Average In-State vs Out-of-State Tuition (2026 stats)
TL;DR
Out-of-state published tuition at public colleges is almost always higher than in-state tuition. Here you get a state-by-state view from the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, plus national sticker averages from the College Board (2025–26) and NCES IPEDS (2022–23) so you can compare apples to apples when you read news or campus pages.
What this page shows
Use this page in two ways: scan the map-style state table and chart for relative differences inside one federal dataset, then read the national benchmarks when you need the latest published averages from other official sources.
Three official families of numbers appear here—each answers a slightly different question:
- College Scorecard (U.S. Department of Education) — Institution-level published in-state and out-of-state tuition for public schools, rolled up to states for the table and chart. The download date for this extract is noted with the CSV/JSON files.
- College Board — Trends in College Pricing — National average published tuition and fees by sector (for example, public four-year in-state vs out-of-state for 2025–26), summarized on their highlights page with links to the full report and data tables.
- NCES — Digest of Education Statistics, Table 330.20 — IPEDS-based weighted U.S. averages for tuition and required fees, including how out-of-state charges are weighted; see the table notes on the NCES page.
If two numbers disagree, it usually means the year, sector, or weighting rules differ—not that any source is “wrong.” Pick the source that matches the claim you are checking, then stay with that source for the rest of the paragraph.
National benchmarks (primary sources)
- College Board — published tuition & fees, 2025–26. For full-time undergraduates, average published tuition and fees are about $11,950 in-state and $31,880 out-of-state at public four-year institutions, and about $4,150 at public two-year colleges (in-district). Year-over-year changes are reported in the same release. See Trends in College Pricing: Highlights and the downloadable Trends in College Pricing and Student Aid 2025 materials linked from that page.
- NCES — IPEDS Digest Table 330.20, 2022–23. United States totals for tuition and required fees average about $9,750 in-state and $28,297 out-of-state at public four-year institutions, with public two-year in-district about $3,598 and out-of-state about $8,565. Out-of-state values are weighted by first-time freshman residency in fall 2022, as described in the table footnotes. Source: Digest of Education Statistics, Table 330.20.
- College Scorecard — chart and state rows (2024 vintage). This extract averages published in-state vs out-of-state price fields across public institutions in the file; the national means in the chart (about $6,637 in-state and $14,109 out-of-state) reflect that universe and will not match the College Board or NCES headline averages above.
Download the data
The CSV and JSON match the chart and the state table for this extract.
In-State vs Out-of-State Tuition Comparison
National averages in this chart
For public institutions in the College Scorecard file behind this page, mean published out-of-state tuition is about $14,109, roughly 113% above mean in-state published tuition (about $6,637). For College Board and NCES national sticker totals (different years and rules), see National benchmarks.
These bars use only the public institutions in this College Scorecard extract. They are not meant to match NCES Digest or College Board survey averages line-for-line—see the overview for why.
Data by state
Each row averages published prices across public institutions in that state using the same College Scorecard extract. Use the table to compare states to each other; use the national benchmark section when you need totals that follow NCES or College Board rules.
| State | In-State | Out-of-State |
|---|---|---|
| AL | $7,692.15 | $14,588.10 |
| AK | $7,197.50 | $17,385.50 |
| AZ | $4,696.46 | $13,715.96 |
| AR | $5,606.77 | $9,000.40 |
| CA | $3,463.27 | $14,654.22 |
| CO | $7,792.52 | $19,519.24 |
| CT | $14,660.45 | $28,118.45 |
| DE | $8,763 | $19,791.60 |
| DC | $5,662 | $12,514 |
| FL | $3,794.28 | $13,723.47 |
| GA | $5,248.16 | $11,513 |
| HI | $5,021.40 | $13,411.80 |
| ID | $5,993 | $16,954.50 |
| IL | $6,463.68 | $13,413.16 |
| IN | $7,258.25 | $16,612.21 |
| IA | $6,928.84 | $10,473.53 |
| KS | $5,550.23 | $8,818.69 |
| KY | $6,867.38 | $11,887.92 |
| LA | $6,616.64 | $10,837.29 |
| ME | $7,860.80 | $15,958.40 |
| MD | $6,938.11 | $16,202.18 |
| MA | $9,500.17 | $18,015.17 |
| MI | $8,282.81 | $14,881.98 |
| MN | $7,418.50 | $8,250.98 |
| MS | $5,485.19 | $8,418.63 |
| MO | $8,205.46 | $15,016.68 |
| MT | $5,138.74 | $13,778.42 |
| NE | $6,005.67 | $9,051.07 |
| NV | $5,984.57 | $18,389 |
| NH | $10,126.17 | $20,420.83 |
| NJ | $10,023.30 | $16,409.27 |
| NM | $3,882.46 | $8,686.36 |
| NY | $7,765.76 | $14,533.29 |
| NC | $3,653.91 | $11,111.72 |
| ND | $6,890.07 | $8,429.36 |
| OH | $8,067.42 | $16,475.68 |
| OK | $6,484.64 | $13,195.04 |
| OR | $8,196.48 | $17,782.16 |
| PA | $11,475.19 | $20,363.65 |
| RI | $11,264 | $26,426.33 |
| SC | $8,207.34 | $17,852.28 |
| SD | $7,569.85 | $9,164.15 |
| TN | $7,341.57 | $18,497.30 |
| TX | $5,562.50 | $13,195.15 |
| UT | $6,475.78 | $19,328.22 |
| VT | $12,643.33 | $27,146 |
| VA | $9,296.69 | $20,820.85 |
| WA | $6,925.02 | $13,632.52 |
| WV | $7,295.95 | $14,158.73 |
| WI | $6,887.03 | $12,744.03 |
| WY | $4,995.38 | $12,559.12 |
| AS | $5,300 | $5,600 |
| GU | $4,762 | $8,014 |
| MP | $4,038 | $5,520 |
| PR | $4,601.22 | $4,827.89 |
| FM | $5,050 | $5,050 |
| PW | $3,730 | $3,970 |
| VI | $5,957 | $16,557 |
| MH | $7,149 | $7,789 |
Analysis & insights
Why out-of-state tuition exists. Public universities receive state appropriations and related subsidies; resident tuition is lower partly because in-state households have supported that funding through taxes. Non-residents are typically charged a higher published price to reflect that they (or their families) have not paid into the same state subsidy pool—though many students still pay well below sticker after grants.
