Following President Obama’s State of the Union address in which he called on higher education institutions to keep costs down, the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities (APLU) has unveiled a new guide to show how public universities are working to contain their costs while providing a quality education to their students.

The 12-page report, developed by APLU’s statistical research team, answers the most common questions about college costs and the value of a college degree.  The report, which can be accessed at APLU. org shows that APLU member institutions – including Fresno State – are taking important steps to contain their costs, strengthen their quality and increase graduate rates.

“Our public higher education institutions have faced the dual challenge in recent years of falling state appropriations and large increases in student enrollment,” said APLU President Peter McPherson said. “These factors have caused a substantial increase in tuition even though public schools have kept their education cost per student to an average of just 1.2 percent above the rate of inflation for many years.”

Some key stats found in APLU’s new report include:

  • The published average annual tuition and fees for an in-state student at a four-year public university was $8,655 in 2012–13.
  • Public university enrollment has increased 23 percent since 2000.
  • State appropriations were cut 7.6 percent in 2011-12 – the largest cut in 30 years. (Center for Education Policy)
  • Per-student state funding for public universities fell by more than 20 percent in the 17 states with the largest cuts over the past five years. (SHEEO)
  • The average annual cost to attend a four-year public college in 35 states and the District of Columbia in 2011 was cheaper than the average annual cost to care for an infant in a childcare center.
  • 44 percent of students graduate from public universities with no debt.
  • On average, college graduates earn nearly twice as much as high school graduates – the largest gap since 1915. (U.S. Department of Treasury and U.S. Bureau of Labor and Statistics)