2022/23 Academic Year
College applicants and their families face not just a big life choice and the challenge of being accepted to schools, they face a complicated maze of information on how much their college career will cost. This report will allow you to know the true costs of colleges, so that you can finance a college degree and set up a successful post-graduate life.
- Apply to colleges which you know you can afford
- Plan financially and save and borrow the right amount to fund costs across all years of the program
- Once accepted, better understand the financial context of your financial aid offer and the scope for any negotiations with the college on their proposed cost
This report also provides some of the basics on how the prices you will pay for colleges are set as well as objective cost data about popular schools for students residing in your state. These numbers are based on reported figures by the colleges themselves with projections to account for future price changes.
The information will not indicate exactly how much each student will pay your college. But it will give a broadly accurate and readily understandable general idea, allowing you to compare colleges in financial terms and to plan for a successful college journey.
How college costs work
- Advertised college tuition prices are often far higher than what the typical student pays. Many colleges offer significant discounts to this headline tuition depending on an applicant’s
- family financial income & assets
- demographics
- academic record
- and decisions made by the college’s admissions or enrollment offices
- Comparing college costs on an apples-to-apples basis is difficult and time consuming. College net price calculators are often outdated and don’t reflect true costs.
- When an applicant is accepted to a college, they will receive a financial aid award letter highlighting what their costs will be if they enroll. These awards all differ by student.
- Cost information provided by colleges and other sources often deduct loans from the cost, unlike most other consumer purchases you make
- Most state colleges and universities have essentially two pricing processes, one for in-state and one for out-of-state students.
- Applying early increases your chances of getting into a given college but also increases your cost by lowering, often significantly, the amount of financial aid you will be offered.
Contents
- Average costs for popular in- and out-of-state schools
- Community Colleges
- College pricing and the Expected Family Contribution
- Ways to reduce college costs
- Scenarios showing projected costs by college for 7 representative families with different incomes and financial profiles
- Scenario: Students with families with an average of $15,000 in annual income (<$10,000 in financial assets and home equity of <$40,000)
- Scenario: Students with families with an average of $40,000 in annual income ($10,000 in financial assets and home equity of approximately $50,000)
- Scenario: Students with families with an average of $60,000 in annual income ($20,000 in financial assets and home equity of approximately $90,000)
- Scenario: Students with families with an average of $90,000 in annual income ($200,000 in financial assets and home equity of approximately $120,000)
- Scenario: Students with families with an average of $150,000 in annual income ($250,000 in financial assets and home equity of approximately $150,000)
- Scenario: Students with families with an average of $200,000 in annual income ($500,000 in financial assets and home equity of approximately $200,000)
- Scenario: Students with families with an average of $300,000 in annual income ($950,000 in financial assets and home equity of approximately $350,000)
- Online or Distance Schools
- Glossary
In-state colleges, by average cost
The average net cost found here represents a projected average amount entering freshmen will pay for tuition, room & board, fees, books & other course materials. Net costs are not reduced by loans, which represent an obligation and are not a price reduction. The analogy here is buying a house or condo, where the cost is not reduced because you take out a mortgage to finance the purchase.
College | City | Full-time students | Admissions % | SAT ACT blended 25th percentile | % students paying discounted tuition | Average annual net cost |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Appalachian State | Boone | 16,622 | 77 | 1090 | 36 | 17,000 |
Asheville-Buncombe Tech CC | Asheville | 2,026 | 100 | 10 | 8,500 | |
Belmont Abbey | Belmont | 1,388 | 81 | 970 | 98 | 21,500 |
Caldwell CC and Tech | Hudson | 1,433 | 100 | 8 | 8,500 | |
Campbell | Buies Creek | 3,257 | 78 | 1020 | 98 | 24,500 |
Cape Fear CC | Wilmington | 2,980 | 100 | 10 | 8,500 | |
Catawba | Salisbury | 1,222 | 50 | 930 | 99 | 19,500 |
Catawba Valley CC | Hickory | 1,402 | 100 | 7 | 9,500 | |
Central Carolina CC | Sanford | 1,771 | 100 | 17 | 7,500 | |
Central Piedmont CC | Charlotte | 6,790 | 100 | 6 | 11,500 | |
Chowan | Murfreesboro | 1,243 | 68 | 790 | 100 | 18,000 |
Coastal Carolina CC | Jacksonville | 1,814 | 100 | 3 | 12,000 | |
Craven CC | New Bern | 932 | 100 | 8 | 11,000 | |
Davidson County CC | Thomasville | 1,423 | 100 | 12 | 8,500 | |
Davidson | Davidson | 1,837 | 18 | 760 | 67 | 41,500 |
Duke | Durham | 6,597 | 8 | 1450 | 47 | 52,000 |
Durham Tech CC | Durham | 995 | 100 | 68 | 5,500 | |
East Carolina | Greenville | 19,204 | 79 | 1020 | 45 | 18,000 |
Elizabeth City State | Elizabeth City | 1,516 | 66 | 880 | 68 | 3,000 |
Elon | Elon | 6,079 | 78 | 1170 | 61 | 43,500 |
Fayetteville Tech CC | Fayetteville | 4,646 | 100 | 12 | 5,500 | |
Fayetteville State | Fayetteville | 4,071 | 69 | 880 | 78 | 8,000 |
Forsyth Tech CC | Winston Salem | 2,890 | 100 | 9 | 6,000 | |
Gardner-Webb | Boiling Springs | 1,632 | 67 | 970 | 100 | 22,000 |
Gaston | Dallas | 1,416 | 100 | 1 | 6,000 | |
Guilford | Greensboro | 1,373 | 75 | 510 | 99 | 24,500 |
Guilford Tech CC | Jamestown | 4,347 | 100 | 5 | 8,500 | |
High Point | High Point | 4,557 | 75 | 1080 | 87 | 42,000 |
Johnson C Smith | Charlotte | 1,359 | 47 | 800 | 67 | 19,000 |
Johnston CC | Smithfield | 1,250 | 100 | 4 | 5,500 | |
Lenoir-Rhyne | Hickory | 1,589 | 78 | 960 | 100 | 22,500 |
Livingstone | Salisbury | 1,110 | 50 | 780 | 70 | 17,500 |
Mars Hill | Mars Hill | 987 | 63 | 930 | 98 | 15,500 |
Meredith | Raleigh | 1,464 | 65 | 990 | 98 | 29,500 |
Methodist | Fayetteville | 1,500 | 63 | 930 | 98 | 36,500 |
Mount Olive | Mount Olive | 1,494 | 58 | 890 | 92 | 20,000 |
Nash CC | Rocky Mount | 811 | 100 | 12 | 7,500 | |
North Carolina A & T | Greensboro | 10,013 | 58 | 950 | 67 | 11,000 |
UNC Asheville | Asheville | 3,036 | 84 | 1070 | 91 | 14,500 |
UNC Chapel Hill | Chapel Hill | 18,528 | 23 | 1280 | 41 | 19,500 |
UNC Charlotte | Charlotte | 20,877 | 65 | 1110 | 41 | 20,500 |
UNC Greensboro | Greensboro | 14,007 | 82 | 1010 | 53 | 15,500 |
North Carolina Central | Durham | 5,012 | 68 | 890 | 75 | 15,500 |
North Carolina State | Raleigh | 22,820 | 45 | 1240 | 48 | 21,000 |
North Carolina Wesleyan | Rocky Mount | 1,600 | 62 | 860 | 98 | 15,000 |
UNC Wilmington | Wilmington | 12,480 | 65 | 1120 | 41 | 24,000 |
UNC Pembroke | Pembroke | 5,109 | 85 | 910 | 42 | 13,000 |
Pitt CC | Winterville | 3,501 | 100 | 10 | 6,000 | |
Queens of Charlotte | Charlotte | 1,570 | 65 | 1050 | 99 | 25,000 |
Richmond CC | Hamlet | 989 | 100 | 22 | 6,000 | |
Rowan-Cabarrus CC | Salisbury | 1,517 | 100 | 15 | 9,500 | |
Sandhills CC | Pinehurst | 1,417 | 100 | 50 | 11,500 | |
Shaw | Raleigh | 1,082 | 63 | 58 | 18,000 | |
Alamance CC | Graham | 1,378 | 100 | 10 | 13,500 | |
Wake Forest | Winston Salem | 5,240 | 30 | 36 | 59,500 | |
Wake Tech CC | Raleigh | 7,362 | 100 | 2 | 11,500 | |
Wayne CC | Goldsboro | 1,345 | 100 | 3 | 9,500 | |
Wilkes CC | Wilkesboro | 988 | 100 | 26 | 5,000 | |
Wingate | Wingate | 2,706 | 89 | 960 | 100 | 20,000 |
Winston-Salem State | Winston-Salem | 4,067 | 68 | 890 | 56 | 14,000 |
Western Carolina | Cullowhee | 8,934 | 69 | 1010 | 63 | 16,000 |
Johnson & Wales-Charlotte | Charlotte | 1,500 | 85 | 100 | 24,000 |
Notes on figures
- Net cost is a consumer-centric metric comparable to what cost means in business transactions outside of higher education. It represents a student’s cost of attending college including: tuition, room & board, fees and estimates of supplies less institutional aid of all kinds (including need-based and merit), and less federal and state/local aid. Loans and other repayable amounts are excluded and do not reduce the cost. Room and board uses on-campus costs; for students attending nonresidential institutions, the college’s own estimate of such off-campus costs is used. Total average net cost for all students allocates in- and out-of-state costs in proportion to attendance. Net cost differs from the Net Price figure self-reported by colleges to the NCES because it is comprehensive and covers all students, including the approximately 40% not covered by Net Price calculations.
- CC = Community College
- Number of undergraduates represent all enrolled full-time students as of 2018/19.
- % of Applicants admitted from 2019/20.
- The SAT score is intended to give a very rough idea of the academic level of entering students. This number shows the 25thpercentile of enrolled students out of 100% and adds together the verbal and math SAT and ACT scores using the ACT/SAT concordance formula developed by ACT and the College Board. The maximum possible score is 1600.
- The “% of students receiving discounts” is the 2018/19 figure showing what % of enrolled students are receiving price discounts from their colleges. This % does not include aid from the government, such as Pell grants, or other federal or state aid. It also does not include students borrowing to pay for college.
- These comments all apply to tables later in this report except where noted.
