page_title: Private university
section_title: United States
hierarchical_section_title: Private university / Americas / United States
caption_attribution_description: Upper Quad Gate in the fall
context_page_description: Private universities are usually not operated by governments, although many receive tax breaks, public student loans, and grants. Depending on their location, private universities may be subject to government regulation. This is in contrast to public universities and national universities. Many private universities are nonprofit organizations.
context_section_description: In the US, 4,648 out of 6,606 post-secondary institutions (70%) were private as of 2016–17, of which 1,823 (39%) were non-profit and 2,825 (61%) were for-profit. Among degree-granting four-year institutions, 2,095 were private out of 2,832 (74%), of which 1,581 (75%) were non-profit and 514 (25%) were for-profit. About 20% of American college students attend private colleges. Most of the remainder attend state-supported schools. Universities base their selections on academic performance as well as many secondary factors.
  Tuition at private universities tends to be higher than at public universities, though many private universities offer financial aid as well. For example, at  Washington University in St. Louis, 48% of students receive some form of financial support from either the university or the federal government, averaging $34,990. This is mostly in the form of performance-based scholarships although 13% of freshmen typically receive need-based aid averaging $8,017.
caption: The University of Pennsylvania
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