JACKSON, Miss. – The cost of college continues to escalate in Mississippi.
Students at four-year public institutions nationwide are paying an average of more than $8,000 this year for tuition and fees more than ever, according to a College Board report released Wednesday. That’s up 8.3 percent or $631 from last year.
The Clarion-Ledger reports that Mississippi public universities’ costs are increasing more slowly an average of 7 percent or $351 more than last year’s average tuition.
The College Board report finds the actual cost of tuition and fees at Mississippi public universities at $5,418 for in-state students is well below the national average of $8,244. None of the tuition is higher than $6,000.
Living on campus can more than double the cost for college students.
The national average reached $17,131 when room and board are included, compared to $12,197 in Mississippi for students living in double-occupancy rooms and purchasing the most expensive meal plan.
“We’re in the bottom few states in terms of the percentage of our citizenry that have some education beyond high school, so … access and affordability have been a real focus of the university system,” said Hank Bounds, Mississippi’s commissioner of higher education.
