Average net price on the decline for students in need

The average net price of attendance is often used as an indicator of affordability at colleges and universities across the nation. This is in comparison to the "sticker price" for tuition. While the "sticker price" for tuition is often viewed as a daunting number, most students and families do not pay the full amount and the net price of attendance is a more accurate example of college costs.

Net cost of attendance is a metric that takes the full cost of attending from room and board to computer equipment, books and supplies, and tuition into consideration. The average net price of attendance also factors in federal, state, and institutional scholarships and grants making it a more realistic metric.

Attending an independent, nonprofit college or university in Michigan is more affordable than may may expect.

At Michigan's independent, nonprofit colleges and universities the average net price of attending for students from families with incomes below $48,000 fell by a modest amount between 2009 and 2017. The average net price for all students attending rose slightly from about $18,000 a year to $19,000.