logo
Brief Publisher Logo
FACT BRIEF

Has college tuition increased four times the rate of inflation since Ronald Reagan was president?

By Tom Kertscher
View this fact brief on Wisconsin Watch
Copy link
email
Copy featured image
email
NO

Nationwide, college tuition has increased about three times as much as inflation since Ronald Reagan's presidency ended in January 1989.

For public and private universities, the average annual undergraduate tuition and required fees, in current dollars, for all two-and four-year schools was $14,307 in 2021-22, according to the latest figures from the National Center for Educational Statistics, a federal agency.

That's 438% higher than the 1988-89 figure of $2,658.

The Consumer Price Index measure of inflation was 121.2 in January 1989 and 282.6 in January 2022 — about 133% higher, according to figures from the Federal Reserve.

So tuition has increased about 3.3 times faster than inflation.

This claim, recently made by former Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, is slightly different than, but not far off from a previous accurate claim he made in 2016 that college tuition as of then had grown four times the rate of inflation since 1978.

This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.
Sources
National Center for Education Statistics Tuition and required fees | Current dollars
FRED (Federal Reserve Bank Of St. Louis) Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers: All Items in U.S. City Average
Brookings College prices aren’t skyrocketing—but they’re still too high for some
PolitiFact Scott Walker says college tuition has risen at four times the rate of inflation
ABOUT THE CONTRIBUTOR
Wisconsin Watch
Wisconsin Watch, the news arm of the nonpartisan, nonprofit Wisconsin Center for Investigative Journalism, increases the quality and quantity of investigative reporting in Wisconsin, while training current and future investigative journalists. Its work fosters an informed citizenry and strengthens democracy.
FACT BRIEF BY
Brief Publisher Logo
Latest fact briefs from Wisconsin Watch
facebook
twitter
email
email
About fact briefs published on Gigafact
Fact briefs are short, credibly sourced summaries that offer “yes/no” answers in response to claims found online. They rely on publicly available, often primary source data and documents. Fact briefs are created by contributors to Gigafact —a nonprofit project looking to expand participation in fact-checking and protect the democratic process. See all fact briefs here.