College Costwise

College Costwise

What U.S. colleges actually cost after aid, and what their students actually earned. Every figure below comes from the U.S. Department of Education, and every one carries its reporting period — because the numbers describe different years.

Colleges
6,243
Operating institutions in the federal data
Median net price
$10,143
Public institutions only · 1,795 reporting
Median earnings, 10 yrs out
$40,796
5,103 of 6,243 reporting (82%)
Median graduation rate
52%
2,260 of 6,243 reporting

Earnings by state

Median earnings ten years after entering college, by the state the institution sits in. Click any state to see its colleges. This measures the institution's location, not where graduates end up working — those differ, and the federal data does not track the latter.

Alaska: $48,475AKMaine: $43,891MEWisconsin: $45,358WIVermont: $54,359VTNew Hampshire: $51,362NHWashington: $47,869WAIdaho: $33,140IDMontana: $41,951MTNorth Dakota: $44,017NDMinnesota: $45,628MNIllinois: $39,544ILMichigan: $36,115MINew York: $47,733NYMassachusetts: $53,105MARhode Island: $53,085RIOregon: $39,477ORNevada: $41,472NVWyoming: $40,706WYSouth Dakota: $46,709SDIowa: $42,793IAIndiana: $43,603INOhio: $41,273OHPennsylvania: $49,700PANew Jersey: $46,192NJConnecticut: $55,344CTCalifornia: $41,472CAUtah: $36,048UTColorado: $42,169CONebraska: $48,110NEMissouri: $41,138MOKentucky: $36,235KYWest Virginia: $37,962WVVirginia: $42,837VAMaryland: $44,910MDDelaware: $41,448DEArizona: $40,059AZNew Mexico: $38,550NMKansas: $43,969KSArkansas: $34,688ARTennessee: $38,610TNNorth Carolina: $36,048NCSouth Carolina: $38,826SCDistrict of Columbia: $53,804DCOklahoma: $37,856OKLouisiana: $32,993LAMississippi: $33,017MSAlabama: $39,842ALGeorgia: $38,579GAHawaii: $42,561HITexas: $38,475TXFlorida: $37,894FL
Median earnings 10 years after entry. $32,993 – $55,344 Based on the 82% of institutions that report earnings; states with too few reporters are shown as no data.
$32,993$55,344

Most institutions

How to read these numbers

Net price, not sticker price

Tuition is the headline number. Net price — what students paid after grant aid — is the useful one, and it is usually far lower.

Coverage is not 100%

Not every college reports every figure, and small colleges are often exempt. Each number above shows how many institutions it is based on.

Every figure is dated

Tuition covers one year; the earnings figure describes students who entered over a decade ago. We label each one instead of implying they are current.
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Common questions

Where do these cost and outcome figures come from?
From the U.S. Department of Education’s College Scorecard. Colleges report to the Department, which publishes the data. Every figure on this site is labelled with the period it covers.
Why is the earnings figure for students who entered so long ago?
Because earnings have to be measured years after students leave, and the federal data links tax records for specific entry cohorts. The ten-year figure currently describes students who entered around 2009–10, measured in 2022 dollars. We show the cohort year next to the number rather than hiding it.
Why is net price different from tuition?
Tuition is the sticker price. Net price is what students actually paid after grant and scholarship aid, averaged across everyone who received it. Net price is usually far lower than tuition — and it is the more useful number.
Why is net price shown by family income?
Because aid is need-based, so the average net price differs a lot depending on family income. A single average would be misleading for almost everyone. We show the five income bands the Department publishes.

All questions