Popular out-of-state colleges, by average cost
College | City | State | Full-time students | Admissions % | SAT ACT blended 25th percentile | % students paying discounted tuition | Avg. annual net cost |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
UAB | Birmingham | AL | 10,315 | 74 | 1090 | 78 | 14,500 |
Alabama | Tuscaloosa | AL | 29,135 | 83 | 1110 | 56 | 33,000 |
Auburn | Auburn University | AL | 22,527 | 81 | 1180 | 61 | 43,500 |
Arkansas | Fayetteville | AR | 20,559 | 77 | 1140 | 39 | 42,500 |
Howard | Washington | DC | 6,269 | 36 | 1120 | 98 | 24,500 |
Broward | Fort Lauderdale | FL | 11,835 | 100 | 6 | 22,000 | |
Central Florida | Orlando | FL | 42,468 | 44 | 1170 | 52 | 24,500 |
Florida Atlantic | Boca Raton | FL | 16,678 | 63 | 1070 | 48 | 35,500 |
Florida International | Miami | FL | 28,335 | 58 | 1110 | 63 | 33,000 |
Florida State | Tallahassee | FL | 29,879 | 36 | 1200 | 65 | 21,000 |
Florida | Gainesville | FL | 32,157 | 37 | 1290 | 37 | 36,500 |
Full Sail | Winter Park | FL | 19,985 | 100 | 52 | 27,000 | |
Hillsborough CC | Tampa | FL | 10,377 | 100 | 18 | 18,500 | |
Keiser-Ft Lauderdale | Fort Lauderdale | FL | 10,479 | 100 | 65 | 27,000 | |
Miami Dade | Miami | FL | 21,473 | 100 | 23 | 24,000 | |
Miami | Coral Gables | FL | 10,701 | 27 | 1270 | 67 | 46,000 |
North Florida | Jacksonville | FL | 10,757 | 72 | 1050 | 55 | 21,500 |
South Florida-Main Campus | Tampa | FL | 25,457 | 48 | 1170 | 65 | 16,000 |
Valencia | Orlando | FL | 16,689 | 100 | 14 | 17,000 | |
Emory | Atlanta | GA | 7,012 | 16 | 810 | 55 | 42,500 |
Georgia Tech | Atlanta | GA | 14,310 | 21 | 1310 | 26 | 46,500 |
Georgia College & State | Milledgeville | GA | 5,364 | 80 | 1120 | 11 | 49,500 |
Georgia Southern | Statesboro | GA | 19,172 | 54 | 1040 | 16 | 21,500 |
Georgia State | Atlanta | GA | 21,958 | 76 | 1050 | 22 | 40,000 |
Georgia | Athens | GA | 28,175 | 45 | 1240 | 32 | 46,500 |
Savannah Coll of Art | Savannah | GA | 10,260 | 96 | 1050 | 97 | 46,000 |
Valdosta State | Valdosta | GA | 6,797 | 57 | 990 | 25 | 20,000 |
West Georgia | Carrollton | GA | 8,090 | 59 | 940 | 16 | 26,500 |
Eastern Kentucky | Richmond | KY | 9,908 | 94 | 1030 | 65 | 19,500 |
Kentucky | Lexington | KY | 20,622 | 96 | 1110 | 77 | 36,000 |
Louisville | Louisville | KY | 11,560 | 69 | 1100 | 80 | 28,000 |
Western Kentucky | Bowling Green | KY | 11,815 | 97 | 1030 | 69 | 32,000 |
UMD College Park | College Park | MD | 28,390 | 44 | 1280 | 40 | 49,000 |
Towson | Towson | MD | 17,209 | 76 | 1050 | 49 | 37,000 |
Mississippi | University | MS | 15,902 | 88 | 1070 | 63 | 34,500 |
Mississippi State | Mississippi State | MS | 17,113 | 54 | 1100 | 86 | 24,500 |
Charleston | Charleston | SC | 8,762 | 78 | 1070 | 55 | 47,500 |
Citadel | Charleston | SC | 2,688 | 75 | 1040 | 40 | 47,500 |
Clemson | Clemson | SC | 19,486 | 51 | 1230 | 75 | 47,000 |
South Carolina | Columbia | SC | 26,400 | 69 | 1180 | 68 | 50,000 |
Coastal Carolina | Conway | SC | 8,810 | 69 | 1000 | 51 | 37,500 |
Austin Peay State | Clarksville | TN | 6,773 | 95 | 960 | 24 | 38,000 |
Belmont | Nashville | TN | 6,563 | 84 | 1140 | 88 | 37,000 |
East Tennessee State | Johnson City | TN | 9,228 | 86 | 1020 | 38 | 34,500 |
Memphis | Memphis | TN | 12,066 | 85 | 1030 | 79 | 31,000 |
Middle Tennessee State | Murfreesboro | TN | 15,721 | 94 | 1030 | 33 | 38,500 |
Pellissippi State CC | Knoxville | TN | 5,038 | 100 | 3 | 23,500 | |
Tennessee-Chattanooga | Chattanooga | TN | 9,224 | 82 | 1040 | 57 | 39,000 |
Tennessee | Knoxville | TN | 22,018 | 79 | 1170 | 54 | 45,500 |
Tennessee State | Nashville | TN | 4,807 | 100 | 40 | 31,000 | |
Tennessee Tech | Cookeville | TN | 8,004 | 79 | 1030 | 48 | 33,000 |
Vanderbilt | Nashville | TN | 6,833 | 9 | 1430 | 62 | 40,500 |
Volunteer State CC | Gallatin | TN | 4,779 | 100 | 5 | 30,500 | |
Averett | Danville | VA | 868 | 65 | 640 | 100 | 24,000 |
William and Mary | Williamsburg | VA | 6,190 | 38 | 1320 | 42 | 54,000 |
George Mason | Fairfax | VA | 21,672 | 87 | 1110 | 37 | 46,000 |
James Madison | Harrisonburg | VA | 18,798 | 77 | 900 | 19 | 43,000 |
Liberty | Lynchburg | VA | 28,487 | 51 | 1040 | 81 | 29,000 |
Northern Virginia CC | Annandale | VA | 15,540 | 100 | 25 | 20,500 | |
Old Dominion | Norfolk | VA | 14,702 | 89 | 970 | 76 | 42,000 |
Radford | Radford | VA | 6,820 | 75 | 42 | 26,000 | |
Tidewater CC | Norfolk | VA | 6,693 | 100 | 7 | 22,500 | |
Virginia Tech | Blacksburg | VA | 28,584 | 70 | 1180 | 36 | 40,500 |
Virginia Commonwealth | Richmond | VA | 19,825 | 87 | 1070 | 60 | 34,000 |
UVa | Charlottesville | VA | 16,267 | 24 | 1330 | 35 | 52,000 |
West Virginia | Morgantown | WV | 19,369 | 84 | 1030 | 76 | 34,000 |
Georgia State-Perimeter | Decatur | GA | 7,784 | 69 | 4 | 17,000 | |
ECPI | Virginia Beach | VA | 13,005 | 74 | 36 | 22,000 | |
Florida Gulf Coast | Fort Myers | FL | 11,211 | 67 | 1050 | 47 | 36,500 |
Georgia Gwinnett | Lawrenceville | GA | 8,556 | 94 | 900 | 3 | 32,500 |
Community Colleges
Community colleges are presented differently from 4-year colleges because of how they manage the prices they charge, such as offering discounted tuition to in-county residents, sometimes providing on-campus housing and sometimes not, and educating a larger proportion of part-time and distance (online) students. The “In-state Tuition, Fees and Supplies” number presented above, dating from 2018/19, is intended to remove these factors and make the prices easier to compare.
College | City | Full-time students | Part-time students | In-state tuition | Average annual net cost | BA degree offered | Residential dorms available | Room & board cost (in-state) |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Asheville-Buncombe Tech CC | Asheville | 2,026 | 4,977 | 2,632 | 8,500 | - | ||
Caldwell CC and Tech | Hudson | 1,433 | 2,311 | 2,522 | 8,500 | - | ||
Cape Fear CC | Wilmington | 2,980 | 5,649 | 2,748 | 8,500 | - | ||
Catawba Valley CC | Hickory | 1,402 | 3,291 | 2,347 | 9,500 | - | ||
Central Carolina CC | Sanford | 1,771 | 3,943 | 2,554 | 7,500 | - | ||
Central Piedmont CC | Charlotte | 6,790 | 11,856 | 2,792 | 11,500 | - | ||
Coastal Carolina CC | Jacksonville | 1,814 | 1,983 | 2,462 | 12,000 | - | ||
Craven CC | New Bern | 932 | 2,029 | 2,023 | 11,000 | - | ||
Davidson County CC | Thomasville | 1,423 | 2,311 | 2,588 | 8,500 | - | ||
Durham Tech CC | Durham | 995 | 3,954 | 1,958 | 5,500 | - | ||
Fayetteville Tech CC | Fayetteville | 4,646 | 7,375 | 2,544 | 5,500 | - | ||
Forsyth Tech CC | Winston Salem | 2,890 | 4,805 | 2,004 | 6,000 | - | ||
Gaston | Dallas | 1,416 | 4,239 | 2,704 | 6,000 | - | ||
Guilford Tech CC | Jamestown | 4,347 | 6,723 | 2,319 | 8,500 | - | ||
Johnston CC | Smithfield | 1,250 | 2,804 | 2,657 | 5,500 | - | ||
Nash CC | Rocky Mount | 811 | 1,855 | 2,632 | 7,500 | - | ||
Pitt CC | Winterville | 3,501 | 4,736 | 1,940 | 6,000 | - | ||
Richmond CC | Hamlet | 989 | 1,597 | 2,516 | 6,000 | - | ||
Rowan-Cabarrus CC | Salisbury | 1,517 | 4,862 | 2,632 | 9,500 | - | ||
Sandhills CC | Pinehurst | 1,417 | 2,622 | 2,764 | 11,500 | - | ||
Alamance CC | Graham | 1,378 | 2,950 | 2,492 | 13,500 | - | ||
Wake Tech CC | Raleigh | 7,362 | 14,641 | 2,768 | 11,500 | - | ||
Wayne CC | Goldsboro | 1,345 | 1,603 | 2,524 | 9,500 | - | ||
Wilkes CC | Wilkesboro | 988 | 1,704 | 2,572 | 5,000 | - |
Notes on figures
- Number of undergraduates represent all enrolled full-time and part-time students as of 2018/19.
- “In-state Tuition, Fees and Supplies” is a figure provided by the colleges covering full-time tuition, supplies and fees but NOT room & board. This is a cleaner way to compare community college pricing for several reasons. The proportion of tuition paid by Pell Grants depends on the Expected Family Contribution (EFC) and is determined by the federal government, not any decision by the college. Some but not all community colleges offer dormitories. Finally, the number of part-time students and the discounted tuition often granted to in-county students makes the comparison of net prices even more complex than for traditional 4-year colleges.
- The Average Net Cost figures used in this report extrapolate from data provided by the colleges themselves to the federal government and the public, projected to the current year. It represents full-time tuition and includes room & board, supplies, fees less aid and grants from the colleges and the government. It standardizes calculations across colleges and is comparable to the Net costs used for 4-year colleges. Individual student costs will vary based on circumstances, so this figure only provides guidance. This figure does have the benefit of showing you how much a typical community college student will spend.
- The cost of on-campus room & board dates from 2019/20 and is only presented for colleges providing residential housing. The schools’ estimates of off-campus housing costs are not included.
College pricing and the Expected Family Contribution
To receive any sort of aids and loans, US colleges require filing of the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid), which calculates the Expected Family Contribution (the “EFC”). Discussions of college costs often make reference to the EFC, which is a federal statutory calculation that governs financing student college costs. It is NOT the same as the pricing, which is determined by supply and demand and the college’s own cost structure. To repeat, the cost of college is how much you will pay the college; the EFC determines your eligibility for loans or certain grants. Pricing; financing – two different things.
The charts below illustrate this distinction for a college with a “Cost of attendance” of $60,000. (The cost of attendance includes the full listed as-advertised tuition, room & board, estimated costs for materials and other fees.)
The College Board Big Future site offers a handy way to calculate this in advance of completing all the paperwork:
Note that the EFC will be renamed the Student Aid Index beginning in the 2023/24 academic year. The FAFSA filing after this change is expected to be much simpler and quicker to complete, but the fundamental formula is unchanged.
Federal Student Loans
Student loans are a complex topic outside of the scope of this report.
2021/2022 interest rates for the federal student loan program are:
- Direct (unsubsidized & subsidized): 3.73%.
- Direct PLUS is set at 6.28%.
- Private loan interest rate are set by the market, partly depend on the parents’ credit score and come in a variety of types.
Federal student loan interest rates are fixed and do not change after the initial borrowing. Because of the topic’s complexity, we recommend you go straight to the source and read the Department of Education site for more information:
A smaller group of mostly selective colleges also require submission of the CSS Profile in addition to FAFSA. The CSS Profile is a more detailed report on the financial profile of a student and their family. It is used in different ways by these colleges to assess how much students and their families should pay. One key difference between the FAFSA and CSS Profile schools is that the equity value of the home often (but not always) affects the level of financial aid offered.
The FAFSA and CSS Profile use prior year income for the initial FAFSA filing, so a 2021 senior’s FAFSA would depend on their 2019 earnings.
Decision and Early Action
Giving students discounts and breaks on full tuition is common business practice in higher education. Information about discounts granted to Early Decision and Early Action candidates is not compiled but a large amount of anecdotal evidence points to discounts for accepted students in Early Decision being much less generous than for the regular application period. So a student’s decision to apply Early Decision conveys to the college both their strong interest in attending and their willingness and ability to pay full costs. Applying through Early Action conveys strong interest but leaves latitude for negotiating financial aid. Because each student’s situation will be different, applicants are advised to think of the application process in part as a negotiation and to use the different application options as signals to the college.
Ways to save on college costs
There are a number of options beyond college choices to limit spending on college. The right choice depends on the student’s needs. They include:
- Studying for a year or two at a community college, institutions which are generally cheaper than 4-year programs, and then transferring into a Bachelor’s program.
- Completing credits at high school or via distance learning outside of actual college attendance
- Making sure to complete the bachelor’s program on time
- Applying for and obtaining scholarships
The first two will require acceptance of credits by the 4-year Bachelor’s program in which you ultimately enroll. While there are certain standards that apply in these scenarios, the ultimate decision will depend on the college accepting the student.
Fit
One important way to limit spending is to make sure the college you enroll in is a “fit.” When recruiting students, colleges are very focused on fit – on making sure that a college matches up well with a student’s personal and professional objectives. This is because fit helps both the student and the college. Lack of fit directly contributes to students dropping out or transferring to another school, both of which increase the costs of obtaining a degree. So proper matching of applications with schools is an important factor in college costs.
How to find scholarships and grants
The College Board’s Big Future and Sallie Mae’s Scholarship Search site are both excellent places to find information on scholarships:
Scholarships.com and Fastweb also both provide free searches of many scholarships:
Finally, two separate but similarly named sites, Collegescholarships.com and Collegescholarships.org, valuably provide lists of scholarships limited to residents of specific states, counties and municipalities.

Financial Scenarios
While the average costs above are an informative first cut, the impact of their family’s individual financial position on the amount a college charges a specific student is significant. The following section lays out a set of scenarios showing estimated costs for students with different family financial profiles. These are estimates and are intended as a baseline guide to help you decide on a short list of colleges to which to apply and to navigate the application and acceptance process with objective financial information.
Factors that increase or decrease the amount colleges charge a student:
- Family income
- Family financial assets
- Amount of equity in the family home (only selected colleges)
- Academic performance in high school, board scores
- Student’s demographic profile (including whether the parents have college degrees)
Other factors, such as whether other students in the household are also enrolled in college, marital status (married or not), and student income and savings play a generally smaller role.
Notes on figures
- For categories identical to those used to the in- and out-of-state average costs tables above, earlier comments apply.
- The colleges are ranked highest to lowest according to projected 2021/22 net cost.
- The “Full cost of a 4-year degree, Projected” represents an estimate of the total net costs for a class of ’25 student completing their Bachelor’s degree in 4 years.
- Scenarios 5, 6 and 7 assume a dual-earner married household with two children, the prospective college student who is a public high school senior and a younger sibling, with financial and home equity assets conforming to US government data on income and assets. The couple does not own their own business or investment real estate and is not the beneficiary of a trust. The prospective college student has no children, earned a small amount last year and is a dependent for IRS purposes. Once enrolled in college, the student would be enrolled full-time and live on campus.
