"Private nonprofit four-year colleges charge, on average, $27,293 per year in tuition and fees" [1] And that's just the private schools. The public schools are

"Private nonprofit four-year colleges charge, on average, $27,293 per year in tuition and fees" [1] And that's just the private schools. The public schools are considerably cheaper: ~8k USD for in-state students and ~12k for external students. 50k USD is the full prize for the top private schools like Stanford or the Ivy League. Imagine how expensive some schools would have to be for the average to come out at 50k USD. [1]: http://www.collegeboard.com/student/pay/add-it-up/4494.html http://www.collegeboard.com/student/pay/add-it-up/4494.html