Reciprocity and exchange programs. Several interstate compacts cap or discount non-resident tuition for qualifying students. Official program hubs include the Western Undergraduate Exchange (WICHE), the Midwest Student Exchange Program, the New England Tuition Break (NEBHE), and the Academic Common Market (SREB). Eligibility, participating campuses, and price caps vary by institution and major.
Net price vs sticker. College Board’s Trends in College Pricing highlights also track estimated net tuition and fees for first-time full-time students after grant aid—often far below published averages. Use Scorecard school profiles or IPEDS for campus-level net price by income where you plan to cite dollars in stories.
FAQ
In-state and out-of-state tuition
What is in-state versus out-of-state tuition at public colleges?
In-state tuition is the published price public colleges charge students who meet that state’s residency rules. Out-of-state (non-resident) tuition is the higher published price for students who do not meet those rules. Both are sticker prices before grants and scholarships.
Why is out-of-state tuition usually higher than in-state?
Public universities receive part of their funding from state taxpayers. States typically assume resident families have supported that system over time, so resident tuition is discounted compared with non-residents. The gap varies a lot by state and campus, and many families pay well below published tuition after grant aid.
Do private colleges charge different tuition for in-state and out-of-state students?
Most private nonprofit four-year colleges publish one undergraduate tuition schedule for domestic students, so you usually will not see separate in-state and out-of-state rates the way public systems publish them. Always read the institution’s full cost of attendance for required fees and program-specific charges.
How do students qualify for in-state tuition?
Residency is defined by each state and each college. Many states expect about a year of residency not taken mainly for education, plus ties such as employment, voter registration, or a driver license. Dependent students often follow a parent’s residency. Because rules differ, the registrar or residency office at the school you are considering—not this page—is the place to confirm requirements.
What is the difference between published tuition and net price?
Published tuition is the sticker before grants and scholarships. Net price is what students tend to pay after grant aid. The U.S. Department of Education’s College Scorecard and IPEDS publish net-price estimates by income band for many schools. National average sticker figures (College Board, NCES) will not match what a specific household pays.
Can students from another state pay less than full out-of-state tuition?
Often, yes—through regional exchanges (for example WUE, MSEP, NEBHE Tuition Break, or the Academic Common Market), institutional merit aid, or campus-specific non-resident scholarships. What is available depends on major, campus, and home state.
Using the numbers on this page
What does the state table measure?
Each row averages institution-level published in-state and out-of-state tuition from the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard for public schools in that state. It is a quick cross-state view—not residency rules for a specific campus.
Why don’t EDsmart’s Scorecard national means match College Board or NCES?
College Board’s figures come from its annual pricing survey; NCES Table 330.20 applies IPEDS survey weights (including out-of-state weights tied to freshman residency). Scorecard aggregates can differ by which institutions appear in the file, which price fields are populated, and the academic year of the release. When you compare numbers, stick to one official source for that sentence so the year and rules line up.
Which source should I cite for “average tuition” in 2025–26?
For latest published national sticker averages by sector, cite College Board Trends in College Pricing. For IPEDS-based weighted national averages with documented methodology, cite NCES Digest Table 330.20 (update the table year when NCES publishes a newer digest). For school-level sticker and outcomes, cite College Scorecard.
How often is this page updated?
The Last updated line changes when the College Scorecard extract behind the chart and table is refreshed. Whenever a new academic year ships, double-check the College Board and NCES links above—their headline totals move with each release.
Data Sources
- College Scorecard — U.S. Department of Education
- Institution-level published tuition and sector fields used for the chart and state table on this page.
- Data: institutional release aligned to our April 2026 site build (see CSV/JSON).
- College Scorecard data · Documentation
- National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) — IPEDS via Digest of Education Statistics, Table 330.20
- Weighted national and state tuition, fees, room, and board; methodology in table notes.
- Academic years shown in the linked table (currently 2021–22 and 2022–23 in the d23 release).
- Table 330.20 · IPEDS
- College Board — Trends in College Pricing
- National average published tuition and fees by sector; updated annually with the survey cycle.
- Highlights (2025 report cycle) · Trends in College Pricing index
- Interstate tuition programs (official program sites)