- Disclaimer: These financial estimates represent informational projections that will change over time. They do not represents promises or commitments by CTAS or the colleges themselves. Final net cost numbers will differ from these estimates for many reasons.

Scenario
Students with families with an average of $15,000 in annual income. Families in this income range on average have <$10,000 in financial assets and home equity of <$40,000 (Federal Reserve Survey of Consumer Finances).
College City State Full-time students Admissions % % students paying discounted tuition Avg. annual net cost Total cost of degree
UAB
Birmingham
AL
10,315
74
78
12,000
49,500
Alabama
Tuscaloosa
AL
29,135
83
56
30,500
125,500
Auburn
Auburn University
AL
22,527
81
61
33,000
135,000
Arkansas
Fayetteville
AR
20,559
77
39
30,000
123,000
Howard
Washington
DC
6,269
36
98
10,500
43,500
Broward
Fort Lauderdale
FL
11,835
100
6
25,500
105,000
Central Florida
Orlando
FL
42,468
44
52
19,500
80,500
Florida Atlantic
Boca Raton
FL
16,678
63
48
24,000
100,000
Florida International
Miami
FL
28,335
58
63
22,500
93,000
Florida State
Tallahassee
FL
29,879
36
65
18,500
75,000
Florida
Gainesville
FL
32,157
37
37
28,500
117,500
Full Sail
Winter Park
FL
19,985
100
52
26,000
104,500
Hillsborough CC
Tampa
FL
10,377
100
18
12,500
25,000
Keiser-Ft Lauderdale
Fort Lauderdale
FL
10,479
100
65
26,500
110,000
Miami Dade
Miami
FL
21,473
100
23
15,000
60,000
Miami
Coral Gables
FL
10,701
27
67
16,000
65,500
North Florida
Jacksonville
FL
10,757
72
55
14,000
56,500
South Florida-Main Campus
Tampa
FL
25,457
48
65
10,500
43,500
Valencia
Orlando
FL
16,689
100
14
15,000
61,000
Emory
Atlanta
GA
7,012
16
55
10,000
41,500
Georgia Tech
Atlanta
GA
14,310
21
26
23,500
96,500
Georgia College & State
Milledgeville
GA
5,364
80
11
38,500
158,000
Georgia Southern
Statesboro
GA
19,172
54
16
18,000
73,500
Georgia State
Atlanta
GA
21,958
76
22
34,500
141,500
Georgia
Athens
GA
28,175
45
32
35,000
144,000
Savannah Coll of Art
Savannah
GA
10,260
96
97
42,500
174,500
Valdosta State
Valdosta
GA
6,797
57
25
19,000
76,500
West Georgia
Carrollton
GA
8,090
59
16
23,000
93,500
Eastern Kentucky
Richmond
KY
9,908
94
65
16,500
68,000
Kentucky
Lexington
KY
20,622
96
77
25,000
103,500
Louisville
Louisville
KY
11,560
69
80
25,500
104,500
Western Kentucky
Bowling Green
KY
11,815
97
69
30,500
125,000
UMD College Park
College Park
MD
28,390
44
40
39,000
160,500
Towson
Towson
MD
17,209
76
49
25,000
102,000
Mississippi
University
MS
15,902
88
63
22,500
93,500
Mississippi State
Mississippi State
MS
17,113
54
86
22,000
90,000
Appalachian State
Boone
NC
16,622
77
36
7,500
31,500
Asheville-Buncombe Tech CC
Asheville
NC
2,026
100
10
7,000
14,000
Belmont Abbey
Belmont
NC
1,388
81
98
17,500
71,000
Caldwell CC and Tech
Hudson
NC
1,433
100
8
1,500
3,500
Campbell
Buies Creek
NC
3,257
78
98
19,500
79,000
Cape Fear CC
Wilmington
NC
2,980
100
10
8,500
17,000
Catawba
Salisbury
NC
1,222
50
99
16,500
67,500
Catawba Valley CC
Hickory
NC
1,402
100
7
6,500
12,500
Central Carolina CC
Sanford
NC
1,771
100
17
5,500
10,500
Central Piedmont CC
Charlotte
NC
6,790
100
6
6,500
13,000
Chowan
Murfreesboro
NC
1,243
68
100
17,000
69,000
Coastal Carolina CC
Jacksonville
NC
1,814
100
3
8,000
16,000
Craven CC
New Bern
NC
932
100
8
11,000
22,000
Davidson County CC
Thomasville
NC
1,423
100
12
6,000
11,500
Davidson
Davidson
NC
1,837
18
67
7,500
30,500
Duke
Durham
NC
6,597
8
47
500
2,500
Durham Tech CC
Durham
NC
995
100
68
5,500
11,000
East Carolina
Greenville
NC
19,204
79
45
12,000
49,000
Elizabeth City State
Elizabeth City
NC
1,516
66
68
1,500
5,000
Elon
Elon
NC
6,079
78
61
26,000
108,000
Fayetteville Tech CC
Fayetteville
NC
4,646
100
12
5,500
11,000
Fayetteville State
Fayetteville
NC
4,071
69
78
5,000
20,500
Forsyth Tech CC
Winston Salem
NC
2,890
100
9
4,000
8,500
Gardner-Webb
Boiling Springs
NC
1,632
67
100
19,500
78,000
Gaston
Dallas
NC
1,416
100
1
6,000
12,000
Guilford
Greensboro
NC
1,373
75
99
20,500
83,500
Guilford Tech CC
Jamestown
NC
4,347
100
5
8,500
16,500
High Point
High Point
NC
4,557
75
87
32,000
131,500
Johnson C Smith
Charlotte
NC
1,359
47
67
18,500
75,500
Johnston CC
Smithfield
NC
1,250
100
4
5,500
11,500
Lenoir-Rhyne
Hickory
NC
1,589
78
100
18,000
73,500
Livingstone
Salisbury
NC
1,110
50
70
17,500
72,500
Mars Hill
Mars Hill
NC
987
63
98
15,500
61,500
Meredith
Raleigh
NC
1,464
65
98
21,000
85,000
Methodist
Fayetteville
NC
1,500
63
98
33,500
139,500
Mount Olive
Mount Olive
NC
1,494
58
92
16,500
68,500
Nash CC
Rocky Mount
NC
811
100
12
5,500
10,500
North Carolina A & T
Greensboro
NC
10,013
58
67
8,000
34,000
UNC Asheville
Asheville
NC
3,036
84
91
7,500
31,000
UNC Chapel Hill
Chapel Hill
NC
18,528
23
41
4,000
16,500
UNC Charlotte
Charlotte
NC
20,877
65
41
13,000
54,000
UNC Greensboro
Greensboro
NC
14,007
82
53
9,000
38,000
North Carolina Central
Durham
NC
5,012
68
75
12,500
53,000
North Carolina State
Raleigh
NC
22,820
45
48
8,500
35,500
North Carolina Wesleyan
Rocky Mount
NC
1,600
62
98
11,000
44,500
UNC Wilmington
Wilmington
NC
12,480
65
41
13,500
57,000
UNC Pembroke
Pembroke
NC
5,109
85
42
9,000
36,000
Pitt CC
Winterville
NC
3,501
100
10
3,500
7,000
Queens of Charlotte
Charlotte
NC
1,570
65
99
20,000
81,500
Richmond CC
Hamlet
NC
989
100
22
3,500
7,000
Rowan-Cabarrus CC
Salisbury
NC
1,517
100
15
3,500
7,500
Sandhills CC
Pinehurst
NC
1,417
100
50
8,000
16,000
Shaw
Raleigh
NC
1,082
63
58
17,000
69,500
Alamance CC
Graham
NC
1,378
100
10
13,500
27,500
Wake Forest
Winston Salem
NC
5,240
30
36
7,500
31,000
Wake Tech CC
Raleigh
NC
7,362
100
2
5,500
11,000
Wayne CC
Goldsboro
NC
1,345
100
3
2,000
4,000
Wilkes CC
Wilkesboro
NC
988
100
26
3,500
7,000
Wingate
Wingate
NC
2,706
89
100
16,500
66,500
Winston-Salem State
Winston-Salem
NC
4,067
68
56
12,000
49,000
Western Carolina
Cullowhee
NC
8,934
69
63
10,500
42,500
Charleston
Charleston
SC
8,762
78
55
42,500
176,000
Citadel
Charleston
SC
2,688
75
40
25,000
102,500
Clemson
Clemson
SC
19,486
51
75
35,000
145,000
South Carolina
Columbia
SC
26,400
69
68
36,000
149,500
Coastal Carolina
Conway
SC
8,810
69
51
37,500
154,500
Austin Peay State
Clarksville
TN
6,773
95
24
30,000
123,000
Belmont
Nashville
TN
6,563
84
88
26,500
109,000
East Tennessee State
Johnson City
TN
9,228
86
38
26,500
107,500
Memphis
Memphis
TN
12,066
85
79
24,500
100,500
Middle Tennessee State
Murfreesboro
TN
15,721
94
33
26,500
108,500
Pellissippi State CC
Knoxville
TN
5,038
100
3
19,000
39,000
Tennessee-Chattanooga
Chattanooga
TN
9,224
82
57
25,500
104,500
Tennessee
Knoxville
TN
22,018
79
54
25,500
105,500
Tennessee State
Nashville
TN
4,807
100
40
31,000
129,500
Tennessee Tech
Cookeville
TN
8,004
79
48
24,000
99,500
Vanderbilt
Nashville
TN
6,833
9
62
4,000
16,500
Volunteer State CC
Gallatin
TN
4,779
100
5
17,000
34,500
Averett
Danville
VA
868
65
100
12,500
50,500
William and Mary
Williamsburg
VA
6,190
38
42
40,000
165,000
George Mason
Fairfax
VA
21,672
87
37
35,000
144,500
James Madison
Harrisonburg
VA
18,798
77
19
33,000
136,000
Liberty
Lynchburg
VA
28,487
51
81
27,000
110,500
Northern Virginia CC
Annandale
VA
15,540
100
25
16,000
32,500
Old Dominion
Norfolk
VA
14,702
89
76
30,500
126,500
Radford
Radford
VA
6,820
75
42
20,000
80,500
Tidewater CC
Norfolk
VA
6,693
100
7
13,000
26,500
Virginia Tech
Blacksburg
VA
28,584
70
36
34,000
138,500
Virginia Commonwealth
Richmond
VA
19,825
87
60
24,500
100,500
UVa
Charlottesville
VA
16,267
24
35
10,500
43,500
West Virginia
Morgantown
WV
19,369
84
76
25,500
104,000
Georgia State-Perimeter
Decatur
GA
7,784
69
4
13,500
27,000
ECPI
Virginia Beach
VA
13,005
74
36
21,500
89,500
Florida Gulf Coast
Fort Myers
FL
11,211
67
47
23,000
94,500
Johnson & Wales-Charlotte
Charlotte
NC
1,500
85
100
22,000
89,500
Georgia Gwinnett
Lawrenceville
GA
8,556
94
3
22,000
91,500
2022-23 projected average net cost for selected colleges including both in- and out-of-state schools.
Scenario
Students with families with an average of $40,000 in annual income. Families in this income range on average have approximately $10,000 in financial assets and home equity of approximately $50,000 (Federal Reserve Survey of Consumer Finances).
