🎓 College Tuition Price History: 1984–Today
Complete price timeline for College Tuition (per year) from 1984 to 2024.
The Bottom Line
In 1984, college tuition cost $1,228.00. Today it costs $10,940.00. That's a 8.9x increase — but wages only grew 3.7x.
1984 Price
$1,228.00
Today's Price
$10,940.00
Price Growth
8.9x
Wage Growth
3.7x
📊 Year-by-Year Data
| Year | Nominal Price | Inflation-Adjusted | Actual Today | Labor Hours | Multiplier |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1984 | $1,228.00 | $3,706.42 | $10,940.00 | 113.9h | 2.39x |
| 1985 | $1,318.00 | $3,842.51 | $10,940.00 | 116.1h | 2.34x |
| 1986 | $1,414.00 | $4,043.78 | $10,940.00 | 118.1h | 2.30x |
| 1987 | $1,537.00 | $4,243.69 | $10,940.00 | 122.7h | 2.22x |
| 1988 | $1,646.00 | $4,365.64 | $10,940.00 | 125.7h | 2.16x |
| 1989 | $1,780.00 | $4,505.20 | $10,940.00 | 128.1h | 2.12x |
| 1990 | $1,908.00 | $4,580.92 | $10,940.00 | 132.6h | 2.05x |
| 1991 | $2,107.00 | $4,854.06 | $10,940.00 | 145.5h | 1.87x |
| 1992 | $2,349.00 | $5,251.83 | $10,940.00 | 159.5h | 1.70x |
| 1993 | $2,537.00 | $5,508.58 | $10,940.00 | 168.9h | 1.61x |
| 1994 | $2,681.00 | $5,673.97 | $10,940.00 | 172.9h | 1.57x |
| 1995 | $2,811.00 | $5,786.75 | $10,940.00 | 171.6h | 1.58x |
| 1996 | $2,975.00 | $5,949.64 | $10,940.00 | 174.4h | 1.56x |
| 1997 | $3,111.00 | $6,079.51 | $10,940.00 | 174.8h | 1.55x |
| 1998 | $3,229.00 | $6,213.98 | $10,940.00 | 172.7h | 1.57x |
| 1999 | $3,356.00 | $6,319.78 | $10,940.00 | 171.5h | 1.58x |
| 2000 | $3,501.00 | $6,378.10 | $10,940.00 | 173.4h | 1.57x |
| 2001 | $3,735.00 | $6,618.00 | $10,940.00 | 184.0h | 1.48x |
| 2002 | $4,081.00 | $7,117.50 | $10,940.00 | 200.2h | 1.36x |
| 2003 | $4,587.00 | $7,820.28 | $10,940.00 | 220.2h | 1.23x |
| 2004 | $5,027.00 | $8,347.75 | $10,940.00 | 235.9h | 1.15x |
| 2005 | $5,351.00 | $8,596.43 | $10,940.00 | 240.2h | 1.13x |
| 2006 | $5,666.00 | $8,818.35 | $10,940.00 | 244.5h | 1.11x |
| 2007 | $5,943.00 | $8,991.36 | $10,940.00 | 246.1h | 1.10x |
| 2008 | $6,185.00 | $9,013.63 | $10,940.00 | 255.8h | 1.06x |
| 2009 | $6,695.00 | $9,788.22 | $10,940.00 | 279.7h | 0.97x |
| 2010 | $7,136.00 | $10,264.98 | $10,940.00 | 301.2h | 0.90x |
| 2011 | $7,713.00 | $10,757.24 | $10,940.00 | 320.5h | 0.85x |
| 2012 | $8,070.00 | $11,026.55 | $10,940.00 | 329.0h | 0.83x |
| 2013 | $8,312.00 | $11,193.12 | $10,940.00 | 322.6h | 0.84x |
| 2014 | $8,543.00 | $11,321.30 | $10,940.00 | 331.1h | 0.82x |
| 2015 | $8,778.00 | $11,618.65 | $10,940.00 | 323.0h | 0.84x |
| 2016 | $8,804.00 | $11,507.22 | $10,940.00 | 310.2h | 0.88x |
| 2017 | $9,037.00 | $11,565.26 | $10,940.00 | 307.4h | 0.88x |
| 2018 | $9,212.00 | $11,508.52 | $10,940.00 | 303.3h | 0.90x |
| 2019 | $9,349.00 | $11,471.67 | $10,940.00 | 283.1h | 0.96x |
| 2020 | $9,349.00 | $11,329.71 | $10,940.00 | 285.9h | 0.95x |
| 2021 | $9,375.00 | $10,853.38 | $10,940.00 | 275.5h | 0.99x |
| 2022 | $9,750.00 | $10,452.11 | $10,940.00 | 271.9h | 1.00x |
| 2023 | $10,209.00 | $10,510.33 | $10,940.00 | 263.4h | 1.03x |
📈 Labor Multiplier Trend
How many times harder (or easier) it is to earn college tuition compared to each year. >1x = harder, <1x = easier.
1984
2.39x
1985
2.34x
1986
2.30x
1987
2.22x
1988
2.16x
1989
2.12x
1990
2.05x
1991
1.87x
1992
1.70x
1993
1.61x
1994
1.57x
1995
1.58x
1996
1.56x
1997
1.55x
1998
1.57x
1999
1.58x
2000
1.57x
2001
1.48x
2002
1.36x
2003
1.23x
2004
1.15x
2005
1.13x
2006
1.11x
2007
1.10x
2008
1.06x
2009
0.97x
2010
0.90x
2011
0.85x
2012
0.83x
2013
0.84x
2014
0.82x
2015
0.84x
2016
0.88x
2017
0.88x
2018
0.90x
2019
0.96x
2020
0.95x
2021
0.99x
2022
1.00x
2023
1.03x
🔗 Explore College Tuition by Year
Category
🎓 Education