Private Colleges Report Small Tuition Increases

A survey of private colleges has found that they are increasing tuition and fees by an average of 4.3 percent for 2009-10, the smallest increase in the survey since 1972-3, when the hike was similar. The survey results reflect 350 members of the National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities. The College Board releases a more comprehensive analysis of changes in college costs in the fall. A NAICU spokesman said that the association's results are usually within two- or three-tenths of a percentage point of the College Board data. Last year, NAICU found a 5.7 percent increase and the College Board found a 5.9 percent increase for private colleges.