1971–2026 · ONE YEAR OF IN-STATE PUBLIC COLLEGE vs SILVER
In 1971, about 282 ounces of silver paid a year of in-state public-college tuition. The chart shows what that ratio did over the next half century.
In 1971, about 282 ounces of silver paid a year of in-state public-college tuition. The chart below tracks how many ounces it takes today, every academic year since 1969. Silver is more volatile than gold against tuition, but the long-arc question is the same: has the metal kept up?
Sep 1971
Avg. one year of in-state public college
$437
Spot silver
$1.44 / oz
= 303 oz
Today
Avg. one year of in-state public college
$9,400
Spot silver
$80.75 / oz
= 116 oz
Ounces of silver to buy one year of in-state public college — FAQ
Did silver's 1980 spike close the tuition gap?
Briefly, yes. The Hunt Brothers spike pushed silver to ~$50/oz in early 1980 — at the time, that was enough silver value to cover ~3 years of in-state tuition. The spike collapsed by mid-1980; a year later silver was back in the single digits.
Has silver kept up with tuition?
Less reliably than gold. Tuition's steady upward grind compounds; silver's industrial-demand component makes its line jagged. Over the full 50-year window silver has roughly held its ground — the median-month ratio doesn't show clear deterioration — but the path has been bumpy.
Why is silver so much more volatile than gold against tuition?
Silver has a large industrial-demand component (electronics, solar). When the business cycle is hot, silver runs; when it cools, silver retraces. Tuition, by contrast, is set annually by 50 state budgets — slow-moving and one-directional. Two very different forcing functions.