College City State Full-time students Admissions % % students paying discounted tuition Avg. annual net cost Total cost of degree}
UAB
Birmingham
AL
10,315
74
78
12,500
52,000
Alabama
Tuscaloosa
AL
29,135
83
56
32,500
133,000
Auburn
Auburn University
AL
22,527
81
61
36,000
147,000
Arkansas
Fayetteville
AR
20,559
77
39
33,000
136,000
Howard
Washington
DC
6,269
36
98
27,000
110,500
Broward
Fort Lauderdale
FL
11,835
100
6
27,000
112,000
Central Florida
Orlando
FL
42,468
44
52
22,000
90,500
Florida Atlantic
Boca Raton
FL
16,678
63
48
28,000
116,500
Florida International
Miami
FL
28,335
58
63
26,500
108,000
Florida State
Tallahassee
FL
29,879
36
65
21,500
86,000
Florida
Gainesville
FL
32,157
37
37
30,500
127,500
Full Sail
Winter Park
FL
19,985
100
52
26,000
104,500
Hillsborough CC
Tampa
FL
10,377
100
18
14,500
29,000
Keiser-Ft Lauderdale
Fort Lauderdale
FL
10,479
100
65
33,500
138,500
Miami Dade
Miami
FL
21,473
100
23
16,000
64,500
Miami
Coral Gables
FL
10,701
27
67
16,500
67,000
North Florida
Jacksonville
FL
10,757
72
55
16,500
68,000
South Florida-Main Campus
Tampa
FL
25,457
48
65
12,500
50,500
Valencia
Orlando
FL
16,689
100
14
16,000
65,000
Emory
Atlanta
GA
7,012
16
55
10,000
41,500
Georgia Tech
Atlanta
GA
14,310
21
26
30,500
125,500
Georgia College & State
Milledgeville
GA
5,364
80
11
41,500
172,000
Georgia Southern
Statesboro
GA
19,172
54
16
19,500
79,500
Georgia State
Atlanta
GA
21,958
76
22
36,000
147,000
Georgia
Athens
GA
28,175
45
32
43,000
178,000
Savannah Coll of Art
Savannah
GA
10,260
96
97
43,000
176,500
Valdosta State
Valdosta
GA
6,797
57
25
20,000
81,500
West Georgia
Carrollton
GA
8,090
59
16
24,500
100,000
Eastern Kentucky
Richmond
KY
9,908
94
65
16,500
68,000
Kentucky
Lexington
KY
20,622
96
77
27,000
111,000
Louisville
Louisville
KY
11,560
69
80
27,500
112,500
Western Kentucky
Bowling Green
KY
11,815
97
69
36,000
148,500
UMD College Park
College Park
MD
28,390
44
40
48,000
197,000
Towson
Towson
MD
17,209
76
49
30,500
125,000
Mississippi
University
MS
15,902
88
63
27,000
112,000
Mississippi State
Mississippi State
MS
17,113
54
86
22,000
90,000
Appalachian State
Boone
NC
16,622
77
36
10,000
43,000
Asheville-Buncombe Tech CC
Asheville
NC
2,026
100
10
7,500
16,000
Belmont Abbey
Belmont
NC
1,388
81
98
19,000
75,500
Caldwell CC and Tech
Hudson
NC
1,433
100
8
3,000
6,000
Campbell
Buies Creek
NC
3,257
78
98
22,000
86,000
Cape Fear CC
Wilmington
NC
2,980
100
10
8,000
17,000
Catawba
Salisbury
NC
1,222
50
99
16,500
67,500
Catawba Valley CC
Hickory
NC
1,402
100
7
7,500
15,000
Central Carolina CC
Sanford
NC
1,771
100
17
5,500
11,500
Central Piedmont CC
Charlotte
NC
6,790
100
6
6,500
14,000
Chowan
Murfreesboro
NC
1,243
68
100
17,000
69,000
Coastal Carolina CC
Jacksonville
NC
1,814
100
3
8,000
16,500
Craven CC
New Bern
NC
932
100
8
11,000
22,500
Davidson County CC
Thomasville
NC
1,423
100
12
6,000
13,000
Davidson
Davidson
NC
1,837
18
67
7,500
30,500
Duke
Durham
NC
6,597
8
47
4,000
16,500
Durham Tech CC
Durham
NC
995
100
68
7,000
13,500
East Carolina
Greenville
NC
19,204
79
45
12,500
54,000
Elizabeth City State
Elizabeth City
NC
1,516
66
68
2,500
9,500
Elon
Elon
NC
6,079
78
61
26,000
111,000
Fayetteville Tech CC
Fayetteville
NC
4,646
100
12
7,000
13,500
Fayetteville State
Fayetteville
NC
4,071
69
78
6,000
26,000
Forsyth Tech CC
Winston Salem
NC
2,890
100
9
4,500
9,000
Gardner-Webb
Boiling Springs
NC
1,632
67
100
19,500
78,000
Gaston
Dallas
NC
1,416
100
1
8,500
17,000
Guilford
Greensboro
NC
1,373
75
99
20,500
83,500
Guilford Tech CC
Jamestown
NC
4,347
100
5
9,000
19,000
High Point
High Point
NC
4,557
75
87
31,500
131,500
Johnson C Smith
Charlotte
NC
1,359
47
67
19,000
77,500
Johnston CC
Smithfield
NC
1,250
100
4
6,500
13,500
Lenoir-Rhyne
Hickory
NC
1,589
78
100
20,000
81,500
Livingstone
Salisbury
NC
1,110
50
70
18,000
75,000
Mars Hill
Mars Hill
NC
987
63
98
16,500
64,000
Meredith
Raleigh
NC
1,464
65
98
21,500
89,000
Methodist
Fayetteville
NC
1,500
63
98
31,000
139,500
Mount Olive
Mount Olive
NC
1,494
58
92
15,500
68,500
Nash CC
Rocky Mount
NC
811
100
12
5,000
10,500
North Carolina A & T
Greensboro
NC
10,013
58
67
9,500
41,000
UNC Asheville
Asheville
NC
3,036
84
91
9,000
36,500
UNC Chapel Hill
Chapel Hill
NC
18,528
23
41
6,000
25,000
UNC Charlotte
Charlotte
NC
20,877
65
41
13,000
59,000
UNC Greensboro
Greensboro
NC
14,007
82
53
11,000
45,500
North Carolina Central
Durham
NC
5,012
68
75
12,000
53,000
North Carolina State
Raleigh
NC
22,820
45
48
10,500
44,000
North Carolina Wesleyan
Rocky Mount
NC
1,600
62
98
11,500
44,500
UNC Wilmington
Wilmington
NC
12,480
65
41
15,000
66,000
UNC Pembroke
Pembroke
NC
5,109
85
42
10,000
40,500
Pitt CC
Winterville
NC
3,501
100
10
4,500
8,500
Queens of Charlotte
Charlotte
NC
1,570
65
99
20,000
84,500
Richmond CC
Hamlet
NC
989
100
22
5,000
9,500
Rowan-Cabarrus CC
Salisbury
NC
1,517
100
15
4,000
8,500
Sandhills CC
Pinehurst
NC
1,417
100
50
8,000
16,500
Shaw
Raleigh
NC
1,082
63
58
17,000
69,500
Alamance CC
Graham
NC
1,378
100
10
13,500
29,000
Wake Forest
Winston Salem
NC
5,240
30
36
10,500
45,000
Wake Tech CC
Raleigh
NC
7,362
100
2
6,000
12,500
Wayne CC
Goldsboro
NC
1,345
100
3
3,500
7,000
Wilkes CC
Wilkesboro
NC
988
100
26
4,000
7,500
Wingate
Wingate
NC
2,706
89
100
16,500
69,000
Winston-Salem State
Winston-Salem
NC
4,067
68
56
12,000
53,000
Western Carolina
Cullowhee
NC
8,934
69
63
12,500
51,500
Charleston
Charleston
SC
8,762
78
55
46,000
189,500
Citadel
Charleston
SC
2,688
75
40
38,000
156,000
Clemson
Clemson
SC
19,486
51
75
37,000
153,500
South Carolina
Columbia
SC
26,400
69
68
47,000
193,500
Coastal Carolina
Conway
SC
8,810
69
51
39,500
162,500
Austin Peay State
Clarksville
TN
6,773
95
24
33,500
137,500
Belmont
Nashville
TN
6,563
84
88
29,500
119,500
East Tennessee State
Johnson City
TN
9,228
86
38
31,000
126,500
Memphis
Memphis
TN
12,066
85
79
28,000
114,000
Middle Tennessee State
Murfreesboro
TN
15,721
94
33
31,000
126,000
Pellissippi State CC
Knoxville
TN
5,038
100
3
22,000
44,000
Tennessee-Chattanooga
Chattanooga
TN
9,224
82
57
32,000
131,000
Tennessee
Knoxville
TN
22,018
79
54
34,000
140,000
Tennessee State
Nashville
TN
4,807
100
40
33,000
136,500
Tennessee Tech
Cookeville
TN
8,004
79
48
26,500
111,000
Vanderbilt
Nashville
TN
6,833
9
62
5,500
21,500
Volunteer State CC
Gallatin
TN
4,779
100
5
18,500
37,000
Averett
Danville
VA
868
65
100
12,500
50,500
William and Mary
Williamsburg
VA
6,190
38
42
42,000
173,500
George Mason
Fairfax
VA
21,672
87
37
37,000
152,500
James Madison
Harrisonburg
VA
18,798
77
19
36,000
147,500
Liberty
Lynchburg
VA
28,487
51
81
27,000
110,500
Northern Virginia CC
Annandale
VA
15,540
100
25
17,000
34,000
Old Dominion
Norfolk
VA
14,702
89
76
34,500
144,000
Radford
Radford
VA
6,820
75
42
21,000
86,000
Tidewater CC
Norfolk
VA
6,693
100
7
14,500
29,500
Virginia Tech
Blacksburg
VA
28,584
70
36
37,500
153,500
Virginia Commonwealth
Richmond
VA
19,825
87
60
28,000
114,000
UVa
Charlottesville
VA
16,267
24
35
16,000
66,500
West Virginia
Morgantown
WV
19,369
84
76
28,500
118,000
Georgia State-Perimeter
Decatur
GA
7,784
69
4
14,500
30,000
ECPI
Virginia Beach
VA
13,005
74
36
22,500
92,500
Florida Gulf Coast
Fort Myers
FL
11,211
67
47
26,000
106,000
Johnson & Wales-Charlotte
Charlotte
NC
1,500
85
100
23,500
97,000
Georgia Gwinnett
Lawrenceville
GA
8,556
94
3
23,500
96,500
2022-23 projected average net cost for selected colleges including both in- and out-of-state schools.
Scenario
Scenario: Students with families with an average of $60,000 in annual income. Families in this income range on average have approximately $20,000 in financial assets and home equity of approximately $90,000 (Federal Reserve Survey of Consumer Finances).
College City State Full-time students Admissions % % students paying discounted tuition Avg. annual net cost Total cost of degree
UAB
Birmingham
AL
10,315
74
78
14,500
60,000
Alabama
Tuscaloosa
AL
29,135
83
56
36,000
148,500
Auburn
Auburn University
AL
22,527
81
61
40,500
167,000
Arkansas
Fayetteville
AR
20,559
77
39
38,500
160,000
Howard
Washington
DC
6,269
36
98
27,500
111,500
Broward
Fort Lauderdale
FL
11,835
100
6
30,000
124,500
Central Florida
Orlando
FL
42,468
44
52
27,500
113,000
Florida Atlantic
Boca Raton
FL
16,678
63
48
38,000
157,500
Florida International
Miami
FL
28,335
58
63
34,000
139,500
Florida State
Tallahassee
FL
29,879
36
65
23,500
96,000
Florida
Gainesville
FL
32,157
37
37
39,000
161,500
Full Sail
Winter Park
FL
19,985
100
52
27,000
109,500
Hillsborough CC
Tampa
FL
10,377
100
18
19,500
39,000
Keiser-Ft Lauderdale
Fort Lauderdale
FL
10,479
100
65
35,000
144,500
Miami Dade
Miami
FL
21,473
100
23
18,000
73,000
Miami
Coral Gables
FL
10,701
27
67
17,500
72,000
North Florida
Jacksonville
FL
10,757
72
55
22,500
91,500
South Florida-Main Campus
Tampa
FL
25,457
48
65
16,500
68,000
Valencia
Orlando
FL
16,689
100
14
20,000
82,000
Emory
Atlanta
GA
7,012
16
55
18,000
72,500
Georgia Tech
Atlanta
GA
14,310
21
26
40,000
165,000
Georgia College & State
Milledgeville
GA
5,364
80
11
50,500
207,500
Georgia Southern
Statesboro
GA
19,172
54
16
23,000
93,000
Georgia State
Atlanta
GA
21,958
76
22
42,500
175,500
Georgia
Athens
GA
28,175
45
32
47,500
196,000
Savannah Coll of Art
Savannah
GA
10,260
96
97
45,500
187,000
Valdosta State
Valdosta
GA
6,797
57
25
24,500
99,500
West Georgia
Carrollton
GA
8,090
59
16
28,000
113,500
Eastern Kentucky
Richmond
KY
9,908
94
65
19,500
81,000
Kentucky
Lexington
KY
20,622
96
77
32,500
135,000
Louisville
Louisville
KY
11,560
69
80
30,000
124,000
Western Kentucky
Bowling Green
KY
11,815
97
69
36,000
148,500
UMD College Park
College Park
MD
28,390
44
40
51,500
212,000
Towson
Towson
MD
17,209
76
49
40,000
163,000
Mississippi
University
MS
15,902
88
63
38,500
158,500
Mississippi State
Mississippi State
MS
17,113
54
86
27,000
111,500
Appalachian State
Boone
NC
16,622
77
36
15,000
60,500
Asheville-Buncombe Tech CC
Asheville
NC
2,026
100
10
9,000
18,000
Belmont Abbey
Belmont
NC
1,388
81
98
19,000
77,000
Caldwell CC and Tech
Hudson
NC
1,433
100
8
4,500
9,000
Campbell
Buies Creek
NC
3,257
78
98
21,500
86,500
Cape Fear CC
Wilmington
NC
2,980
100
10
10,000
20,000
Catawba
Salisbury
NC
1,222
50
99
17,000
68,000
Catawba Valley CC
Hickory
NC
1,402
100
7
9,000
17,500
Central Carolina CC
Sanford
NC
1,771
100
17
7,500
15,500
Central Piedmont CC
Charlotte
NC
6,790
100
6
7,500
15,000
Chowan
Murfreesboro
NC
1,243
68
100
20,000
81,000
Coastal Carolina CC
Jacksonville
NC
1,814
100
3
9,500
19,000
Craven CC
New Bern
NC
932
100
8
11,000
22,500
Davidson County CC
Thomasville
NC
1,423
100
12
7,000
14,500
Davidson
Davidson
NC
1,837
18
67
11,000
45,500
Duke
Durham
NC
6,597
8
47
4,500
17,500
Durham Tech CC
Durham
NC
995
100
68
7,500
15,500
East Carolina
Greenville
NC
19,204
79
45
17,000
70,500
Elizabeth City State
Elizabeth City
NC
1,516
66
68
4,500
18,000
Elon
Elon
NC
6,079
78
61
30,500
125,000
Fayetteville Tech CC
Fayetteville
NC
4,646
100
12
9,000
18,500
Fayetteville State
Fayetteville
NC
4,071
69
78
9,000
37,500
Forsyth Tech CC
Winston Salem
NC
2,890
100
9
7,000
13,500
Gardner-Webb
Boiling Springs
NC
1,632
67
100
22,000
88,000
Gaston
Dallas
NC
1,416
100
1
10,500
21,000
Guilford
Greensboro
NC
1,373
75
99
22,000
89,500
Guilford Tech CC
Jamestown
NC
4,347
100
5
10,500
21,500
High Point
High Point
NC
4,557
75
87
32,000
131,500
Johnson C Smith
Charlotte
NC
1,359
47
67
22,000
88,500
Johnston CC
Smithfield
NC
1,250
100
4
7,500
15,000
Lenoir-Rhyne
