Appendix 2

What a year of public university costs.

In-state cost of attendance at each state's flagship public university, 2025–26. Totals include tuition and fees, room, board, and books. Travel and personal expenses are not included.

National average, all 50 states

$26,485

per year, in-state

Tuition & fees
$11,904
Room
$7,791
Board
$5,540
Books & supplies
$1,250

50 of 50 states

VermontUniv. of Vermont$19,223$9,800$6,200$36,473 +49.2%
PennsylvaniaPenn State Univ.$19,286$8,700$5,800$35,036 +43.4%
ConnecticutUniv. of Connecticut$18,240$8,590$6,820$34,900 +42.8%
New HampshireUniv. of New Hampshire$18,000$9,500$5,800$34,550 +41.4%
MassachusettsUMass Amherst$16,965$9,100$6,500$33,815 +38.4%
Rhode IslandUniv. of Rhode Island$16,980$9,200$5,900$33,330 +36.4%
New JerseyRutgers Univ.$17,239$8,600$5,700$32,789 +34.2%
VirginiaUniv. of Virginia$17,378$8,100$5,400$32,128 +31.5%
MaineUniv. of Maine$15,570$9,200$6,000$32,020 +31%
OregonUniv. of Oregon$14,985$8,900$5,700$30,835 +26.2%
IllinoisUniv. of Illinois$16,202$6,994$6,121$30,567 +25.1%
MinnesotaUniv. of Minnesota$15,712$8,200$5,400$30,562 +25.1%
MichiganMichigan State Univ.$15,262$8,400$5,600$30,512 +24.9%
ArizonaArizona State Univ.$13,392$9,320$6,239$30,201 +23.6%
DelawareUniv. of Delaware$12,713$9,569$6,386$29,918 +22.4%
WashingtonUniv. of Washington$12,560$9,700$6,200$29,710 +21.6%
South CarolinaUniv. of South Carolina$14,002$8,500$5,200$28,952 +18.5%
CaliforniaUC System (avg)$9,310$10,253$7,512$28,325 +15.9%
TennesseeUniv. of Tennessee$13,720$7,700$5,100$27,770 +13.6%
ColoradoUniv. of Colorado Boulder$10,894$7,841$7,632$27,617 +13%
KentuckyUniv. of Kentucky$13,272$7,100$5,600$27,222 +11.4%
OhioOhio State Univ.$12,485$8,000$5,200$26,935 +10.2%
TexasUniv. of Texas at Austin$11,448$8,200$5,600$26,498 +8.4%
HawaiiUniv. of Hawaii at Manoa$11,951$6,395$6,868$26,464 +8.3%
AlabamaUniv. of Alabama$12,736$7,025$5,223$26,234 +7.3%
New YorkSUNY (avg)$10,316$8,700$5,600$25,866 +5.8%
MarylandUniv. of Maryland$11,505$7,700$5,200$25,655 +5%
AlaskaUniv. of Alaska Anchorage$9,215$6,888$7,926$25,279 +3.4%
KansasUniv. of Kansas$11,050$7,200$5,100$24,600 +0.7%
IndianaIndiana Univ.$10,601$6,369$5,289$23,509 -3.8%
MissouriUniv. of Missouri$9,818$7,200$5,200$23,468 -4%
WisconsinUniv. of Wisconsin$10,704$7,200$4,061$23,215 -5%
UtahUniv. of Utah$9,261$7,600$5,000$23,111 -5.4%
NebraskaUniv. of Nebraska–Lincoln$9,690$7,000$5,100$23,040 -5.7%
ArkansasUniv. of Arkansas$9,778$7,081$4,910$23,019 -5.8%
OklahomaUniv. of Oklahoma$9,645$7,200$4,800$22,895 -6.3%
IowaUniv. of Iowa$9,425$7,100$5,050$22,825 -6.6%
NevadaUniv. of Nevada, Reno$8,166$8,100$5,200$22,716 -7%
West VirginiaWest Virginia Univ.$9,200$7,200$4,900$22,550 -7.7%
North DakotaUniv. of North Dakota$9,243$7,000$4,800$22,293 -8.8%
MontanaUniv. of Montana$8,180$7,500$5,000$21,930 -10.3%
MississippiUniv. of Mississippi$9,098$6,700$4,500$21,548 -11.8%
GeorgiaUniv. of Georgia$7,723$7,907$4,608$21,488 -12.1%
IdahoBoise State Univ.$8,471$5,906$5,700$21,327 -12.7%
LouisianaLouisiana State Univ.$8,038$7,200$4,800$21,288 -12.9%
North CarolinaUNC–Chapel Hill$7,417$7,200$5,000$20,867 -14.6%
South DakotaUniv. of South Dakota$9,272$4,608$5,300$20,430 -16.4%
New MexicoUniv. of New Mexico$7,570$7,000$4,500$20,320 -16.9%
WyomingUniv. of Wyoming$7,430$6,100$4,500$19,280 -21.1%
FloridaUniv. of Florida$4,836$7,009$5,267$18,362 -24.9%

Figures are 2025–26 estimates and vary by major, housing choice, and financial aid. Staying within a school's published cost of attendance is what keeps a 529 withdrawal defensible — see room and board and keeping documentation. Source: Education Data Initiative & College Board Trends in College Pricing 2025.