Colleges, universities see higher tuition revenue despite declining enrollment

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A new report from MyElearningWorld.com found that while college enrollment has dropped by 14.4% since 2013, colleges and universities are still raking in 5.6% more in tuition revenue from students.

Additional data showed that:

  • College enrollment is down 2.9 million students over the last decade;
  • Total annual revenue for U.S. colleges from tuition and fees has increased by at least $15.2 billion over the last decade;
  • In 2023, community college tuition rose to $4,014 per year, for a total of $18.8 billion in tuition revenue (with 4.67 million students);
  • Two-year colleges were the only type of school to lose tuition revenue over the last decade;
  • In 2023, public university tuition at four-year schools rose to $11,378 per year, for a total of at least $86.5 billion in tuition revenue (with 7.6 million students); and
  • Over the same period, tuition for four-year private universities increased to $40,976 per year, for a total of $181.1 billion in tuition revenue (with 4.4 million students).

Additional information on methodology, statistics on college enrollment by year, as well as data visualizations are available online.

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