Hickory
NC
1,589
78
100
20,500
83,500
Livingstone
Salisbury
NC
1,110
50
70
18,000
75,000
Mars Hill
Mars Hill
NC
987
63
98
16,000
64,000
Meredith
Raleigh
NC
1,464
65
98
25,000
102,000
Methodist
Fayetteville
NC
1,500
63
98
33,500
140,000
Mount Olive
Mount Olive
NC
1,494
58
92
18,000
74,000
Nash CC
Rocky Mount
NC
811
100
12
6,500
12,500
North Carolina A & T
Greensboro
NC
10,013
58
67
13,500
57,000
UNC Asheville
Asheville
NC
3,036
84
91
12,000
48,000
UNC Chapel Hill
Chapel Hill
NC
18,528
23
41
11,500
46,000
UNC Charlotte
Charlotte
NC
20,877
65
41
18,500
77,500
UNC Greensboro
Greensboro
NC
14,007
82
53
13,500
55,500
North Carolina Central
Durham
NC
5,012
68
75
12,500
53,000
North Carolina State
Raleigh
NC
22,820
45
48
16,000
65,500
North Carolina Wesleyan
Rocky Mount
NC
1,600
62
98
15,500
61,500
UNC Wilmington
Wilmington
NC
12,480
65
41
21,500
88,500
UNC Pembroke
Pembroke
NC
5,109
85
42
12,500
50,500
Pitt CC
Winterville
NC
3,501
100
10
5,500
11,000
Queens of Charlotte
Charlotte
NC
1,570
65
99
22,000
90,500
Richmond CC
Hamlet
NC
989
100
22
5,500
11,500
Rowan-Cabarrus CC
Salisbury
NC
1,517
100
15
4,500
9,500
Sandhills CC
Pinehurst
NC
1,417
100
50
9,500
19,000
Shaw
Raleigh
NC
1,082
63
58
17,000
69,500
Alamance CC
Graham
NC
1,378
100
10
14,500
30,000
Wake Forest
Winston Salem
NC
5,240
30
36
17,500
72,000
Wake Tech CC
Raleigh
NC
7,362
100
2
7,500
15,500
Wayne CC
Goldsboro
NC
1,345
100
3
4,000
8,000
Wilkes CC
Wilkesboro
NC
988
100
26
4,500
9,000
Wingate
Wingate
NC
2,706
89
100
17,500
71,500
Winston-Salem State
Winston-Salem
NC
4,067
68
56
17,000
69,500
Western Carolina
Cullowhee
NC
8,934
69
63
15,500
62,500
Charleston
Charleston
SC
8,762
78
55
53,000
219,000
Citadel
Charleston
SC
2,688
75
40
48,000
198,000
Clemson
Clemson
SC
19,486
51
75
47,000
194,000
South Carolina
Columbia
SC
26,400
69
68
52,500
215,500
Coastal Carolina
Conway
SC
8,810
69
51
39,500
162,500
Austin Peay State
Clarksville
TN
6,773
95
24
38,000
156,500
Belmont
Nashville
TN
6,563
84
88
33,000
135,000
East Tennessee State
Johnson City
TN
9,228
86
38
41,500
169,500
Memphis
Memphis
TN
12,066
85
79
31,000
127,000
Middle Tennessee State
Murfreesboro
TN
15,721
94
33
41,500
171,000
Pellissippi State CC
Knoxville
TN
5,038
100
3
25,500
51,500
Tennessee-Chattanooga
Chattanooga
TN
9,224
82
57
41,500
171,000
Tennessee
Knoxville
TN
22,018
79
54
48,500
200,000
Tennessee State
Nashville
TN
4,807
100
40
33,000
137,000
Tennessee Tech
Cookeville
TN
8,004
79
48
33,000
136,500
Vanderbilt
Nashville
TN
6,833
9
62
9,500
38,000
Volunteer State CC
Gallatin
TN
4,779
100
5
23,000
46,500
Averett
Danville
VA
868
65
100
22,500
92,500
William and Mary
Williamsburg
VA
6,190
38
42
50,500
207,500
George Mason
Fairfax
VA
21,672
87
37
43,500
178,500
James Madison
Harrisonburg
VA
18,798
77
19
42,500
174,500
Liberty
Lynchburg
VA
28,487
51
81
29,000
120,000
Northern Virginia CC
Annandale
VA
15,540
100
25
20,500
41,500
Old Dominion
Norfolk
VA
14,702
89
76
42,000
174,000
Radford
Radford
VA
6,820
75
42
25,000
102,500
Tidewater CC
Norfolk
VA
6,693
100
7
18,000
37,000
Virginia Tech
Blacksburg
VA
28,584
70
36
39,500
161,500
Virginia Commonwealth
Richmond
VA
19,825
87
60
32,500
132,000
UVa
Charlottesville
VA
16,267
24
35
21,500
87,500
West Virginia
Morgantown
WV
19,369
84
76
34,500
141,500
Georgia State-Perimeter
Decatur
GA
7,784
69
4
17,000
35,000
ECPI
Virginia Beach
VA
13,005
74
36
24,500
100,000
Florida Gulf Coast
Fort Myers
FL
11,211
67
47
33,000
134,500
Johnson & Wales-Charlotte
Charlotte
NC
1,500
85
100
26,000
106,500
Georgia Gwinnett
Lawrenceville
GA
8,556
94
3
28,000
115,500
2022-23 projected average net cost for selected colleges including both in- and out-of-state schools.
Scenario
Students with families with an average of $90,000 in annual income. Families in this income range on average have approximately $200,000 in financial assets and home equity of approximately $120,000 (Federal Reserve Survey of Consumer Finances).
College City State Full-time students Admissions % % students paying discounted tuition Avg. annual net cost Total cost of degree
UAB
Birmingham
AL
10,315
74
78
15,500
65,000
Alabama
Tuscaloosa
AL
29,135
83
56
38,500
158,000
Auburn
Auburn University
AL
22,527
81
61
45,000
185,000
Arkansas
Fayetteville
AR
20,559
77
39
45,000
186,500
Howard
Washington
DC
6,269
36
98
27,500
111,500
Broward
Fort Lauderdale
FL
11,835
100
6
30,000
124,500
Central Florida
Orlando
FL
42,468
44
52
33,500
137,000
Florida Atlantic
Boca Raton
FL
16,678
63
48
38,000
157,500
Florida International
Miami
FL
28,335
58
63
37,000
152,000
Florida State
Tallahassee
FL
29,879
36
65
23,500
96,000
Florida
Gainesville
FL
32,157
37
37
44,000
183,000
Full Sail
Winter Park
FL
19,985
100
52
28,000
113,000
Hillsborough CC
Tampa
FL
10,377
100
18
19,500
39,000
Keiser-Ft Lauderdale
Fort Lauderdale
FL
10,479
100
65
36,000
149,500
Miami Dade
Miami
FL
21,473
100
23
21,500
88,000
Miami
Coral Gables
FL
10,701
27
67
33,500
136,500
North Florida
Jacksonville
FL
10,757
72
55
26,500
107,000
South Florida-Main Campus
Tampa
FL
25,457
48
65
22,000
91,000
Valencia
Orlando
FL
16,689
100
14
20,000
83,000
Emory
Atlanta
GA
7,012
16
55
25,000
102,000
Georgia Tech
Atlanta
GA
14,310
21
26
45,500
188,500
Georgia College & State
Milledgeville
GA
5,364
80
11
50,500
208,500
Georgia Southern
Statesboro
GA
19,172
54
16
25,000
102,000
Georgia State
Atlanta
GA
21,958
76
22
44,000
180,000
Georgia
Athens
GA
28,175
45
32
47,500
196,000
Savannah Coll of Art
Savannah
GA
10,260
96
97
47,500
194,500
Valdosta State
Valdosta
GA
6,797
57
25
26,500
107,500
West Georgia
Carrollton
GA
8,090
59
16
30,500
124,000
Eastern Kentucky
Richmond
KY
9,908
94
65
23,000
94,500
Kentucky
Lexington
KY
20,622
96
77
39,500
164,000
Louisville
Louisville
KY
11,560
69
80
30,000
124,000
Western Kentucky
Bowling Green
KY
11,815
97
69
36,000
148,500
UMD College Park
College Park
MD
28,390
44
40
51,500
212,000
Towson
Towson
MD
17,209
76
49
42,500
173,500
Mississippi
University
MS
15,902
88
63
42,000
172,500
Mississippi State
Mississippi State
MS
17,113
54
86
27,000
111,500
Appalachian State
Boone
NC
16,622
77
36
15,500
64,000
Asheville-Buncombe Tech CC
Asheville
NC
2,026
100
10
12,000
24,000
Belmont Abbey
Belmont
NC
1,388
81
98
24,000
96,000
Caldwell CC and Tech
Hudson
NC
1,433
100
8
6,000
12,500
Campbell
Buies Creek
NC
3,257
78
98
25,000
100,500
Cape Fear CC
Wilmington
NC
2,980
100
10
12,500
25,500
Catawba
Salisbury
NC
1,222
50
99
17,000
68,000
Catawba Valley CC
Hickory
NC
1,402
100
7
11,000
22,500
Central Carolina CC
Sanford
NC
1,771
100
17
10,000
20,000
Central Piedmont CC
Charlotte
NC
6,790
100
6
8,500
17,000
Chowan
Murfreesboro
NC
1,243
68
100
26,000
105,500
Coastal Carolina CC
Jacksonville
NC
1,814
100
3
10,000
20,000
Craven CC
New Bern
NC
932
100
8
11,000
22,500
Davidson County CC
Thomasville
NC
1,423
100
12
11,000
22,500
Davidson
Davidson
NC
1,837
18
67
17,500
71,500
Duke
Durham
NC
6,597
8
47
19,000
77,500
Durham Tech CC
Durham
NC
995
100
68
8,000
15,500
East Carolina
Greenville
NC
19,204
79
45
21,000
87,000
Elizabeth City State
Elizabeth City
NC
1,516
66
68
7,000
28,000
Elon
Elon
NC
6,079
78
61
37,500
153,500
Fayetteville Tech CC
Fayetteville
NC
4,646
100
12
11,500
23,000
Fayetteville State
Fayetteville
NC
4,071
69
78
13,000
55,000
Forsyth Tech CC
Winston Salem
NC
2,890
100
9
10,500
21,500
Gardner-Webb
Boiling Springs
NC
1,632
67
100
26,000
104,000
Gaston
Dallas
NC
1,416
100
1
11,500
23,000
Guilford
Greensboro
NC
1,373
75
99
26,500
108,000
Guilford Tech CC
Jamestown
NC
4,347
100
5
12,000
24,000
High Point
High Point
NC
4,557
75
87
32,000
131,500
Johnson C Smith
Charlotte
NC
1,359
47
67
24,000
98,000
Johnston CC
Smithfield
NC
1,250
100
4
7,500
15,000
Lenoir-Rhyne
Hickory
NC
1,589
78
100
23,500
96,500
Livingstone
Salisbury
NC
1,110
50
70
18,000
75,000
Mars Hill
Mars Hill
NC
987
63
98
18,000
71,500
Meredith
Raleigh
NC
1,464
65
98
27,500
112,000
Methodist
Fayetteville
NC
1,500
63
98
33,500
140,000
Mount Olive
Mount Olive
NC
1,494
58
92
21,500
89,000
Nash CC
Rocky Mount
NC
811
100
12
7,000
14,000
North Carolina A & T
Greensboro
NC
10,013
58
67
17,000
70,000
UNC Asheville
Asheville
NC
3,036
84
91
16,000
65,000
UNC Chapel Hill
Chapel Hill
NC
18,528
23
41
18,500
76,000
UNC Charlotte
Charlotte
NC
20,877
65
41
22,500
93,500
UNC Greensboro
Greensboro
NC
14,007
82
53
13,500
55,500
North Carolina Central
Durham
NC
5,012
68
75
12,500
53,000
North Carolina State
Raleigh
NC
22,820
45
48
21,000
86,000
North Carolina Wesleyan
Rocky Mount
NC
1,600
62
98
17,500
70,000
UNC Wilmington
Wilmington
NC
12,480
65
41
23,000
95,500
UNC Pembroke
Pembroke
NC
5,109
85
42
14,500
59,500
Pitt CC
Winterville
NC
3,501
100
10
7,000
14,000
Queens of Charlotte
Charlotte
NC
1,570
65
99
27,000
109,500
Richmond CC
Hamlet
NC
989
100
22
6,000
11,500
Rowan-Cabarrus CC
Salisbury
NC
1,517
100
15
5,000
10,500
Sandhills CC
Pinehurst
NC
1,417
100
50
10,500
21,000
Shaw
Raleigh
NC
1,082
63
58
17,000
69,500
Alamance CC
Graham
NC
1,378
100
10
15,000
30,500
Wake Forest
Winston Salem
NC
5,240
30
36
26,500
110,000
Wake Tech CC
Raleigh
NC
7,362
100
2
11,000
22,000
Wayne CC
Goldsboro
NC
1,345
100
3
6,000
12,500
Wilkes CC
Wilkesboro
NC
988
100
26
6,000
12,000
Wingate
Wingate
NC
2,706
89
100
22,000
90,000
Winston-Salem State
Winston-Salem
NC
4,067
68
56
20,500
86,000
Western Carolina
Cullowhee
NC
8,934
69
63
15,500
62,500
Charleston
Charleston
SC
8,762
78
55
53,000
219,000
Citadel
Charleston
SC
2,688
75
40
51,000
210,000
Clemson
Clemson
SC
19,486
51
75
54,000
222,000
South Carolina
Columbia
SC
26,400
69
68
52,500
215,500
Coastal Carolina
Conway
SC
8,810
69
51
39,500
162,500
Austin Peay State
Clarksville
TN
6,773
95
24
38,000
156,500
Belmont
Nashville
TN
6,563
84
88
34,000
138,500
East Tennessee State
Johnson City
TN
9,228
86
38
43,500
177,000
Memphis
Memphis
TN
12,066
85
79
31,000
127,000
Middle Tennessee State
Murfreesboro
TN
15,721
94
33
45,000
183,500
Pellissippi State CC
Knoxville
TN
5,038
100
3
25,500
51,500
Tennessee-Chattanooga
Chattanooga
TN
9,224
82
57
41,500
171,000
Tennessee
Knoxville
TN
22,018
79
54
48,500
200,000
Tennessee State
Nashville
TN
4,807
100
40
33,000
137,000
Tennessee Tech
Cookeville
TN
8,004
79
48
37,000
152,500
Vanderbilt
Nashville
TN
6,833
9
62
17,000
69,000
Volunteer State CC
Gallatin
TN
4,779
100
5
26,000
53,000
Averett
Danville
VA
868
65
100
25,500
103,500
William and Mary
Williamsburg
VA
6,190
38
42
50,500
207,500
George Mason
Fairfax
VA
21,672
87
37
49,000
201,500
James Madison
Harrisonburg
VA
18,798
77
19
46,000
190,000
Liberty
Lynchburg
VA
28,487
51
81
31,500
128,500
Northern Virginia CC
Annandale
VA
15,540
100
25
24,000
48,500
Old Dominion
Norfolk
VA
14,702
89
76
42,500
176,000
Radford
Radford
VA
6,820
75
42
30,000
122,000
Tidewater CC
Norfolk
VA
6,693
100
7
22,500
45,500
Virginia Tech
Blacksburg
VA
28,584
70
36
39,500
161,500
Virginia Commonwealth
Richmond
VA
19,825
87
60
37,000
151,000
UVa
Charlottesville
VA
16,267
24
35
35,500
146,000
West Virginia
Morgantown
WV
19,369
84
76
38,500
158,500
Georgia State-Perimeter
Decatur
GA
7,784
69
4
17,000
35,000
ECPI
Virginia Beach
VA
13,005
74
36
25,500
104,500
Florida Gulf Coast
Fort Myers
FL
11,211
67
47
38,500
157,500
Johnson & Wales-Charlotte
Charlotte
NC
1,500
85
100
28,000
114,500
Georgia Gwinnett
Lawrenceville
GA
8,556
94
3
32,000
131,500
2022-23 projected average net cost for selected colleges including both in- and out-of-state schools.
