What Is the Price of College? Total, Net, and Out-of-Pocket Prices in 2015–16

This report describes four measures of the price of undergraduate education in the 2015–16 academic year: total price of attendance (tuition and living expenses), net price of attendance after all grants, out-of-pocket net price after all financial aid, and out-of-pocket net price after all aid excluding student loans. Estimates are based on the 2015–16 National Postsecondary Student Aid Study (NPSAS:16), a nationally representative study of students enrolled in postsecondary institutions in the 50 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico. Estimates are compared across four institution types: public 2-year institutions, public 4-year institutions, for-profit institutions at all levels (less-than-2-year, 2-year, and 4-year), and private nonprofit 4-year institutions. Prices are also presented separately for dependent and independent students, with these estimates being further separated by income level and institution control and level.