tuition

American  

[too-ish-uhn, tyoo-] / tuˈɪʃ ən, tju- /

noun

• tuitions
  plural

1. the charge or fee for instruction, as at a private school or a college or university.

   The college will raise its tuition again next year.

2. teaching or instruction, as of pupils.

   a school offering private tuition in languages.

3. Archaic. guardianship or custody.

---

tuition British  

/ tjuːˈɪʃən /

noun

1. instruction, esp that received in a small group or individually

2. the payment for instruction, esp in colleges or universities

---

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• self-tuition
  noun
• tuitional
  adjective
• tuitionary
  adjective
• tuitionless
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• tuitions
  plural

Etymology

Origin of tuition

1250–1300; Middle English tuicion a looking after, guarding < Latin tuitiōn- (stem of tuitiō ), equivalent to tuit ( us ) (past participle of tuērī to watch; cf. tutelage) + -iōn- -ion

Explanation

Tuition is a fee paid for instruction or teaching, usually for higher education. Many students need to get part-time jobs to pay their college tuition. The word tuition comes from the Anglo-French word tuycioun, meaning "protection, care, custody." Some people say college protects you from the "real world," at least while you are in school, but tuition is a reality all students face. Tuition can describe any payment made for instruction, however, even for a knitting class. That tuition can probably be covered without student loans or scholarships, though.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

tuition tuitions

With their tax status removed, universities would treat tuition and sports fees as income with academic and sports costs as expenses.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 30, 2026

Coe College in Iowa announced it was cutting tuition by about 45%, to $31,850, starting next fall.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 25, 2026

For example: If your priority is paying for a grandchild’s tuition or donating to a beloved charity, you’re more likely to fall for a scheme that promises to fulfill that goal.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 25, 2026

“It does feel like a sea change right now,” said Jennifer Glowienka, the president of Carroll College in Montana, which announced a 40% tuition reduction starting in fall 2027.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 25, 2026

I was hoarding my paychecks, in case I needed the money for tuition.

From "Educated" by Tara Westover

After younger boomers finished college, access to government student loans expanded, tuitions rose and loan balances soared.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 17, 2026

The program allows businesses to receive tax credits on donations that go toward the private and religious school tuitions of mostly low-income students.

From Washington Times ● Aug. 12, 2023

Visitors from abroad are similarly astonished to discover that American families regularly pay astronomical college tuitions out of their own pockets.

From Salon ● Oct. 6, 2022

That question can be especially fraught with culinary school, where tuitions are usually high but starting wages for restaurant workers tend to be low.

From New York Times ● Mar. 28, 2022

Think of the tuitions for Montessori and music lessons.

From "Between the World and Me" by Ta-Nehisi Coates