Meaning & use
college tuition
Last updated
Meaning
noununcountable
The money a student pays for teaching and classes at a college or university, not counting living costs or books.
Grammar: Uncountable: college tuition is rising, not a college tuition.
Patterns
- pay college tuition
- college tuition at something
Her parents saved for years to pay college tuition.
College tuition at private universities can exceed forty thousand dollars a year.
He worked two jobs to cover his college tuition.
Common combinations
- pay college tuition
- They pay college tuition in two installments.
- rising college tuition
- Rising college tuition worries many families.
- college tuition costs
- College tuition costs differ widely between states.
- free college tuition
- Some countries offer free college tuition.
- afford college tuition
- A scholarship helped her afford college tuition.
Synonyms and how they differ
- tuition fees
- Tuition fees is the standard British phrase for the same charge.
- school fees
- School fees may cover primary or secondary education, and college tuition refers to higher education.
- education costs
- Education costs is broader and includes housing, books and supplies.
Word family
Commonly confused: college tuition or intuition?
college tuition vs intuition
Intuition is an instinctive feeling, and it has no link with money or schooling.
Practice
What does college tuition cover?
Choose one answer.
Tuition is the fee for instruction. Rent, food, equipment and travel are separate expenses.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “college tuition”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.