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College Tuition (CPI)
Consumer-price index for college tuition and fees.
968
Index 1982-84=100 · latest, Jun 2026
vs prior month▲ 0.1%
vs year ago▲ 1.8%
| Year | College Tuition (CPI) |
|---|---|
| 1978 | 63 |
| 1979 | 68 |
| 1980 | 76 |
| 1981 | 86 |
| 1982 | 97 |
| 1983 | 106 |
| 1984 | 117 |
| 1985 | 127 |
| 1986 | 136 |
| 1987 | 145 |
| 1988 | 157 |
| 1989 | 169 |
| 1990 | 183 |
| 1991 | 205 |
| 1992 | 226 |
| 1993 | 244 |
| 1994 | 259 |
| 1995 | 274 |
| 1996 | 288 |
| 1997 | 302 |
| 1998 | 314 |
| 1999 | 326 |
| 2000 | 341 |
| 2001 | 362 |
| 2002 | 387 |
| 2003 | 426 |
| 2004 | 462 |
| 2005 | 493 |
| 2006 | 527 |
| 2007 | 559 |
| 2008 | 592 |
| 2009 | 627 |
| 2010 | 652 |
| 2011 | 692 |
| 2012 | 720 |
| 2013 | 748 |
| 2014 | 773 |
| 2015 | 801 |
| 2016 | 819 |
| 2017 | 837 |
| 2018 | 860 |
| 2019 | 874 |
| 2020 | 881 |
| 2021 | 896 |
| 2022 | 916 |
| 2023 | 928 |
| 2024 | 952 |
| 2025 | 966 |
| 2026 | 968 |
Hover the line to read any month. Drag across the chart to zoom; double-click to reset.
Source: BLS · CUUR0000SEEB01 · series · Jan 1978 to Jun 2026 · latest-revised
Refreshed Jul 31, 2026 from BLS.
Consumer-price index for college tuition and fees.
Consumer price index for college tuition and fees, all urban consumers.
Source: BLS · Jun 2026 · Full lesson → Learn
About the bands. Shaded spans are NBER-dated US recessions, drawn as factual overlays. They mark when the economy contracted, not why. Lining an event up with a move is not evidence it caused the move.
Read across
No single number is the economy. These measure nearby parts of it — add one to compare, or open it on its own.
- CPI Inflation (YoY) The broad inflation rate this single category is measured against.
- Real Wage Growth (YoY) Whether pay has kept pace with a cost like this one.
- Child Care (CPI) Another fast-rising household cost, for comparison.