U.S. higher education costs have surged over the past year, according to a Sallie Mae/Ipsos report out Wednesday.
The new report found that total college costs for families climbed to an estimated $34,019 during the 2025-26 academic year, marking a 10% rise from the year prior, Higher Ed Dive reported. Meanwhile, U.S. families had to pay out of pocket for 49% of those education costs.
A Sallie Mae spokesperson told the Daily Caller News Foundation that the new report “finds that college spending rose but that’s not necessarily a function of higher tuition alone.” The spokesperson added that the $34,019 total spent during the 2025-26 academic year “includes every dollar used towards higher education last year which is everything from tuition and fees to books, technology, meals, housing, travel, and other related expenses.”
Union apprenticeships are free, however apprentices do have to buy their own books like college students.