NH and Vermont show highest in-state college tuition costs

The cost of higher education continues to grow, with New Hampshire and Vermont leading the way.

The College Board says the cost of in-state tuition at four-year public universities climbed an average of roughly $400 this fall to $8,655, an increase of nearly 5 percent.

New Hampshire and Vermont have the highest published in-state tuition charges, at around $14,000 each. Maine is 16th among the states at just under $9,500. That compares to Wyoming on the low end, at less than $4,300.

Nationally, room-and-board charges grew by a comparable amount, raising the full cost for students living on campus to $17,860. The report largely blames state cuts for rising tuition.

The latest figures send mixed signals. Report co-author Sandy Baum says higher education is devouring an ever-increasing share of family incomes, but the numbers could also signal that unsustainable trends in costs, borrowing and aid are at last beginning to break.