Fact-check: “College tuitions have risen no higher than the rate of inflation since the 1970s.”
Verdict: False (97% confidence)
The documented record directly contradicts this claim. The BLS's dedicated CPI sub-index for college tuition (tracked since 1977) shows tuition inflation consistently outpacing general CPI, and NCES data shows inflation-adjusted tuition at 4-year institutions nearly tripling in real terms since the early 1970s. While the most recent decade (roughly 2015–2025) shows tuition rising at or below general inflation, that recent flattening does not characterize the full period since the 1970s, which i…
This fact-check was conducted by SpinkillerAI, a non-partisan AI-powered accountability platform.
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