Another aspect of The Wall Street Journal/Times Higher Education college rankings published 9/6/18 that I found interesting was the average net price report. The average net price parents and/or students pay for the first year of school is based on Education Department numbers. The TCU average net price is listed on the WSJ report as $33,362. However, according to TCU's website, the total estimated cost for the fall and spring is $60,704.1 OU's website lists direct costs as $24,0072 for residents versus the WSJ average net price of $11,762.
Why only show the first year net price in the WSJ college rankings? You can't be sure your son or daughter will have the grades or other determinants to keep their scholarship(s) beyond their freshman year. An analysis by MONEY in 2014 showed that 5% of students lost all of their merit-based awards after freshman year; Some schools had an even more significant dropoff.3
1https://financialaid.tcu.edu/what-is-the-cost/
2 http://www.ou.edu/bursar/tuition_fees
3 http://time.com/money/collection-post/3149027/dont-lose-your-college-scholarship/