Dive Brief:
- Tuition at private colleges rose 3.6% in 2013-2014, the smallest increase in more than 40 years.
- Cost increases were in the mid-4% range over the last four years and almost 6% a year in the previous decade.
- Tuition and fees averaged about $29,000 at private, non-profit colleges.
Dive Insight:
The data comes from 510 schools surveyed by the National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities. The news comes after President Barack Obama began pushing to use federal government money to help control college costs by establishing a college rankings system. That plan is up for debate as part of the Higher Education Act, which was entering its first hearings before the government shutdown began.
