Tuition 2016. In 2016, the mean tuition of private colleges and universities was $18,230, with a standard deviation of $7272. The mean tuition for public colleges and universities was $9624, with a standard deviation of $4669.

The distribution of tuition in both groups is unimodal and symmetric. Which would be more unusual: to find a private institution with a tuition over $30,000 or to find a public institution with a tuition over $15,500? (Data in Tuition 2016 all schools)