That Figures: The Rising Cost of College

$7,605
 Average annual in-state student charge for tuition and fees at public four-year colleges. For room and board, add $8,535.

$27,293
Average annual charge for tuition and fees at private nonprofit four-year colleges. For room and board, add $9,700.

$57,556
Cost of tuition, fees, room and board for the 2010-11 school year at Sarah Lawrence College in Bronxville, New York—the most expensive school in the country.

$5,700
Average annual cost of miscellaneous personal expenses (clothes, toiletries, eating out, books, supplies, transportation).

$11,500
Average amount of financial aid for full-time undergraduate students in 2009-10.

5.6 percent
Average annual increase in tuition and fees at public four year colleges and universities during the past decade.

5 percent
 Average drop in income in 2009 for the middle 20 percent of families.

11 percent
Average drop in income in 2009 for the bottom 20 percent of families.

$24,000
Average amount of debt college students with loans graduated with last year.

$99,707
Median family income in 2009 for those with a bachelor’s degree or higher.

$48,637
Median family income in 2009 for those with a high school diploma.