Think your college tuition cost is high? Growth is slowest in decades

College tuition in the United States is growing more slowly than it has in decades, according to new figures released by the Labor Department.

After financial aid is factored in, tuition for college and graduate school grew increased last year by 1.9 percent, The Wall Street Journal reports.

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That’s well below the average rate of tuition growth. From 1990 through 2016, tuition increased by an average of 6 percent a year, more that twice the rate of inflation in that time period, according to WSJ.

Over the last three decades, WSJ reported, tuition costs rose by about 400 percent.

As the cost of a college degree and student loan debt continues to be big criticisms in higher education, tuition and fees have become the focus of more scrutiny over the last few years.

In Ohio, tuition at all public universities is set to remain frozen for the next two years while the state’s community colleges will be able to up tuition by $10 per credit hour beginning in the 2018-2019 school year. Sinclair Community College in Dayton and Clark State Community College in Springfield have already approved tuition hikes, though those will now be postponed if not eliminated altogether.

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While public colleges in Ohio face state imposed freezes, private schools do not. From 1990 to 2016, WSJ found that the average annual cost for a private four-year college, including living expenses, increased by 161 percent.

The University of Dayton announced in February that it would increase tuition by 2 percent for the 2017-2018 academic year. The increase, the lowest in 45 years at UD, was touted as a success by administrators.

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