U.S. College Statistics
A national reference computed live from the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, covering tuition, admissions, and institution-level former-student earnings for tracked institutions.
The national picture
The U.S. Department of Education tracks 6,243 colleges and universities offering 2,298 distinct degree programs across 56 states and territories, with in-state tuition averaging $17,764 against a $21,292 out-of-state average, a $3,528 premium, a national average acceptance rate of 72.8%, and an average net price of $18,076 after aid.
According to the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard.
- 6,243
- colleges tracked
- 72.8%
- avg acceptance rate
- $18,076
- avg net price after aid
- $43,830
- avg 10-yr median earnings
Colleges by state (top 8)
California has the most tracked institutions (657, 10.5% of the national total).
Admissions and completion
Across 1,909 institutions reporting admissions data, the national average acceptance rate is 72.8%. 106 colleges admit fewer than 25% of applicants (highly selective). Among 2,150 schools with four-year completion data, the average graduation rate within four years is 52.2%.
Selectivity and completion rates vary sharply by sector; see the ownership breakdown below and our most selective colleges ranking for institution-level detail.
Net price after financial aid
The average net price (what students actually pay after grants and scholarships) is $18,076 across 5,020 reporting institutions. Sticker tuition averages $17,764 in-state and $21,292 out-of-state, so aid and institutional discounts typically reduce the bill substantially below published rates.
For a longitudinal view of how net prices shifted from 2013 to 2023, see our net price trends research.
By ownership sector
Institution-level earnings, net price, and completion differ by sector. The table summarizes operating colleges with reported 10-year earnings in the current Scorecard snapshot.
| Sector | Schools | Avg 10-yr earnings | Avg net price | Avg 4-yr completion |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Private Nonprofit | 1,414 | $54,341 | $23,606 | 57.4% |
| Public | 1,957 | $45,387 | $10,802 | 46.5% |
| Private For-Profit | 1,732 | $33,487 | $21,964 | 48.4% |
Tuition and earnings
Average in-state tuition across tracked institutions is $17,764 per year, versus $21,292 for out-of-state students, a $3,528 premium. The average student who received federal financial aid at these institutions earns $43,830 ten years after enrolling, based on Treasury tax-record linkages in the College Scorecard dataset.
These are institution-level averages across 6,243 schools; individual program-level earnings vary widely by field of study. See our program pages for field-specific figures.
Every figure above is computed live from the same source query. See the methodology page for the exact SQL, data vintage, and how we process the College Scorecard dataset.
Source: U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard 6,243 colleges, 2,298 degree programs · Mar-Jul 2026 retrievals Institutional characteristics and costs from IPEDS; earnings figures derived from Treasury tax records linked to federal financial aid recipients, both folded into the single College Scorecard API response.
Embed these numbers on your site
Free to embed with attribution. This snippet stays current automatically as our data updates.
<iframe src="https://plaincollege.com/embed/national-stats" width="420" height="200" style="border:1px solid #e2e8e5;border-radius:12px;" loading="lazy" title="US College Data - PlainCollege"></iframe>Sector breakdown research
For a citeable ownership-sector comparison (public vs private nonprofit vs for-profit), see our earnings-by-ownership research page with Dataset schema and a CiteThis block.
Download the dataset
The full state-by-state summary as a CSV, free to use with attribution, CC BY-SA 4.0. The open data catalog lists every download and embed on one page.
Download CSV (state summary)