PHOENIX — Undergrads say they are overwhelmed.
A group of university students gathered at the Arizona State Capitol Monday to demand solutions to high tuition costs.
“We are all students at public universities working multiple jobs, trying to make ends meet, facing life-long debt because of the way our schools are engineered,” said Emma Burns of the Arizona Students Association, an activist group representing students at Arizona’s public higher education institutions.
THE QUESTION
What is the difference between college tuition today and the past?
THE SOURCES
THE ANSWER
According to the Education Data Initiative, when adjusting for inflation, public college tuition in the U.S. has increased by 748% since 1963.
If a year’s worth of tuition was the same price six decades ago, that would amount to $2,350 today.
The most extreme decade for “tuition inflation” was the 1980’s when costs went up 121%, according to the nonprofit.
WHAT WE FOUND
A rule of thumb for future planning is to assume tuition rates go up about twice the general inflation rate, according to Finaid.org.
How do Arizona’s universities compare to the nation? According to the state’s three universities, tuition and fees for two full semesters range between $12,200 and $13,200. That cost does not include food, books and housing, which can account for another $15,000.
According to data from U.S. News and World Report, Arizona in-state tuition and fees are about 20% higher than the national average.
For out-of-state residents, they are about 35% higher.
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