Quad
National trends

Study 4

The price gap, by who is discounting

Full price held roughly steady after inflation while what students paid fell. Where, and for whom?

Full price, indexed

10099

2013–14 → 2023–24 · median college, after inflation

Average paid, indexed

10088

2013–14 → 2023–24 · median college, after inflation

at the median college

34%41%

2013–14 → 2023–24 · 1 − average paid ÷ full price

The national picture

and , both and indexed to 100 in 2013–14, each academic year since. Median college, not students.

Full price and average paid, indexed to 100 in 2013–14
90100’13–14’15–16’17–18’19–20’21–22’23–24PandemicFull priceAverage paid
at the median college
34%36%38%40%’13–14’15–16’17–18’19–20’21–22’23–24PandemicMedian discount

1 − average paid ÷ full price, at the median college each year.

Tuition resets: full price fell 10% or more, after inflation, in a single year

Among the 1,432 panel colleges, the 10 with the biggest single-year drop in full price since 2013–14.

Where it changed

The same two lines for each group, on one scale.

Full price (solid) and average paid (dashed), indexed to 100 in 2013–14, by group. Numbers: 2013–14 → 2023–24.

  • Full price
  • Average paid

Northeast

400 colleges

Discount 33% → 40% · paid now $28,870

100’13–14’15–16’17–18’19–20’21–22’23–24PandemicFull priceAverage paid

Southeast

370 colleges

Discount 35% → 40% · paid now $21,740

100’13–14’15–16’17–18’19–20’21–22’23–24PandemicFull priceAverage paid

Midwest

376 colleges

Discount 37% → 46% · paid now $23,796

100’13–14’15–16’17–18’19–20’21–22’23–24PandemicFull priceAverage paid

Southwest

106 colleges

Discount 32% → 39% · paid now $20,742

100’13–14’15–16’17–18’19–20’21–22’23–24PandemicFull priceAverage paid

West

174 colleges

Discount 29% → 33% · paid now $28,725

100’13–14’15–16’17–18’19–20’21–22’23–24PandemicFull priceAverage paid

Territories

6 colleges

Needs 30 or more

Who pays what now

Median today, by selectivity, against the national median ($24,593). The most selective colleges raised full price the most and discount the least, so they also charge the most.

Under 25% admitted$51,270
National median: $24,593Above typical

Full price rose 8% after inflation since 2013–14.

25–59% admitted$28,093
National median: $24,593Above typical

Full price fell 1% after inflation since 2013–14.

60% or more$24,206
National median: $24,593About typical

Full price fell 3% after inflation since 2013–14.

Why the gap moved

More first-years with a , or bigger awards? Both rose almost everywhere; the mix differs by group.

Share of first-years with a grant

2013–14 2023–24
  • All colleges

    93% → 97%

  • Public

    76% → 90%

  • Private nonprofit

    98% → 100%

, after inflation

2013–14 2023–24
  • All colleges

    $17,011 → $18,825

  • Public

    $9,740 → $10,556

  • Private nonprofit

    $22,609 → $26,496

Did the fall in price reach lower-income families

Median by family income band, after inflation, 2013–14 → 2023–24.

All colleges

2013–14 2023–24
  • $0–30K

    $18,838 → $14,806

  • $30–48K

    $20,000 → $15,251

  • $48–75K

    $23,551 → $17,687

  • $75–110K

    $27,495 → $21,458

  • $110K+

    $30,500 → $26,286

Public

2013–14 2023–24
  • $0–30K

    $13,204 → $10,348

  • $30–48K

    $14,948 → $10,948

  • $48–75K

    $19,308 → $13,690

  • $75–110K

    $23,069 → $17,604

  • $110K+

    $24,193 → $21,150

Private nonprofit

2013–14 2023–24
  • $0–30K

    $22,088 → $18,190

  • $30–48K

    $23,064 → $18,303

  • $48–75K

    $26,214 → $20,277

  • $75–110K

    $30,438 → $24,088

  • $110K+

    $35,606 → $29,757

What it means

Across full prices that fell 1%, the median college's discount off the sticker grew from 34% to 41% between 2013–14 and 2023–24, and what students actually paid fell 12% after inflation.

The most selective colleges are the exception: full price rose 8% and average paid barely moved (-4%), while they charge the most of any group ($51,270).

Publics cut full price slightly (-3%) and discounted far less (30% now) than private nonprofits (47%), a different mechanism (state appropriations and in-state tuition) this page doesn't attribute.

How this was measured

  • Which colleges. Colleges reporting both full price and average total cost in both years: 1,432 colleges in 2013–14 and 2023–24. It's a , so colleges entering or leaving the data don't look like change.
  • Groups. Colleges are grouped by . A group needs 30 or more colleges in the panel; smaller ones show .
  • Money. Every dollar figure is into 2023–24 dollars with the site's CPI table. Full price is residency-weighted for public colleges (one figure blending in-state and out-of-state); the in-state/out-of-state split is its own study.
  • Discount. 1 − average paid ÷ full price, at the median college each year; it rises when either full price climbs or average paid falls.
  • Tuition resets. A college counts when one year's full price fell 10% or more, after inflation, from the year before, anywhere in the panel window.
  • The universe. The site's four-year colleges, not all of U.S. higher education. Breakdowns show where a change happened, not why.

Sources:IPEDS Institutional Characteristics survey, 2013–14 to 2023–24;IPEDS Student Financial Aid survey, 2013–14 to 2023–24;inflation: BLS CPI-U, school-year averagesAbout the data(built 2026-10-12; CPI retrieved 2026-10-12)