College Tuition Increases Continue to Outpace Inflation

WASHINGTON — The 10 most expensive U.S. colleges averaged tuition increases of more than 50 percent or more than double the rate of inflation between 1999 and 2006, according to a report published by The Chronicle for Higher Education.

Competition to attract faculty through salary and benefit packages, student demand for state-of-the-art classrooms and facilities, and a decline in federal support for research are major drivers of rising costs and tuition hikes, education experts say.

As the cost of living increased by 21 percent, George Washington University in Washington, D.C., recorded the largest tuition increase, up 82 percent to $37,820, according to the report.

More than 120 of the most expensive colleges charged more than $30,000 for tuition, with room, board and miscellaneous fees and expenses bringing the total closer to $40,000, experts say.

Northern New Mexico College, which ranks as the least expensive four-year school in the United States, charges $1,030 in tuition for the 2006-07 academic year, an increase of 34 percent from 2000 when fees were $771 per year.

Nationally, tuition at four-year colleges increased on average 2.3 percent to $7,490 for the 2006-07 academic year. The median tuition at private colleges increased 3.4 percent to $15,900.

Public institutions maintain differential tuition rates for in-state and out-of-state students. On average, public colleges charged state residents $5,196 in tuition compared to $13,150 for nonresidents, according to the report.

Taking account of state grants, the Kendall School of Art and Design at Ferris State University in Grand Rapids, Mich., ranked as the most expensive public school for state residents at $12,660 per year, according to the report. With tuition set at $29,131 for 2006-07 academic year, the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor ranked as the most expensive public college for out-of-state students.