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

And in the three years since Arkansas began allowing students to get about $7,000 annually toward tuition, about 120 new private schools opened.

From Salon ● Jul. 27, 2026

When executives relocate or are on assignment overseas, companies often shoulder much of the cost—housing subsidies, children’s tuition, moving costs and home-sale assistance.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 25, 2026

Should we spend a quarter of our life savings on my daughter’s college tuition or protect that money for my wife’s and my retirement?

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 21, 2026

Learn how the strict limits impact tuition, college costs and low-income students.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 20, 2026

I can think of only one reason my parents would need a mortgage: to pay my Ivy League tuition.

From "Water for Elephants" by Sara Gruen

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

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

Not an appealing argument to an audience who would rather be spending their retirement funds on cruises instead of grandkids' escalating tuitions.

From Salon ● Aug. 25, 2022

It was well known that absent students were punished with higher tuitions the following term.

From "The Name of the Wind" by Patrick Rothfuss