people.” Hearing “1,286” immediately brings a large number of victims to mind, while “24.14” is simply a much smaller number. To notice that the first number is less than 13%, while the second is more than 24%, you have to focus on the denominators of the fractions and do some quick division. But your emotions will likely hijack your brain long before you get to that poi...

Healthcare Reform Explained

If you're like me, you find the 1000 page plus Heathcare Reform Act a bit confusing. This nine minute animated movie -- featuring the "YouToons" -- explains the problems with the current health care system, the changes that are happening now, and the big changes coming in 2014, produced by the Kaiser Family Foundation. Kevin Kroskey, CFP, MBA

Did You Do as Well as Your Mutual Fund?

It's common practice to look at a fund's total return number for a snapshot of what performance to expect, but that won't give you the full picture. Morningstar studies have shown that investors' actual gains frequently pale in comparison to reported total return numbers. This phenomenon frequently plays out among funds that attract assets after streaks of hot performance, only to see some investors get skittish at the first signs of underperformance . After a moment's though, even a novice investor will realize that this behavior is just the opposite of the mantra -- buy low and sell high. This practice can be more broadly attributed to bad behavior and lack of a plan or philosophy when it comes to investing. Investors are human and humans are emotional. As much as the logician in me would like to believe my left brain is working to drive my decision making, logic comes in after emotions are experienced to provide context for how we are feeling and not the other ...