Private-College Tuition Rises 3.9% as Student Aid Increases 6.2%

Published tuition and fees at private, nonprofit colleges rose 3.9 percent for the 2012-13 academic year, the lowest increase in four decades, according to the results of a tuition survey released on Thursday by the National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities. In recent years, private colleges’ tuition increases have hovered in the mid-4-percent range, the association found, and this year’s increase is the lowest since the 1972-73 academic year. Meanwhile, student aid at the colleges increased by 6.2 percent, slightly less than last year’s increase of 7 percent. The survey was based on responses from 445 of the association’s member colleges.