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.

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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

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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

Infant tuition for two had already been unaffordable, so the family placed the 1-year-olds with a nanny instead, at $7,000 a month.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 17, 2026

Their costs are embedded in tuition and fees, endowment income, donor support and government funding.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 14, 2026

They’ve also considered the fact that with residency or citizenship they could retire or Portugal or their son could attend a university in Europe, where tuition amounts to a fraction of U.S. costs.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 13, 2026

Nothing yet has stopped the inexorable rise in college costs, but there may be signs that government regulations, financial-aid rule changes and family behaviors could start to curb tuition inflation.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 12, 2026

She sincerely hoped that the first tuition payment of fourteen dollars might be refunded to the diocese.

From "Nine Stories" by J. D. Salinger

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

By that point, the TV veteran had been unemployed for more than six months, and his children’s private school tuitions were looming over him like the sword of Damocles.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 22, 2024

As tuitions rose, people had trouble making their loan payments.

From New York Times ● Jan. 18, 2024

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

Think of the tuitions for Montessori and music lessons.

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