College tuition up 13% this fall

College tuition is up 13 percent for the new school year -- double what it cost to send a youngster to college in 1972 -- the College Board says. A survey by the nonprofit educational association serving students and schools showed the most expensive private school -- at $12,030 per school year -- is Bennington College in Bennington, Vt.

Twelve other schools in the Northeast, where the high cost of imported oil adds to bills, were also in the $11,000-plus range. By contrast, total costs at the most expensive public colleges will run about $6,000 in the 1981-82 school year, according to the survey of 1,160 colleges.

The report showed resident student costs rose slightly more at public colleges -- 14 percent, or $464, more than last year -- than a private colleges, where costs rose 13 percent or $803.

The College Board cited these average tuition costs:

* Public two-year colleges, $3,230, and private two-year, $5,604.

* Public two-year, $3,873, and private four-year, $6,885.

Students commuting from home will see the smallest increase -- an 11 percent increase at private colleges and 10 percent at public schools.

Since the 1972-73 school year, college bills have doubled. Average total expenses are up by 95 percent at public colleges and 110 percent at private colleges, the report said. However, the college expense rate runs behind the 123 percent inflation rate over the same period.