Education & communication · BLS CPI-U · 1997–2026
College tuition & fees Inflation — U.S. Consumer Price Index
As of June 2026, the CPI-U index for College tuition and fees is up 1.8% from a year earlier. Higher-education tuition and fees.
Data: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U). pumsdata is an independent product and is not affiliated with or endorsed by BLS.
College tuition & fees: year-over-year inflation, 1998–2026
Percent change from the same month a year earlier, from the not-seasonally-adjusted CPI-U index.
October 2025 is missing from every CPI series — the federal government shutdown halted collection and the month was never published. Charts show a gap, and year-over-year and month-over-month figures skip any comparison touching the missing month; values are never interpolated.
College tuition & fees: annual averages
BLS annual-average index (the CPI file’s M13 rows, shown verbatim) and the year-over-year change in that average — the standard “annual inflation” figure.
| Year | Annual avg. index | Annual inflation |
|---|---|---|
| 2025* | 955.3 | +1.9% |
| 2024 | 937.3 | +1.7% |
| 2023 | 921.4 | +1.9% |
| 2022 | 904.0 | +2.2% |
| 2021 | 884.9 | +0.9% |
| 2020 | 877.3 | +1.4% |
| 2019 | 865.4 | +2.9% |
| 2018 | 841.3 | +2.2% |
| 2017 | 823.1 | +2.0% |
| 2016 | 807.0 | +2.7% |
| 2015 | 785.9 | +3.5% |
| 2014 | 759.5 | +3.7% |
| 2013 | 732.4 | +4.2% |
| 2012 | 702.8 | +4.8% |
| 2011 | 670.3 | +5.0% |
| 2010 | 638.2 | +5.2% |
| 2009 | 606.7 | +6.0% |
| 2008 | 572.3 | +6.2% |
| 2007 | 538.7 | +6.2% |
| 2006 | 507.0 | +6.7% |
| 2005 | 475.1 | +7.5% |
| 2004 | 442.1 | +9.5% |
| 2003 | 403.9 | +8.4% |
| 2002 | 372.6 | +6.8% |
| 2001 | 348.8 | +5.1% |
| 2000 | 331.9 | +4.1% |
| 1999 | 318.7 | +4.0% |
| 1998 | 306.5 | +4.2% |
| 1997 | 294.1 | — |
*The 2025 annual average reflects the eleven published months — October 2025 was never collected because of the federal government shutdown.
College tuition & fees inflation — FAQ
What is the current College tuition & fees inflation rate?+
As of June 2026, the CPI-U index for College tuition and fees is up 1.8% from a year earlier (not seasonally adjusted). Month over month, the seasonally adjusted index moved +0.1% in June 2026.
When was College tuition & fees inflation highest since 1997?+
By annual averages, the biggest increase since 1997 came in 2004, when the College tuition and fees index rose 9.5% over 2003.
Is College tuition & fees inflation higher than overall inflation?+
As of June 2026, the College tuition and fees index is up 1.8% year over year, versus up 3.5% for overall inflation (all items CPI-U). That is a slower increase than overall inflation (all items CPI-U) — prices in this category are still rising, just less quickly.
Why is October 2025 missing from the College tuition & fees data?+
October 2025 is missing from every CPI series — the federal government shutdown halted collection and the month was never published. Charts show a gap, and year-over-year and month-over-month figures skip any comparison touching the missing month; values are never interpolated.
Data: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U). pumsdata is an independent product and is not affiliated with or endorsed by BLS.