Cost of Attending College by State: Tuition and Living Costs Compared
By Muntasir Minhaz • Published Oct 08, 2026
TL;DR
Fifty-two guides set public in-state tuition, community college rates, living costs, and named state aid side by side, from a low of $5,274/year in Puerto Rico to $21,904/year in Connecticut for public tuition alone.
This hub lines up guides for 52 places, covering 50 states plus Washington DC and Puerto Rico, each with public in-state tuition, community college tuition, living costs, and named state aid. Public in-state tuition alone spans from $5,274/year (UPR Mayagüez, 2024-25) in Puerto Rico and $6,380/year (University of Florida in-state tuition and fees) in Florida to $21,803/year (University of Virginia, in-state, 2024-25) in Virginia and $21,904/year (UConn Storrs resident tuition + mandatory fees) in Connecticut. Community college rates are quoted in different units state to state, from $46 per enrollment unit (California Community Colleges, resident) in California to $175 per credit hour (Colorado Community College System, resident) in Colorado, and some state aid rules name a scholarship outright while others, like Virginia, show no stated programme at all.
Start with public in-state tuition since every guide but one states it, then check community college and living costs, which are reported in a mix of annual, semester, monthly, or per-credit-hour figures rather than one shared unit. A dash means the source guide for that state does not state a figure for that column, as with Puerto Rico's community college rate and aid programme or Virginia's aid programme, rather than a cost of zero. Each state name links to its full guide, where every figure carries its original source and year.
Compare by state
| State | Public in-state tuition | Community college | Living costs | State aid |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | 12,718 dollars a year (University of Alabama in-state tuition and fees) | 196 dollars per credit hour (Jefferson State CC, resident) | 15,478 dollars a year (on-campus housing and food, U. Alabama) | — |
| Alaska | roughly $11,730 a year (UAF resident tuition and fees) | — | about $13,500 a year (UAF on-campus room and board) | Alaska Performance Scholarship and Alaska Education Grant |
| Arizona | $12,177 (Arizona State University resident base tuition) | about $97 per credit hour (Maricopa County CC District, resident) | $11,473/year for housing (ASU Tempe estimate) | Arizona Promise Program |
| Arkansas | $10,916/year (University of Arkansas Fayetteville, in-state tuition and fees) | about $5,314 a year (NorthWest Arkansas Community College, in-state) | $15,694/year (room and board, in-state and out-of-state) | Academic Challenge Scholarship (up to $5,000/semester by senior year) |
| California | $14,934/year (University of California resident tuition and fees) | $46 per enrollment unit (California Community Colleges, resident) | $22,167 (Stanford standard room and board) | California College Promise Grant (waives $46/unit CCC enrollment fee) |
| Colorado | $15,014/year (CU Boulder resident tuition and fees) | $175 per credit hour (Colorado Community College System, resident) | $2,170/month (average one-bedroom rent, Boulder) | College Opportunity Fund stipend ($116/credit hour) |
| Connecticut | $21,904/year (UConn Storrs resident tuition + mandatory fees) | about $4,600-$5,200/year (CT State Community College, full-time) | $4,144-$8,449/semester (UConn on-campus housing, by room type) | Roberta B. Willis Scholarship |
| Delaware | $15,740/year (University of Delaware resident tuition) | roughly $4,703/year (Delaware Technical Community College, in-state) | $16,614/year (UD on-campus housing and food) | First State Promise (covers UD tuition/fees under $75k income) |
| Florida | $6,380/year (University of Florida in-state tuition and fees) | around $128 per credit hour (Florida College System, resident average) | about $16,330/year (UF on-campus living cost estimate) | Bright Futures Scholarship |
| Georgia | $10,134/year (University of Georgia in-state tuition) | about $107 per credit hour (TCSG, after HOPE Grant applies) | about $17,300/year (UGA student, Athens, housing/food/books/personal) | HOPE Grant / Zell Miller Scholarship |
