The cost of attending a four-year public university rose by 22 percent between 2001 and 2004, according to a Department of Education report released this month.

According to the annual report, in-state students at public institutions are feeling the brunt of a nationwide increase in education costs.

The average price for an in-state student to attend a four-year public institution increased by 33 percent, from $11,700 in 2001 to $14,320 in 2004. Out-of-state students saw their total costs rise by 27.2 percent from $17,576 in 2001 to $21,621 in 2004.

The cost increases affect students attending two-year programs at state schools. In-state students in two-year programs saw costs rise from $7,877 in 2001 to $9,257 in 2005, a margin of exactly 30 percent. Increases for out-of-state two year students rose by 19.1 percent, from $10,077 in 2001 to $11,876 in 2002.

Costs for students of private institutions are also on the rise. Costs for four-year students attending for-profit institutions rose 18 percent, from $23,192 in 2001 to $27,852 in 2004. Two-year programs showed a smaller increase – 14.7 percent, from $18,592 in 2001 to $23,150 in 2005.

The story is much the same in the nonprofit private education category, where costs for four-year students jumped from $22,606 in 2001 to $26,292 in 2004. That margin of increase, 18 percent, is nearly matched by the margin for two-year private nonprofit institutions, from $15,487 to $17,889.

Of the degrees awarded in the United States in 2004, 58.2 percent went to women, up from 57.9 percent the year before. Men, on the other hand, saw their percentages drop from 42.1 percent to 41.8 percent.

The number of degrees awarded to black and Hispanic students also increased slightly.

“Postsecondary Institutions in the United States” is an annual report released annually by the Department of Education. It contains figures on racial and economic demographics, degrees earned and costs of attendance at U.S. higher education institutions.