A collection of current and historically published tuition and fees data from the 350-plus public colleges and universities in WICHE region and analysis of tuition and fee trends in the West.
Benchmarks Sidebar
Tuition and Fees and Median Household Income
Newly released data from WICHE’s Tuition and Fees in the West finds that tuition and fees in the region have stabilized over the past five years, with some sectors reporting decreases when adjusted for inflation. Additionally, the share of median household income that tuition and fees represent varies significantly across populations in the region. Learn more about WICHE’s Tuition and Fees in the West here.
Notes: WICHE region median household income, overall and by population, includes all sources of income for households with children aged 0-17 by race and ethnicity of head of household. Tuition and fees are a weighted average of resident or in-district tuition and fees at public two-and four-year institutions and adjusted to constant 2023 dollars using the Higher Education Cost Adjustment (HECA). Income data not available for the U.S. Pacific Territories and Freely Associated States.
Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, 2017-2021 American Community Survey (ACS) Public Use Microdata (PUMS) and Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education (WICHE), Tuition and Fees in the West.
For more information, please contact:
Colleen Falkenstern
Senior Research Analyst, Policy Analysis and Research
303.541.0313cfalkenstern@wiche.edu
Colleen Falkenstern serves as a research analyst in WICHE’s Policy Analysis and Research unit. In her role, she supports the development of WICHE’s annual data resources—Regional Fact Book for Higher Education in the West, Benchmarks (of access and success), and Tuition and Fees in Public Higher Education in the West. She also provides analytical support for WICHE’s quadrennial projections of high school graduates, Knocking at the College Door. She received a bachelor’s degree in marketing and management from the University of South Carolina—Columbia and a master’s degree in higher education from the University of Denver.