Scenario
Students with families with an average of $150,000 in annual income, $250,000 in financial assets and home equity of approximately $150,000 (in line with data from Federal Reserve Survey of Consumer Finances).
College City State Full-time students Admissions % % students paying discounted tuition Avg. annual net cost Total cost of degree
UAB
Birmingham
AL
10,315
74
78
18,000
74,500
Alabama
Tuscaloosa
AL
29,135
83
56
43,000
177,000
Auburn
Auburn University
AL
22,527
81
61
53,500
220,000
Arkansas
Fayetteville
AR
20,559
77
39
45,500
187,500
Howard
Washington
DC
6,269
36
98
27,500
111,500
Broward
Fort Lauderdale
FL
11,835
100
6
30,000
124,500
Central Florida
Orlando
FL
42,468
44
52
39,000
160,500
Florida Atlantic
Boca Raton
FL
16,678
63
48
38,000
157,500
Florida International
Miami
FL
28,335
58
63
37,000
152,000
Florida State
Tallahassee
FL
29,879
36
65
34,000
137,500
Florida
Gainesville
FL
32,157
37
37
44,000
183,000
Full Sail
Winter Park
FL
19,985
100
52
29,500
121,000
Hillsborough CC
Tampa
FL
10,377
100
18
19,500
39,000
Keiser-Ft Lauderdale
Fort Lauderdale
FL
10,479
100
65
37,000
153,500
Miami Dade
Miami
FL
21,473
100
23
28,000
113,500
Miami
Coral Gables
FL
10,701
27
67
54,000
220,000
North Florida
Jacksonville
FL
10,757
72
55
26,500
107,000
South Florida-Main Campus
Tampa
FL
25,457
48
65
23,000
95,000
Valencia
Orlando
FL
16,689
100
14
20,000
83,000
Emory
Atlanta
GA
7,012
16
55
34,000
139,000
Georgia Tech
Atlanta
GA
14,310
21
26
50,000
206,000
Georgia College & State
Milledgeville
GA
5,364
80
11
50,500
208,500
Georgia Southern
Statesboro
GA
19,172
54
16
29,500
119,500
Georgia State
Atlanta
GA
21,958
76
22
44,500
182,000
Georgia
Athens
GA
28,175
45
32
47,500
196,000
Savannah Coll of Art
Savannah
GA
10,260
96
97
51,000
209,500
Valdosta State
Valdosta
GA
6,797
57
25
28,000
113,500
West Georgia
Carrollton
GA
8,090
59
16
35,500
144,500
Eastern Kentucky
Richmond
KY
9,908
94
65
29,500
122,500
Kentucky
Lexington
KY
20,622
96
77
42,000
174,000
Louisville
Louisville
KY
11,560
69
80
33,000
136,000
Western Kentucky
Bowling Green
KY
11,815
97
69
36,000
148,500
UMD College Park
College Park
MD
28,390
44
40
51,500
212,000
Towson
Towson
MD
17,209
76
49
42,500
173,500
Mississippi
University
MS
15,902
88
63
42,500
174,500
Mississippi State
Mississippi State
MS
17,113
54
86
27,000
111,500
Appalachian State
Boone
NC
16,622
77
36
15,500
63,500
Asheville-Buncombe Tech CC
Asheville
NC
2,026
100
10
12,000
24,000
Belmont Abbey
Belmont
NC
1,388
81
98
29,000
116,500
Caldwell CC and Tech
Hudson
NC
1,433
100
8
9,000
18,500
Campbell
Buies Creek
NC
3,257
78
98
32,000
127,500
Cape Fear CC
Wilmington
NC
2,980
100
10
13,000
26,000
Catawba
Salisbury
NC
1,222
50
99
17,000
67,500
Catawba Valley CC
Hickory
NC
1,402
100
7
13,500
27,000
Central Carolina CC
Sanford
NC
1,771
100
17
11,500
23,000
Central Piedmont CC
Charlotte
NC
6,790
100
6
10,500
21,500
Chowan
Murfreesboro
NC
1,243
68
100
26,000
105,000
Coastal Carolina CC
Jacksonville
NC
1,814
100
3
11,000
22,500
Craven CC
New Bern
NC
932
100
8
11,000
22,500
Davidson County CC
Thomasville
NC
1,423
100
12
17,000
34,000
Davidson
Davidson
NC
1,837
18
67
17,500
71,000
Duke
Durham
NC
6,597
8
47
48,000
197,500
Durham Tech CC
Durham
NC
995
100
68
8,000
15,500
East Carolina
Greenville
NC
19,204
79
45
21,000
87,000
Elizabeth City State
Elizabeth City
NC
1,516
66
68
9,000
36,500
Elon
Elon
NC
6,079
78
61
48,000
198,500
Fayetteville Tech CC
Fayetteville
NC
4,646
100
12
11,500
23,000
Fayetteville State
Fayetteville
NC
4,071
69
78
16,000
66,500
Forsyth Tech CC
Winston Salem
NC
2,890
100
9
11,000
22,000
Gardner-Webb
Boiling Springs
NC
1,632
67
100
30,500
122,000
Gaston
Dallas
NC
1,416
100
1
12,500
24,500
Guilford
Greensboro
NC
1,373
75
99
32,000
128,000
Guilford Tech CC
Jamestown
NC
4,347
100
5
12,000
24,000
High Point
High Point
NC
4,557
75
87
32,000
131,500
Johnson C Smith
Charlotte
NC
1,359
47
67
27,000
108,000
Johnston CC
Smithfield
NC
1,250
100
4
7,500
15,000
Lenoir-Rhyne
Hickory
NC
1,589
78
100
30,000
122,000
Livingstone
Salisbury
NC
1,110
50
70
18,000
74,500
Mars Hill
Mars Hill
NC
987
63
98
21,500
86,000
Meredith
Raleigh
NC
1,464
65
98
31,500
127,500
Methodist
Fayetteville
NC
1,500
63
98
33,500
141,000
Mount Olive
Mount Olive
NC
1,494
58
92
25,000
105,000
Nash CC
Rocky Mount
NC
811
100
12
8,500
17,000
North Carolina A & T
Greensboro
NC
10,013
58
67
17,000
70,500
UNC Asheville
Asheville
NC
3,036
84
91
16,000
64,500
UNC Chapel Hill
Chapel Hill
NC
18,528
23
41
24,000
97,000
UNC Charlotte
Charlotte
NC
20,877
65
41
22,500
94,000
UNC Greensboro
Greensboro
NC
14,007
82
53
13,500
55,500
North Carolina Central
Durham
NC
5,012
68
75
12,500
53,500
North Carolina State
Raleigh
NC
22,820
45
48
24,500
101,500
North Carolina Wesleyan
Rocky Mount
NC
1,600
62
98
21,500
86,000
UNC Wilmington
Wilmington
NC
12,480
65
41
23,000
96,000
UNC Pembroke
Pembroke
NC
5,109
85
42
14,500
59,000
Pitt CC
Winterville
NC
3,501
100
10
9,500
19,500
Queens of Charlotte
Charlotte
NC
1,570
65
99
36,000
147,000
Richmond CC
Hamlet
NC
989
100
22
6,000
12,000
Rowan-Cabarrus CC
Salisbury
NC
1,517
100
15
6,000
12,000
Sandhills CC
Pinehurst
NC
1,417
100
50
12,500
25,000
Shaw
Raleigh
NC
1,082
63
58
17,000
69,500
Alamance CC
Graham
NC
1,378
100
10
16,000
32,500
Wake Forest
Winston Salem
NC
5,240
30
36
40,000
166,500
Wake Tech CC
Raleigh
NC
7,362
100
2
14,000
28,000
Wayne CC
Goldsboro
NC
1,345
100
3
10,500
21,000
Wilkes CC
Wilkesboro
NC
988
100
26
9,000
18,500
Wingate
Wingate
NC
2,706
89
100
24,000
96,500
Winston-Salem State
Winston-Salem
NC
4,067
68
56
20,500
87,000
Western Carolina
Cullowhee
NC
8,934
69
63
15,500
62,500
Charleston
Charleston
SC
8,762
78
55
53,000
219,000
Citadel
Charleston
SC
2,688
75
40
51,000
210,000
Clemson
Clemson
SC
19,486
51
75
55,500
229,000
South Carolina
Columbia
SC
26,400
69
68
52,500
215,500
Coastal Carolina
Conway
SC
8,810
69
51
39,500
162,500
Austin Peay State
Clarksville
TN
6,773
95
24
38,000
156,500
Belmont
Nashville
TN
6,563
84
88
34,000
138,500
East Tennessee State
Johnson City
TN
9,228
86
38
43,500
177,000
Memphis
Memphis
TN
12,066
85
79
31,000
127,000
Middle Tennessee State
Murfreesboro
TN
15,721
94
33
45,000
183,500
Pellissippi State CC
Knoxville
TN
5,038
100
3
25,500
51,500
Tennessee-Chattanooga
Chattanooga
TN
9,224
82
57
41,500
171,000
Tennessee
Knoxville
TN
22,018
79
54
48,500
200,000
Tennessee State
Nashville
TN
4,807
100
40
33,000
137,000
Tennessee Tech
Cookeville
TN
8,004
79
48
40,000
165,000
Vanderbilt
Nashville
TN
6,833
9
62
31,500
129,500
Volunteer State CC
Gallatin
TN
4,779
100
5
31,500
64,000
Averett
Danville
VA
868
65
100
27,000
109,500
William and Mary
Williamsburg
VA
6,190
38
42
50,500
207,500
George Mason
Fairfax
VA
21,672
87
37
54,000
221,500
James Madison
Harrisonburg
VA
18,798
77
19
46,000
190,000
Liberty
Lynchburg
VA
28,487
51
81
36,000
146,500
Northern Virginia CC
Annandale
VA
15,540
100
25
24,000
48,500
Old Dominion
Norfolk
VA
14,702
89
76
42,500
176,000
Radford
Radford
VA
6,820
75
42
37,000
150,500
Tidewater CC
Norfolk
VA
6,693
100
7
22,500
45,500
Virginia Tech
Blacksburg
VA
28,584
70
36
46,500
191,500
Virginia Commonwealth
Richmond
VA
19,825
87
60
45,000
183,000
UVa
Charlottesville
VA
16,267
24
35
43,000
177,500
West Virginia
Morgantown
WV
19,369
84
76
38,500
158,500
Georgia State-Perimeter
Decatur
GA
7,784
69
4
17,000
35,000
ECPI
Virginia Beach
VA
13,005
74
36
27,500
114,000
Florida Gulf Coast
Fort Myers
FL
11,211
67
47
38,500
157,500
Johnson & Wales-Charlotte
Charlotte
NC
1,500
85
100
32,000
129,500
Georgia Gwinnett
Lawrenceville
GA
8,556
94
3
34,000
140,500
2022-23 projected average net cost for selected colleges including both in- and out-of-state schools.
