US colleges slash tuition by tens of thousands as families balk at sky-high sticker prices

As a record-low number of Americans believe attending college is crucial for success, colleges across the country are slashing tuition by tens of thousands of dollars — though the eye-popping cuts often won’t translate into equally large savings for families.The Post identified at least a dozen colleges and universities that have cut or announced cuts to tuition or required program fees this year, with several private schools chopping published undergraduate prices by roughly 40% to more than 50%.Emory & Henry University in Virginia cut tuition roughly in half to $19,990 this fall, while Arizona’s Prescott College lowered on-campus undergraduate tuition 55.8%, from $33,960 to $15,000.The University of Tulsa plans to cut undergraduate tuition and university fees from $54,000 to $25,000 in fall 2027 — a $29,000, or 53.7%, reduction.Coe College in Iowa will drop tuition from $58,780 to $31,850 for 2027-28, while Montana’s Carroll College will cut tuition and general undergraduate fees from $44,712 to $26,800.Concordia University, St.Paul in Minnesota will cut tuition by $5,500 to $21,700 for on-campus undergraduates beginning in fall 2027.The trend, first reported by Bloomberg, is challenging a private-college pricing model in which schools post daunting tuition rates, then heavily discount them with merit scholarships and institutional grants.The average institutional discount rate for first-time undergraduates at participating private colleges reached 57.1% in the 2025-26 academic year.Nick Standlea, founder of High School Reach, which helps families compare college costs and financial-aid offers, told The Post that the tuition resets reflect a shift away from the high-price, high-aid model.That means many students already pay far less than sticker price — and some colleges are shrinking scholarships as they lower tuition.“The high sticker price existed partly to make large scholarships feel valuable,” Standlea said.“But as consumer sentiment s...