| Hawaii | $11,520/year (UH Manoa resident tuition) | $131 per credit (Kapiolani Community College, resident) | $7,852/year (UH Manoa on-campus housing addition) | Hawaii Promise (covers up to 95% of tuition, fees, books) |
| Idaho | $9,789/year (Boise State University resident tuition and fees) | — | $34,269/year (Boise State example total cost of attendance) | Idaho LAUNCH (covers up to 80% of tuition and fees) |
| Illinois | $18,046-$23,426 in-state (University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign) | — | $15,184/year (food and housing, UIUC) | MAP Grant |
| Indiana | $12,144 in-state (Indiana University Bloomington) | ~$5,150/year in-state (Ivy Tech, two semesters) | $13,984/year (IU Bloomington on-campus room and board) | Frank O'Bannon Grant |
| Iowa | $11,971 resident (University of Iowa) | — | $14,022/year (University of Iowa housing and food) | Iowa Tuition Grant |
| Kansas | $12,102 in-state (University of Kansas) | — | $11,358/year (KU on-campus housing) | Kansas Comprehensive Grant |
| Kentucky | $9,387-$13,502/year in-state (across 8 public universities) | ~$4,808/year in-state (Bluegrass Community and Technical College) | $8,686-$16,016/year (on-campus room and board, across universities) | KEES, CAP Grant |
| Louisiana | $11,954 in-state (LSU Baton Rouge) | — | $15,142/year (LSU on-campus room and board) | TOPS |
| Maine | $13,326/year in-state (University of Maine, Orono) | $2,880/year in-state (Southern Maine Community College) | $13,410/year (room and board alone, University of Maine) | Maine State Grant |
| Maryland | $11,809 in-state (University of Maryland, College Park) | — | — | Maryland Community College Promise Scholarship |
| Massachusetts | $17,772 in-state (UMass Amherst) | $6,168 in-state (Bunker Hill Community College, before aid) | $37,122/$59,799 (UMass Amherst total on-campus cost, in-state/out-of-state) | MassEducate |
| Michigan | $17,736 in-state (University of Michigan, Ann Arbor) | a few thousand dollars a year, in-district, before aid | $19,200/year (U Michigan room, board and other costs, both residencies) | Community College Guarantee, Michigan Achievement Scholarship |
| Minnesota | $17,214 resident (University of Minnesota Twin Cities) | ~$6,329/year resident (Normandale Community College, full-time) | $34,420/year (U Minnesota Twin Cities on-campus total, in-state) | Minnesota State Grant, North Star Promise |
| Mississippi | $10,278 in-state (University of Mississippi) | — | $8,030 housing + $5,580 food/year (Ole Miss) | MTAG, MESG, HELP |
| Missouri | $16,162 to $20,290/year (Mizzou, resident tuition and fees) | — | $15,780/year (Mizzou housing and dining) | Access Missouri need-based grant |
| Montana | $8,552/year (University of Montana, resident) | $6,223 (Flathead Valley Community College, in-state, 2024-25) | $12,804/year (room and board, University of Montana) | Western Undergraduate Exchange (WUE) caps nonresident tuition at 150% of resident rate |
| Nebraska | $303 per credit hour (UNL, resident, 2025-26) | $71 per credit hour + $5 facility fee (Metropolitan Community College, resident) | $13,950/year (housing and food, UNL estimate) | Nebraska Opportunity Grant and Nebraska Promise |
| Nevada | $11,079/year (University of Nevada, Reno, resident) | $136.25 per credit (College of Southern Nevada, resident, 2026-27) | $8,464/year housing + $7,488/year food (UNR, on campus) | Governor Guinn Millennium Scholarship (up to $10,000 over undergrad years) |
| New Hampshire | $19,682/year (UNH Durham, in-state, 2025-26) | $238 per credit hour (CCSNH, resident, 2026-27) | $9,410/year room + $5,624-$6,424/year meal plan (UNH, 2026-27) | UNH's Granite Guarantee covers full in-state tuition for eligible residents |
| New Jersey | $17,929/year (Rutgers-New Brunswick, in-state, 2025-26) | ~$5,470/year (NJ county college average, in-state) | $20,172/year (room and board, Rutgers on-campus) | NJ Tuition Aid Grant ($2,176-$14,404/year based on need) |