Scenario
Students with families with an average of $200,000 in annual income, $500,000 in financial assets and home equity of approximately $200,000 (in line with data from Federal Reserve Survey of Consumer Finances).
College City State Full-time students Admissions % % students paying discounted tuition Avg. annual net cost Total cost of degree
UAB
Birmingham
AL
10,315
74
78
20,000
83,000
Alabama
Tuscaloosa
AL
29,135
83
56
46,500
192,500
Auburn
Auburn University
AL
22,527
81
61
53,500
220,000
Arkansas
Fayetteville
AR
20,559
77
39
45,500
187,500
Howard
Washington
DC
6,269
36
98
27,500
111,500
Broward
Fort Lauderdale
FL
11,835
100
6
32,500
134,000
Central Florida
Orlando
FL
42,468
44
52
39,000
160,500
Florida Atlantic
Boca Raton
FL
16,678
63
48
38,000
157,500
Florida International
Miami
FL
28,335
58
63
37,000
152,000
Florida State
Tallahassee
FL
29,879
36
65
34,000
137,500
Florida
Gainesville
FL
32,157
37
37
44,000
183,000
Full Sail
Winter Park
FL
19,985
100
52
31,500
127,500
Hillsborough CC
Tampa
FL
10,377
100
18
19,500
39,000
Keiser-Ft Lauderdale
Fort Lauderdale
FL
10,479
100
65
41,000
171,000
Miami Dade
Miami
FL
21,473
100
23
28,000
113,500
Miami
Coral Gables
FL
10,701
27
67
61,000
249,000
North Florida
Jacksonville
FL
10,757
72
55
26,500
107,000
South Florida-Main Campus
Tampa
FL
25,457
48
65
23,000
95,000
Valencia
Orlando
FL
16,689
100
14
20,000
83,000
Emory
Atlanta
GA
7,012
16
55
51,500
210,000
Georgia Tech
Atlanta
GA
14,310
21
26
50,000
206,000
Georgia College & State
Milledgeville
GA
5,364
80
11
50,500
208,500
Georgia Southern
Statesboro
GA
19,172
54
16
33,000
134,000
Georgia State
Atlanta
GA
21,958
76
22
44,500
182,000
Georgia
Athens
GA
28,175
45
32
47,500
196,000
Savannah Coll of Art
Savannah
GA
10,260
96
97
52,500
215,000
Valdosta State
Valdosta
GA
6,797
57
25
28,000
113,500
West Georgia
Carrollton
GA
8,090
59
16
37,500
153,000
Eastern Kentucky
Richmond
KY
9,908
94
65
29,500
122,500
Kentucky
Lexington
KY
20,622
96
77
42,000
174,000
Louisville
Louisville
KY
11,560
69
80
33,000
136,000
Western Kentucky
Bowling Green
KY
11,815
97
69
36,000
148,500
UMD College Park
College Park
MD
28,390
44
40
51,500
212,000
Towson
Towson
MD
17,209
76
49
42,500
173,500
Mississippi
University
MS
15,902
88
63
42,500
174,500
Mississippi State
Mississippi State
MS
17,113
54
86
27,000
112,000
Appalachian State
Boone
NC
16,622
77
36
15,500
63,500
Asheville-Buncombe Tech CC
Asheville
NC
2,026
100
10
12,000
24,000
Belmont Abbey
Belmont
NC
1,388
81
98
29,000
116,500
Caldwell CC and Tech
Hudson
NC
1,433
100
8
12,000
24,000
Campbell
Buies Creek
NC
3,257
78
98
33,000
131,000
Cape Fear CC
Wilmington
NC
2,980
100
10
13,000
26,000
Catawba
Salisbury
NC
1,222
50
99
17,000
67,500
Catawba Valley CC
Hickory
NC
1,402
100
7
13,500
27,000
Central Carolina CC
Sanford
NC
1,771
100
17
11,500
23,000
Central Piedmont CC
Charlotte
NC
6,790
100
6
12,500
25,000
Chowan
Murfreesboro
NC
1,243
68
100
36,500
148,000
Coastal Carolina CC
Jacksonville
NC
1,814
100
3
12,000
24,500
Craven CC
New Bern
NC
932
100
8
11,000
22,500
Davidson County CC
Thomasville
NC
1,423
100
12
17,000
34,000
Davidson
Davidson
NC
1,837
18
67
33,000
134,000
Duke
Durham
NC
6,597
8
47
72,000
298,000
Durham Tech CC
Durham
NC
995
100
68
8,000
15,500
East Carolina
Greenville
NC
19,204
79
45
21,000
87,000
Elizabeth City State
Elizabeth City
NC
1,516
66
68
9,000
36,500
Elon
Elon
NC
6,079
78
61
54,500
225,000
Fayetteville Tech CC
Fayetteville
NC
4,646
100
12
11,500
23,000
Fayetteville State
Fayetteville
NC
4,071
69
78
16,000
66,500
Forsyth Tech CC
Winston Salem
NC
2,890
100
9
11,000
22,000
Gardner-Webb
Boiling Springs
NC
1,632
67
100
30,500
122,000
Gaston
Dallas
NC
1,416
100
1
12,500
24,500
Guilford
Greensboro
NC
1,373
75
99
33,000
132,000
Guilford Tech CC
Jamestown
NC
4,347
100
5
12,000
24,000
High Point
High Point
NC
4,557
75
87
46,000
188,000
Johnson C Smith
Charlotte
NC
1,359
47
67
28,500
114,000
Johnston CC
Smithfield
NC
1,250
100
4
7,500
15,000
Lenoir-Rhyne
Hickory
NC
1,589
78
100
35,500
143,500
Livingstone
Salisbury
NC
1,110
50
70
28,500
116,500
Mars Hill
Mars Hill
NC
987
63
98
25,000
98,500
Meredith
Raleigh
NC
1,464
65
98
31,500
127,500
Methodist
Fayetteville
NC
1,500
63
98
33,500
141,000
Mount Olive
Mount Olive
NC
1,494
58
92
25,000
105,000
Nash CC
Rocky Mount
NC
811
100
12
9,500
19,500
North Carolina A & T
Greensboro
NC
10,013
58
67
17,000
70,500
UNC Asheville
Asheville
NC
3,036
84
91
16,000
64,500
UNC Chapel Hill
Chapel Hill
NC
18,528
23
41
24,000
97,000
UNC Charlotte
Charlotte
NC
20,877
65
41
22,500
94,000
UNC Greensboro
Greensboro
NC
14,007
82
53
13,500
55,500
North Carolina Central
Durham
NC
5,012
68
75
12,500
53,500
North Carolina State
Raleigh
NC
22,820
45
48
24,500
101,500
North Carolina Wesleyan
Rocky Mount
NC
1,600
62
98
24,000
95,000
UNC Wilmington
Wilmington
NC
12,480
65
41
23,000
96,000
UNC Pembroke
Pembroke
NC
5,109
85
42
14,500
59,000
Pitt CC
Winterville
NC
3,501
100
10
10,000
19,500
Queens of Charlotte
Charlotte
NC
1,570
65
99
43,000
175,500
Richmond CC
Hamlet
NC
989
100
22
6,500
12,500
Rowan-Cabarrus CC
Salisbury
NC
1,517
100
15
6,500
13,500
Sandhills CC
Pinehurst
NC
1,417
100
50
14,000
28,500
Shaw
Raleigh
NC
1,082
63
58
17,000
69,500
Alamance CC
Graham
NC
1,378
100
10
17,000
34,000
Wake Forest
Winston Salem
NC
5,240
30
36
60,000
249,500
Wake Tech CC
Raleigh
NC
7,362
100
2
14,000
28,000
Wayne CC
Goldsboro
NC
1,345
100
3
14,000
28,000
Wilkes CC
Wilkesboro
NC
988
100
26
10,000
20,000
Wingate
Wingate
NC
2,706
89
100
24,000
96,500
Winston-Salem State
Winston-Salem
NC
4,067
68
56
20,500
87,000
Western Carolina
Cullowhee
NC
8,934
69
63
15,500
62,500
Charleston
Charleston
SC
8,762
78
55
53,000
219,000
Citadel
Charleston
SC
2,688
75
40
51,000
210,000
Clemson
Clemson
SC
19,486
51
75
55,500
229,000
South Carolina
Columbia
SC
26,400
69
68
52,500
215,500
Coastal Carolina
Conway
SC
8,810
69
51
39,500
162,500
Austin Peay State
Clarksville
TN
6,773
95
24
38,000
156,500
Belmont
Nashville
TN
6,563
84
88
51,000
208,000
East Tennessee State
Johnson City
TN
9,228
86
38
43,500
177,000
Memphis
Memphis
TN
12,066
85
79
31,000
127,000
Middle Tennessee State
Murfreesboro
TN
15,721
94
33
45,000
183,500
Pellissippi State CC
Knoxville
TN
5,038
100
3
25,500
51,500
Tennessee-Chattanooga
Chattanooga
TN
9,224
82
57
41,500
171,000
Tennessee
Knoxville
TN
22,018
79
54
48,500
200,000
Tennessee State
Nashville
TN
4,807
100
40
33,000
137,000
Tennessee Tech
Cookeville
TN
8,004
79
48
40,000
165,000
Vanderbilt
Nashville
TN
6,833
9
62
44,000
180,500
Volunteer State CC
Gallatin
TN
4,779
100
5
31,500
64,000
Averett
Danville
VA
868
65
100
27,000
109,500
William and Mary
Williamsburg
VA
6,190
38
42
67,000
276,000
George Mason
Fairfax
VA
21,672
87
37
54,000
221,500
James Madison
Harrisonburg
VA
18,798
77
19
46,000
190,000
Liberty
Lynchburg
VA
28,487
51
81
39,500
161,500
Northern Virginia CC
Annandale
VA
15,540
100
25
24,000
48,500
Old Dominion
Norfolk
VA
14,702
89
76
42,500
176,000
Radford
Radford
VA
6,820
75
42
37,000
150,500
Tidewater CC
Norfolk
VA
6,693
100
7
22,500
45,500
Virginia Tech
Blacksburg
VA
28,584
70
36
46,500
191,500
Virginia Commonwealth
Richmond
VA
19,825
87
60
49,000
199,000
UVa
Charlottesville
VA
16,267
24
35
50,000
204,500
West Virginia
Morgantown
WV
19,369
84
76
38,500
158,500
Georgia State-Perimeter
Decatur
GA
7,784
69
4
17,000
35,000
ECPI
Virginia Beach
VA
13,005
74
36
28,000
114,500
Florida Gulf Coast
Fort Myers
FL
11,211
67
47
38,500
157,500
Johnson & Wales-Charlotte
Charlotte
NC
1,500
85
100
35,000
141,500
Georgia Gwinnett
Lawrenceville
GA
8,556
94
3
34,000
140,500
2022-23 projected average net cost for selected colleges including both in- and out-of-state schools.
Scenario
Students with families with an average of $300,000 in annual income, $950,000 in financial assets and home equity of approximately $350,000 (in line with data from Federal Reserve Survey of Consumer Finances).
