A new report shows Missouri continues to lead the nation on an important measure of college affordability. The College Board’s 2013 Trends in College Pricing report shows that tuition and fees at Missouri’s public four-year institutions increased just 5 percent since 2008.

That’s lower than in any other state in the nation.

“College affordability continues to be a top priority of my administration because we want more Missouri families sending their kids to college and more students starting careers without a heavy burden of debt,” Gov. Nixon said. “That is why, while other states have seen double-digit tuition hikes, here in Missouri we’ve minimized tuition increases by negotiating an unprecedented two-year tuition freeze and supporting our scholarship and financial aid programs.

“This independent report confirms once again that these efforts have helped make our state a national leader when it comes to college affordability. By making sure college is an affordable option for every Missouri family, we will continue to expand opportunities for students and keep our economy moving forward.”

Missouri’s 5 percent increase over the past five years is especially notable in comparison to the increases seen in neighboring states; seven of eight of those states saw increases of 15 percent of more.

The governor’s office supplied this list from the College Board annual survey.

Five-Year Percentage Changes in Inflation-Adjusted Tuition and Fees, 2008-09 to 2013-14:
US United States 27%

MO Missouri 5%
MD Maryland 8%
ME Maine 9%
MT Montana 10%
OK Oklahoma 10%
NJ New Jersey 11%
ND North Dakota 12%
WY Wyoming 15%
OH Ohio 15%
IA Iowa 15%
SC South Carolina 15%
AR Arkansas 15%
NE Nebraska 16%
VT Vermont 16%
TX Texas 16%
IN Indiana 16%
PA Pennsylvania 16%
IL Illinois 18%
AK Alaska 18%
MN Minnesota 19%
CT Connecticut 20%
MI Michigan 20%
KY Kentucky 20%
WI Wisconsin 21%
KS Kansas 21%
MA Massachusetts 23%
NM New Mexico 25%
MS Mississippi 25%
WV West Virginia 25%
NY New York 27%
SD South Dakota 28%
DE Delaware 28%
VA Virginia 29%
ID Idaho 29%
OR Oregon 30%
UT Utah 30%
TN Tennessee 33%
RI Rhode Island 33%
NH New Hampshire 34%
NV Nevada 37%
NC North Carolina 40%
AL Alabama 44%
HI Hawaii 47%
CO Colorado 48%
LA Louisiana 51%
FL Florida 56%
CA California 57%
WA Washington 58%
GA Georgia 65%
AZ Arizona 70%