Private College Tuition Discounts Continue to Hit Highs

Title: 2016 NACUBO Tuition Discounting Study

Source: National Association of College and University Business Officers (NACUBO)

According to a report released by NACUBO this week, private colleges and universities are discounting their tuition revenue at the highest rates to date.

By offering grants, scholarships and fellowships, the institutions that participated in the 2016 NACUBO Tuition Discounting Study averaged an estimated 49.1 percent institutional tuition discount rate for first-time, full-time students in 2016-17—the highest in the history of the survey. This means that for every dollar in gross tuition revenue from those freshmen, institutions used nearly half for grant-based financial aid.

However, the findings also reveal that while many private colleges are expanding their aid programs to meet the needs of more students and families, these expenditures are contributing to the financial strain on some institutions.