College City State Full-time students Admissions % % students paying discounted tuition Avg. annual net cost Total cost of degree
UAB
Birmingham
AL
10,315
74
78
24,000
99,500
Alabama
Tuscaloosa
AL
29,135
83
56
49,000
203,000
Auburn
Auburn University
AL
22,527
81
61
53,500
220,000
Arkansas
Fayetteville
AR
20,559
77
39
45,500
187,500
Howard
Washington
DC
6,269
36
98
27,500
111,500
Broward
Fort Lauderdale
FL
11,835
100
6
35,500
147,500
Central Florida
Orlando
FL
42,468
44
52
39,000
160,500
Florida Atlantic
Boca Raton
FL
16,678
63
48
38,000
157,500
Florida International
Miami
FL
28,335
58
63
37,000
152,000
Florida State
Tallahassee
FL
29,879
36
65
34,000
137,500
Florida
Gainesville
FL
32,157
37
37
44,000
183,000
Full Sail
Winter Park
FL
19,985
100
52
32,500
131,500
Hillsborough CC
Tampa
FL
10,377
100
18
19,500
39,000
Keiser-Ft Lauderdale
Fort Lauderdale
FL
10,479
100
65
42,500
176,500
Miami Dade
Miami
FL
21,473
100
23
28,000
113,500
Miami
Coral Gables
FL
10,701
27
67
71,000
289,500
North Florida
Jacksonville
FL
10,757
72
55
26,500
107,000
South Florida-Main Campus
Tampa
FL
25,457
48
65
23,000
95,000
Valencia
Orlando
FL
16,689
100
14
20,000
83,000
Emory
Atlanta
GA
7,012
16
55
75,500
307,000
Georgia Tech
Atlanta
GA
14,310
21
26
50,000
206,000
Georgia College & State
Milledgeville
GA
5,364
80
11
50,500
208,500
Georgia Southern
Statesboro
GA
19,172
54
16
34,000
137,000
Georgia State
Atlanta
GA
21,958
76
22
44,500
182,000
Georgia
Athens
GA
28,175
45
32
47,500
196,000
Savannah Coll of Art
Savannah
GA
10,260
96
97
52,500
215,000
Valdosta State
Valdosta
GA
6,797
57
25
28,000
113,500
West Georgia
Carrollton
GA
8,090
59
16
37,500
153,000
Eastern Kentucky
Richmond
KY
9,908
94
65
29,500
122,500
Kentucky
Lexington
KY
20,622
96
77
42,000
174,000
Louisville
Louisville
KY
11,560
69
80
33,000
136,000
Western Kentucky
Bowling Green
KY
11,815
97
69
36,000
148,500
UMD College Park
College Park
MD
28,390
44
40
51,500
212,000
Towson
Towson
MD
17,209
76
49
42,500
173,500
Mississippi
University
MS
15,902
88
63
42,500
174,500
Mississippi State
Mississippi State
MS
17,113
54
86
27,000
112,000
Appalachian State
Boone
NC
16,622
77
36
15,500
63,500
Asheville-Buncombe Tech CC
Asheville
NC
2,026
100
10
12,000
24,000
Belmont Abbey
Belmont
NC
1,388
81
98
29,000
116,500
Caldwell CC and Tech
Hudson
NC
1,433
100
8
13,000
26,000
Campbell
Buies Creek
NC
3,257
78
98
33,000
131,000
Cape Fear CC
Wilmington
NC
2,980
100
10
13,000
26,000
Catawba
Salisbury
NC
1,222
50
99
17,000
67,500
Catawba Valley CC
Hickory
NC
1,402
100
7
13,500
27,000
Central Carolina CC
Sanford
NC
1,771
100
17
11,500
23,000
Central Piedmont CC
Charlotte
NC
6,790
100
6
13,500
27,000
Chowan
Murfreesboro
NC
1,243
68
100
38,500
156,000
Coastal Carolina CC
Jacksonville
NC
1,814
100
3
14,500
29,000
Craven CC
New Bern
NC
932
100
8
11,000
22,500
Davidson County CC
Thomasville
NC
1,423
100
12
17,000
34,000
Davidson
Davidson
NC
1,837
18
67
62,500
254,000
Duke
Durham
NC
6,597
8
47
78,500
324,500
Durham Tech CC
Durham
NC
995
100
68
8,000
15,500
East Carolina
Greenville
NC
19,204
79
45
21,000
87,000
Elizabeth City State
Elizabeth City
NC
1,516
66
68
9,000
36,500
Elon
Elon
NC
6,079
78
61
54,500
225,000
Fayetteville Tech CC
Fayetteville
NC
4,646
100
12
11,500
23,000
Fayetteville State
Fayetteville
NC
4,071
69
78
16,000
66,500
Forsyth Tech CC
Winston Salem
NC
2,890
100
9
11,000
22,000
Gardner-Webb
Boiling Springs
NC
1,632
67
100
30,500
122,000
Gaston
Dallas
NC
1,416
100
1
12,500
24,500
Guilford
Greensboro
NC
1,373
75
99
33,000
132,000
Guilford Tech CC
Jamestown
NC
4,347
100
5
12,000
24,000
High Point
High Point
NC
4,557
75
87
50,500
206,000
Johnson C Smith
Charlotte
NC
1,359
47
67
28,500
114,000
Johnston CC
Smithfield
NC
1,250
100
4
7,500
15,000
Lenoir-Rhyne
Hickory
NC
1,589
78
100
35,500
144,000
Livingstone
Salisbury
NC
1,110
50
70
29,500
120,500
Mars Hill
Mars Hill
NC
987
63
98
27,500
108,500
Meredith
Raleigh
NC
1,464
65
98
31,500
127,500
Methodist
Fayetteville
NC
1,500
63
98
33,500
141,000
Mount Olive
Mount Olive
NC
1,494
58
92
25,000
105,000
Nash CC
Rocky Mount
NC
811
100
12
12,000
24,000
North Carolina A & T
Greensboro
NC
10,013
58
67
17,000
70,500
UNC Asheville
Asheville
NC
3,036
84
91
16,000
64,500
UNC Chapel Hill
Chapel Hill
NC
18,528
23
41
24,000
97,000
UNC Charlotte
Charlotte
NC
20,877
65
41
22,500
94,000
UNC Greensboro
Greensboro
NC
14,007
82
53
13,500
55,500
North Carolina Central
Durham
NC
5,012
68
75
12,500
53,500
North Carolina State
Raleigh
NC
22,820
45
48
24,500
101,500
North Carolina Wesleyan
Rocky Mount
NC
1,600
62
98
24,000
95,000
UNC Wilmington
Wilmington
NC
12,480
65
41
23,000
96,000
UNC Pembroke
Pembroke
NC
5,109
85
42
14,500
59,000
Pitt CC
Winterville
NC
3,501
100
10
10,000
19,500
Queens of Charlotte
Charlotte
NC
1,570
65
99
43,000
175,500
Richmond CC
Hamlet
NC
989
100
22
6,500
13,500
Rowan-Cabarrus CC
Salisbury
NC
1,517
100
15
8,000
16,500
Sandhills CC
Pinehurst
NC
1,417
100
50
15,500
31,500
Shaw
Raleigh
NC
1,082
63
58
17,000
69,500
Alamance CC
Graham
NC
1,378
100
10
18,500
37,500
Wake Forest
Winston Salem
NC
5,240
30
36
76,000
316,000
Wake Tech CC
Raleigh
NC
7,362
100
2
14,000
28,000
Wayne CC
Goldsboro
NC
1,345
100
3
14,500
29,000
Wilkes CC
Wilkesboro
NC
988
100
26
10,000
20,000
Wingate
Wingate
NC
2,706
89
100
24,000
96,500
Winston-Salem State
Winston-Salem
NC
4,067
68
56
20,500
87,000
Western Carolina
Cullowhee
NC
8,934
69
63
15,500
62,500
Charleston
Charleston
SC
8,762
78
55
53,000
219,000
Citadel
Charleston
SC
2,688
75
40
51,000
210,000
Clemson
Clemson
SC
19,486
51
75
55,500
229,000
South Carolina
Columbia
SC
26,400
69
68
52,500
215,500
Coastal Carolina
Conway
SC
8,810
69
51
39,500
162,500
Austin Peay State
Clarksville
TN
6,773
95
24
38,000
156,500
Belmont
Nashville
TN
6,563
84
88
51,000
208,000
East Tennessee State
Johnson City
TN
9,228
86
38
43,500
177,000
Memphis
Memphis
TN
12,066
85
79
31,000
127,000
Middle Tennessee State
Murfreesboro
TN
15,721
94
33
45,000
183,500
Pellissippi State CC
Knoxville
TN
5,038
100
3
25,500
51,500
Tennessee-Chattanooga
Chattanooga
TN
9,224
82
57
41,500
171,000
Tennessee
Knoxville
TN
22,018
79
54
48,500
200,000
Tennessee State
Nashville
TN
4,807
100
40
33,000
137,000
Tennessee Tech
Cookeville
TN
8,004
79
48
40,000
165,000
Vanderbilt
Nashville
TN
6,833
9
62
69,000
282,500
Volunteer State CC
Gallatin
TN
4,779
100
5
31,500
64,000
Averett
Danville
VA
868
65
100
27,000
109,500
William and Mary
Williamsburg
VA
6,190
38
42
67,000
276,000
George Mason
Fairfax
VA
21,672
87
37
54,000
221,500
James Madison
Harrisonburg
VA
18,798
77
19
46,000
190,000
Liberty
Lynchburg
VA
28,487
51
81
43,000
176,500
Northern Virginia CC
Annandale
VA
15,540
100
25
24,000
48,500
Old Dominion
Norfolk
VA
14,702
89
76
42,500
176,000
Radford
Radford
VA
6,820
75
42
37,000
150,500
Tidewater CC
Norfolk
VA
6,693
100
7
22,500
45,500
Virginia Tech
Blacksburg
VA
28,584
70
36
46,500
191,500
Virginia Commonwealth
Richmond
VA
19,825
87
60
49,000
199,000
UVa
Charlottesville
VA
16,267
24
35
72,000
295,000
West Virginia
Morgantown
WV
19,369
84
76
38,500
158,500
Georgia State-Perimeter
Decatur
GA
7,784
69
4
17,000
35,000
ECPI
Virginia Beach
VA
13,005
74
36
28,000
114,500
Florida Gulf Coast
Fort Myers
FL
11,211
67
47
38,500
157,500
Johnson & Wales-Charlotte
Charlotte
NC
1,500
85
100
35,000
141,500
Georgia Gwinnett
Lawrenceville
GA
8,556
94
3
34,000
140,500
2022-23 projected average net cost for selected colleges including both in- and out-of-state schools.
National Online Colleges
Online education has been a growing trend in undergraduate education and is expected to increase in the future. Most of the schools included in this report have portions of their traditional class load presented online. Several large national online colleges have established themselves. Most popular among older undergraduates, these colleges are accessible to all students wherever they live. The list below provides details about these schools and their costs. These schools are almost all open admission, often with rolling classes that allow students to start their degrees weeks after applying.
wdt_ID | Name | Location | Number of Undergraduates (total) | Number of Undergraduates (online only) | 2020 Tuition & fees, In-state | 2020 tuition & fees, Out-of-state |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Western Governors | UT | 88,921 | 88,921 | 7,100 | 7,100 |
2 | Southern New Hampshire | NH | 82,693 | 76,904 | 9,600 | 9,600 |
3 | American Public University | WV | 37,746 | 37,746 | 9,200 | 9,200 |
4 | Maryland- Global Campus | MD | 47,253 | 36,385 | 9,325 | 15,295 |
5 | Grand Canyon University | AZ | 54,139 | 36,273 | 14,750 | 14,750 |
6 | Liberty University | VA | 45,935 | 32,614 | 12,098 | 12,098 |
7 | Strayer | Multiple | 34,395 | 30,789 | 14,930 | 14,930 |
8 | Arizona Global Campus | CA | 28,701 | 28,701 | 16,450 | 16,450 |
9 | Purdue Global | IA | 97,404 | 26,505 | 13,290 | 17,385 |
10 | Brigham Young-Idaho | ID | 42,341 | 21,171 | 1,920 | 1,920 |

Glossary
Cost of Attendance – Full tuition, room, board, fees and an estimate of supplies. The maximum a student can receive or borrow from a Federal Title IV program is the cost of attendance at the college where they enroll.
Federal student financing– Classified as Title IV aid, the US Department of Education finances higher education through several programs, some which obligate the borrower to repay the amount (loans) and some that do not need to be repaid (grants). Loans made through this program are NOT dischargeable in bankruptcy. Major federal programs include:
Pell Grants – Up to $6,345 in 2020/21 calculated based on the student’s FAFSA filing EFC. The lower your EFC, the more in Pell Grants you can receive. Generally, families with incomes below about $90,000 will be eligible for Pell Grants, with declining amount of grants as income and assets increase.
Direct Subsidized Loans – Loans from the federal government that do not accrue interest while the student is enrolled in college and begin to accrue interest when the student graduates or leaves school. In 2020/21, Direct Subsidized Loans charged an interest rate of 2.75%, which is fixed for the life of the loan, and had relatively low maximum amounts and a low 1.1% upfront cost. These loans are not dischargeable in bankruptcy.
Direct Unsubsidized Loans – Loans from the federal government that accrue interest while the student is enrolled in college. In 2020/21, Direct Unsubsidized Loans charged an interest rate of 2.75%, which is fixed for the life of the loan, and had relatively low maximum amounts and a low 1.1% upfront cost. These loans are not dischargeable in bankruptcy.
Direct PLUS loans – Loans from the federal government to the parent of the undergraduate. Larger amounts can be borrowed under this PLUS program compared to the Direct Subsidized and Unsubsidized programs described above, covering need up to the Cost of Attendance. In 2020/21, Direct Subsidized and Unsibsidized Loans charged an interest rate of 7.1%, which is fixed for the life of the loan. The loan costs 4.2% upfront, so add that amount to your college costs if you borrow using this program. These loans are not dischargeable in bankruptcy.
Full tuition – The maximum a college has decided to charge its undergraduates. Colleges often lower the actual cost on a student-by-student basis for the reasons stated earlier.
Room & board – Traditional undergraduate education usually includes on-campus lodging and meals. This room and board is included in the net cost found here. Schools also provide estimates of room, board and living costs for students living off campus. These estimates vary widely even for colleges close to one other.