| New Mexico | $11,585/year (UNM, tuition and fees, resident, 2026-27) | $76.75/credit, ~$1,842/year (DACC, in-district) | ~$17,800/year (non-tuition living costs, UNM) | Legislative Lottery Scholarship and Opportunity Scholarship |
| New York | $7,070/year (SUNY resident, 2025-26) | $4,800/year (CUNY community colleges, resident) | $8,411-$11,200/year (UB on-campus housing, 2025-26) | TAP and the Excelsior Scholarship |
| North Carolina | $4,543.50/semester (UNC-Chapel Hill, in-state tuition+fees, 2025-26) | ~$2,432/year (NC community colleges, in-state) | $9,168/year housing + $6,702/year food (UNC-Chapel Hill, 2026-27) | NC Promise Tuition Plan fixes tuition at $500/semester at 4 campuses |
| North Dakota | $12,181/year (NDSU, in-state tuition+fees, 2026-27) | — | $10,926/year (NDSU meal plan and housing, 2026-27) | — |
| Ohio | $14,050/year (Ohio State, resident) | ~$5,117/year (Ohio community college average, resident) | $15,738/year (room and board, Ohio State) | Ohio College Opportunity Grant |
| Oklahoma | $15,503/year (University of Oklahoma, in-state tuition+fees, 2026-27) | $101 per credit hour (Oklahoma City Community College, resident, 2025-26) | ~$24,600/year (housing, food, other costs, OU in-state on campus) | Oklahoma's Promise, OTAG, and OTEG |
| Oregon | $13,906/year (University of Oregon, resident) | — | $17,400/year (on-campus, Oregon State) | Oregon Opportunity Grant |
| Pennsylvania | $20,878/year (Penn State University Park, in-state) | — | $13,880/year (Penn State University Park, room & board) | PA State Grant (up to $5,260/year) |
| Puerto Rico | $5,274/year (UPR Mayagüez, 2024-25) | — | ~$20,447/year (housing, food, books & other, off-campus) | — |
| Rhode Island | $17,476/year (University of Rhode Island, in-state) | $6,082/year (CCRI, full-time in-state) | $15,070/year (URI room & board, in-state on-campus) | RI Promise and Hope Scholarship |
| South Carolina | $12,288/year (USC Columbia, in-state, 2026-27) | About $5,300/year (Trident Technical College, in-state, 2026-27) | About $32,000/year (USC Columbia, in-state on-campus total) | LIFE Scholarship (covers $5,000) |
| South Dakota | $9,780/year (South Dakota State University, resident, 30 credits) | $7,500-$8,000/year (technical colleges, in-state) | $11,024/year (SDSU, housing & food, on-campus) | Build Dakota Scholarship (full tuition, fees, books, tools) |
| Tennessee | $13,876/year (UT Knoxville, in-state tuition & fees) | — | $14,738/year (UT Knoxville, housing & food) | Tennessee HOPE Scholarship (up to $2,850/semester) |
| Texas | $10,858-$13,576/year (UT Austin, resident, 2025-26) | — | $32,344-$35,152/year (UT Austin, in-state on-campus total) | TEXAS Grant |
| Utah | $10,480/year (University of Utah, resident, 2026-27) | $6,000/year (Salt Lake Community College, average net price) | $19,198/year (University of Utah, housing & food) | — |
| Vermont | $16,938/year (University of Vermont, resident tuition, 2026-27) | Around $6,960/year (CCV, full-time in-state) | $14,684/year (UVM, food & housing) | Vermont Grant ($1,000-$15,350/year) |
| Virginia | $21,803/year (University of Virginia, in-state, 2024-25) | $5,891/year (NOVA, in-state, 2024-25) | $14,800/year (UVA, room & board estimate) | — |
| Washington | $13,406/year (University of Washington, resident, 2026-27) | — | ~$6,156/year (UW, non-tuition costs, living with parents) | Washington College Grant |
| Washington DC | $7,776/year (UDC in-state, before fees) | $2,808/year (UDC Community College, associate degree) | $17,224/year (UDC housing & food allowance) | DCTAG (DC Tuition Assistance Grant) |
| West Virginia | $11,064/year (WVU in-state tuition & fees, 2026-27) | — | $15,028/year (WVU on-campus housing estimate) | PROMISE Scholarship, WV Higher Education Grant, WV Invests Grant |
| Wisconsin | $12,186/year (UW-Madison resident tuition & fees, 2025-26) | — | $14,520/year (UW-Madison room & board, 2025-26) | Wisconsin Grant (Higher Educational Aids Board) |
| Wyoming | — | — | — | Hathaway Scholarship |
How to use this table
Each row summarises one guide in this series. The figures are the ones quoted in that guide when it was written, and a dash means the guide does not state that item. Open a guide for its sources, the full detail and its latest update date.