To get needed funding, women entrepreneurs must overcome bias as well as come up with great business plans. : If this is your first time registering, please check your inbox for more information about the benefits of your Forbes account and what you can do next! The average annual cost of a private four-year college is $32,410 and a public college (in-state) $9,410, according to the CollegeBoard. College is expensive. More than 44 million Americans owe $1.6 trillion in student debt, writes Zack Friedman, a Forbes contributor.