1) How much would an in-state student expect to pay in total tuition, room and board for the 2016-2017 school year? How has that changed in the last year on a percentage change basis?

At the University of Arkansas, an in-state student would pay *incorrect* $19,152 for tuition, room & board. That is a 4.1% increase from the previous year. However, if you were to factor in the costs of textbooks and other expenses, that would total out to **correct** $24,302. This is 3.4% increase.

At the University of Missouri, an in-state student would pay $19,816 for tuition, room & board, which is a 2.6% increase from the previous year. If you factored in books and other expenses, that would total to $25,916, which is a 7.2% increase from the previous year.

2)How much would an out-of-state student expect to pay in total tuition, room and board for the 2016-2017 school year? How has that changed in the last year on a percentage change basis? How does that differ from in-state students?

At the University of Arkansas, an out of state student would pay $33,500 for tuition, room & board. That is a 5.7% increase from the previous year. However, if you were to factor in the costs of textbooks and other expenses, that would total out to $38,650. This is 5% increase. In both cases, this is $14,348 more than an in-state student would pay (sad).

At the University of Missouri, an out of state student would pay $36,190 for tuition, room & board, which is a 3.5% increase from the previous year. If you factored in books and other expenses, that would total to $42,290, which is a 6.1% increase from the previous year. In both cases, this costs $16,374 more than in-state.

4) Which category increased the most from the 2016-2017 school years? Raw change? Percent change?

At the UofA out of state tuition and fees increased by 6.1%, which is the highest percentage change. This is an increase of $1,342, which is the highest raw change.

At the University of Missouri, other on campus, and other on campus, tied for the largest percent change at 27.1%. These both had a raw change of $1,014, which is the highest.

5) Write a lead for a story based on your analysis.

In this situation, I believe the story lay in the large difference between in state and out of state tuition, therefore that would be my angle. My lede would be:

For University of Arkansas students hailing from outside the state, almost $15,000 more is required in tuition and fees, a number that has steadily increased in past years. (**Good one**)

6) What other information and/or sources would help you finish this story?

Data from years prior to 2013/14, statistics on how many students receive scholarships (such as the neighboring states scholarship), housing costs of each dorm hall, off campus housing costs, University of Arkansas Office of Admissions.

Spreadsheet

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