New U.S. Education Department Data Identify High- and Low-Cost Schools: The U.S. Department of Education’s latest college cost report shows minority-serving institutions with some of the lowest net prices nationwide while others are struggling to keep tuition down due to state cuts and other factors.
The education department on Tuesday released its second annual set of data on the highest- and lowest-price colleges and universities by sector, meeting a mandate established by Congress in 2008. “These lists are a major step forward in unraveling the mystery of higher education pricing,” Secretary of Education Arne Duncan said when releasing the data.
In the four-year public sector, Puerto Rico placed four colleges and universities among the top 10 with the lowest net price, which is tuition minus average grant and scholarship aid. Macon State College in Georgia had the lowest net price, followed by two Puerto Rico institutions--Escuela de Artes Plasticas and University of Puerto Rico-Bayamon.
