The DOE released its College Affordability and Transparency list Thursday, outlining the most affordable and most expensive schools in the U.S. The online list tracks tuition costs among the top and bottom 5 percent of four-year and two-year schools. The measures include public, private and for-profit colleges and universities.
The cheapest system is the University of Puerto Rico, where annual tuition is around $2,000 per year.
But things are much tougher for California students. The DOE looked at tuition increases since 2007, and found that of the 30 public universities with the biggest jump in tuition, 22 are California schools.
Sixteen of those are part of the Cal State system.
Also according to the DOE list, the University of Texas Health Sciences Center at San Antonio ranks at the top for highest net price for four-year public schools, with annual costs of $24,192 in 2008-09.
On the other end of the spectrum, Sitting Bull College in North Dakota tops the list of most affordable four-year schools with a net price of just $938. That's compared to a national average of $10,747.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
