For-Profit College Costs Surpass Nonprofit Peers in U.S. Study

The average cost of attending a four-year for-profit college surpassed expenses at both U.S. state and private nonprofit universities, a government report found.

Full-time students paid an average of $30,900 annually at the for-profit schools in the 2007-2008 academic year, almost double the $15,600 average paid at public universities, according to U.S. Education Department data released and included in The Condition of Education report. The average cost of attending a private nonprofit college was $26,600, the study said.