College Cost Per Credit Hour

The average college tuition is close to $20,000 a year for full-time students at four-year colleges. But what if you’re a part-time student or just taking a few classes? That’s when it’s important to know your school’s cost per credit hour.

Credit hours measure how much work you’re expected to do for a college course per week. One credit hour typically equals one hour of class time and two hours of work outside of class, such as homework, lab work, or a student internship.^[2]

Colleges and universities often have thresholds for when students pay tuition by the credit hour versus paying a flat rate. A part-time student might pay by credit hour. Meanwhile, a full-time student might pay the same flat rate once they reach a certain number of credits regardless of whether they take extra classes to graduate early.

It’s helpful to know your school’s policy because it can make getting your degree more affordable. Keep reading to find the average cost colleges charge for credit hours, so you can better balance your course load and your budget.

Below, we’ve calculated the average cost per credit hour based on the average cost of college in the U.S. with a couple of assumptions:

Across all school types, the average college cost per credit is $477. However, credit hours are priced differently across institution types.^{Note Reference [1]}

College students encounter expenses beyond the cost of tuition alone. Textbooks, transportation, and room and board add up. To find the all-in cost of college per credit hour, we divided the average total cost of one year of college by 30.

Many college students receive financial aid in the form of scholarships or grants. Their net cost of college equals their total college price tag minus the amount of aid they receive.

In 2020-2021, the average net price of college per credit hour was $612 at four-year institutions and $337 at two-year institutions.^[5]

The net cost of college credit hours varies across institution types, as seen in the graph below. It also depends on students’ income level. Lower incomes typically correspond to more financial aid.^{Note Reference [5]}

Fifty years ago, the average cost of college tuition per credit hour was just $27 — roughly $160 in today’s dollars.^{Note Reference [1]}

Tuition per credit hour has grown over the years. Two-year schools, including private schools and community colleges, have remained the most affordable option.

Students may try to save money by earning credit hours online, and sometimes they can. According to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) College Navigator Database, the average net price per credit hour for online colleges is $614.^[6]

(Note: Just 38 distance-learning-only institutions reported their 2021-2022 net price to NCES.)

When comparing costs for online college credit hours, the type of school makes a difference. Online college credit hours are the most affordable at public institutions. Private for-profit schools charge the most.

Two-year public schools offer the most affordable college credits to in-district students. Community colleges in six states charge less than $100 a credit hour for in-district students:^[7]

When it comes to public four-year schools, Florida offers the least expensive college credits for in-state students at $154.^{Note Reference [7]} Vermont charges the most at $589. Even so, Vermont’s four-year public schools are less expensive per credit hour for in-state students than the average four-year private nonprofit school.