Ft Wayne Times

College tuition fees rose 1.6% in Allen County in the 2022-23 school year, according to the latest disclosure from the National Center for Education Statistics.

Data shows that students paid $14,916 on average to attend higher education courses at the time, $228 more than the previous school year.

Among the eight institutions in the county, the University of Saint Francis-Fort Wayne stood out with the highest tuition fees, reaching an average of $34,050. Indiana Institute of Technology followed with an average of $29,560 per year. Trine University-Regional/Non-Traditional Campuses students were offered the lowest annual tuition fees at $9,576.

At the time, a total of $27.1 million in grants or scholarships were awarded to full-time undergraduates who started at the Allen County universities in the 2022-23 school year. Additionally, federal student loans reached $9 million.

Currently there are eight higher education institutions in Allen County, including Indiana Institute of Technology, Rudae's School of Beauty Culture-Ft Wayne, and Ross Medical Education Center-Fort Wayne.

Undergraduate education costs have seen a significant increase over the past few decades. Data shows a 169% rise in the average total cost, including tuition, fees, room, and board, between 1980 and 2020.

According to a 2023 College Board report, in-state students at public universities paid an average of $11,260, while out-of-state students paid $29,150 in the 2023-24 academic year.

Meanwhile, student loan debt has steadily increased over the last 30 years, reaching $1.75 trillion in 2024, averaging a total of $28,950 per borrower. Federal loans make up 92% of the debt, with over half of students at both public and private four-year colleges graduating with student loans.

Available data sometimes exceeds 100% due to rounding and administrative calculations.

Institution	Number of Students Receiving Grants	Total Amount of Grants Received	Average Amount of Grant Per Student	Number of Students Receiving Loans	Total Amount of Loans Received	Average Amount of Loans Per Student
Ross Medical Education Center-Fort Wayne	55	$266,888	$4,853	67	$690,013	$10,299
Rudae's School of Beauty Culture-Ft Wayne	34	$165,368	$4,864	37	$315,194	$8,519
Ravenscroft Beauty College	21	$81,172	$3,865	24	$139,661	$5,819
University of Saint Francis-Fort Wayne	356	$8,702,158	$24,444	220	$1,557,251	$7,078
Indiana Institute of Technology-College of Professional Studies	129	$724,139	$5,613	106	$573,574	$5,411
Indiana Institute of Technology	447	$9,514,075	$21,284	405	$3,459,744	$8,543
Purdue University Fort Wayne	1,160	$7,643,027	$6,589	416	$2,269,438	$5,455
Trine University-Regional/Non-Traditional Campuses	0	$0	$0	0	$0	$0