Trends in Postsecondary Education - Perceptions Of The Price Of College

The graphic presents students' and parents' perceptions of the price of a public college — and the actual price of attendance in 1999. Here is the way to read the chart. At 39% of 4-year colleges, tuition and fees totaled less than $3,000 a year. At 84% of colleges, tuition and fees were less than $5,000 a year. A majority of students and parents overestimated the price of college. The average cost of attending any public 4-year college was $3,243. Students' average estimate was $5,664; their parents' average estimate was $5,970.

Why are the perceptions and reality so far apart? Blame the media. The headlines might read like this: "College tuition continues to outpace inflation," unless they are more sensational, like this: "The Scary Cost of College."

It's true that the price of going to college keeps getting higher. What's worse, the steepest tuition increases come during times of economic hardship. Under the circumstances, it's not surprising that many students and their parents think that college is unaffordable. In the next panel we look at other costs of college "beyond tuition."

Source: Chart: National Center for Education Statistics. "The Condition of Education 2001 in Brief." Wirt, John and Andrea Livingston; NCES National Household Education Surveys Program (NHES). 1999 (Parent and Youth Interview Surveys): The College Board: Trends in College Pricing, 1998 (for actual tuition and fees). Online. Available: http://www.nces.gov. March 7, 2002.