New College Board Data Show Tuition, Net Tuition and Fees, and Debt Lower Than A Decade Ago at Public Four-Year Universities

Thanks to public universities’ efforts to control costs and state and federal investments, there has been significant progress in college affordability and student debt over the past decade.

New College Board data released Thursday shows that at public four-year universities, published tuition and fees and net tuition and fees for in-state students are lower than they were a decade ago after inflation adjustment. The share of students graduating with any debt, and the amount of debt among those borrowing are also lower than a decade ago after inflation.

Average net tuition and fees for full-time, first-time undergraduates – what students actually pay after applying grant aid –  were $2,300 in the 2025-2026 school year, down nearly 50% over the past decade (Figure CP-9 on page 18).

The data shows published tuition and fees – $11,950 in the 2025-2026 school year – is down seven percent over the last decade (Figure CP 4 on page 13).

Progress on costs has translated into progress on student debt. More than half of students earning a bachelor’s degree from a public university graduate with zero student debt, up 13 percentage points over the past decade. Average debt among those who do borrow – $27,420 – is down almost  20 percent over the past decade (SA-14A on page 44).