Import/Export Price Indexes • mxpinfo@bls.gov • www.bls.gov/mxp • (202) 691-7101/

www.bls.gov

Measuring Price Change for Export Postsecondary 

Education in the U.S. Import/Export Price Indexes

Import/Export Price Indexes • mxpinfo@bls.gov • www.bls.gov/mxp • (202) 691-7101

The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Export 

Postsecondary Education Index measures changes in 

prices for services provided by postsecondary 

educational institutions to foreign students studying in 

the United States. BLS first began to publish the Export 

Postsecondary Education Index in 2007 and 

discontinued publication in 2008. The index was 

published annually, at the end of each academic year. 

BLS publishes international services price indexes for air 

freight and air passenger fares. Historical data are 

available for crude oil tanker freight and ocean liner 

freight (http://www.bls.gov/web/discsrv.htm), 

education (http://www.bls.gov/web/srv3.htm) and 

travel and tourism services 

(http://www.bls.gov/web/srv2.htm). 

The Export Postsecondary Education Index measures 

price changes for room and board as well as tuition and 

fees paid by foreign, nonresident alien students at 

American colleges, universities, technical and 

professional schools. For example, the annual tuition 

rate paid by a German student pursuing a Master’s 

degree in the United States would be included in the 

Export Postsecondary Education Index. Expenditures by 

foreign students on non-institutional expenses, such as 

airfare, books, entertainment, and other living expenses 

are excluded from this index. BLS publishes indexes for 

four distinct groupings of prices received by U.S. 

educational institutions: tuition and fees versus room 

and board; graduate studies versus undergraduate 

studies; private institutions versus public institutions; 

and prices grouped by the region in which the 

educational institution is located. These divisions allow 

for a more refined analysis of the price changes of 

particular components of the education market. 

Regional groupings follow the definitions used by the 

U.S. Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Economic 

Analysis (BEA) Regional Accounts. The U.S. Department 

of Commerce’s Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) is a 

primary user of the Export Postsecondary Education 

Index. BEA uses these indexes to adjust the Balance of 

Payments Accounts and to deflate the Gross Domestic 

Product. 

Data Selection 

The Export Postsecondary Education Index uses data 

from the U.S. Department of Education National Center 

for Education Statistics’ Integrated Postsecondary Data 

System (IPEDS). BLS uses institutional information, 

numbers of foreign students, as well as price 

information from this source to calculate the index. 

The IPEDS dataset represents a near-universe of 

colleges and universities in the United States. BLS does 

not sample for the Export Postsecondary Education 

Index, but uses all available IPEDS data for institutions 

who report having foreign students in attendance. BLS 

excludes medical and law schools, as well as some 

specialized institutions, such as seminaries and military 

academies. 

Pricing 

Pricing data for the Export Postsecondary Education 

Index are obtained annually from IPEDS. The pricing 

data represent average prices paid for tuition, fees, 

room, and/or board for a full academic year by a fulltime student. Prices for books, local transportation, offcampus living expenses, and entertainment are not 

included due to the lack of available data. Prices for 

international airfare also are excluded from this index 

since these price changes are measured by other U.S. 

Import/Export Price Indexes. 
Import/Export Price Indexes • mxpinfo@bls.gov • www.bls.gov/mxp • (202) 691-7101/

www.bls.gov

Measuring Price Change for Export Postsecondary 

Education in the U.S. Import/Export Price Indexes

Import/Export Price Indexes • mxpinfo@bls.gov • www.bls.gov/mxp • (202) 691-7101

Trade Value Weights 

The revenue weights used for index calculation are 

derived from IPEDS data. Expenditures are determined 

using numbers of foreign students and the prices of 

their respective institutions. Weights are calculated 

annually with a one year lag. 

Additional Information 

Additional information on the U.S. Import/Export Price 

Indexes can be found in “International Price Indexes,” 

BLS Handbook of Methods, Bulletin 2490 (Bureau of 

Labor Statistics, 1997), Chapter 15. This chapter also is 

available on the BLS Internet site 

(http://www.bls.gov/mxp) under the topic 

"Publications." You may contact the International Price 

Program of BLS by telephone at (202) 691-7101 or by email at mxpinfo@bls.gov. 

Information in this report is in the public domain and 

may be reproduced without permission. This 

information is available to sensory impaired individuals 

upon request. Voice phone: (202) 691-5200; TDD 

Federal Relay Service: 1-800-877-8339. 

Last Modified Date: December 12, 2011