The Invoice

The infrastructure of and opportunities available through higher education have expanded dramatically over the decades, but at a significant price.

In 1920-21, Indiana resident School of Agriculture students were expected to complete 43 semester credits per year to graduate in four years for $14.95 per credit hour (in 2018 dollars, adjusted for inflation). One year’s classes would cost about $642 in 2018 dollars.

In 2018-19, Indiana resident College of Agriculture students are expected to complete 30 semester credits per year to graduate in four years for $333.06 per credit hour. That’s $9,992 for a year of classes.

Many factors contributed to the 21-fold increase in student credit hour fees during the past century. These include:

• significantly more facilities and services provided to undergraduate students today;
• state appropriations to the university that are a much smaller portion of the annual operating budget; and,
• the view that higher education is increasingly a private investment for personal development.

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Purdue University Undergraduate Fees and Tuition, West Lafayette Campus, 1880-2018 (excludes special additional fees for designated curricula).*

Year			Indiana Resident			2018 Dollars			Nonresident**			2018 Dollars
1880-81			$14.00			$346			$14.00			$346
1900-01***			$27.00			$810			$27.00			$810
1920-21			$51.00			$642			$86.00			$1,084
1940-41			$108.00			$1,944			$208.00			$3,744
1960-61			$240.00			$2,043			$615.00			$5,236
1980-81			$933.00			$2,853			$2,270.00			$6,942
2000-01			$3,872.00			$5,666			$12,904.00			$18,884
2018-19			$9,992.00			$9,992.00			$28,794.00			$28,794

*Due to variations in publishing dates of selected University documents, some listed fees may have become effective in the next academic year.
**Nonresident U.S. Citizens
***Due to added laboratory and library fees, juniors paid $31.00, and seniors $35.00 in 1900-01. A $25.00 non-resident “tuition” charge was introduced in 1901-02.