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The U.S. Department of Education recently published a series of College Affordability and Transparency Lists to help students make informed decisions about where to go to college.

"These lists are a helpful tool for students and families as they determine what college or university is the best fit for them," Secretary of Education Arne Duncan said in a statement. "We hope this information will encourage schools to continue their efforts to make the costs of college more transparent so students make informed decisions and aren't saddled with unmanageable debt."

The Higher Education Opportunity Act of 2008 (HEOA) called for the lists to be created by July 1, 2011. Three of the lists focus on colleges' tuition and fees, and three others look at each college's "average net price," the average price of attendance for full-time students once grants and scholarships are taken into account, as follows:

1. Highest tuition and fees (top 5 percent)
2. Highest average net price (top 5 percent)
3. Lowest tuition and fees (bottom 10 percent)
4. Lowest average net price (bottom 10 percent)
5. Highest percentage increases in tuition and fees (top 5 percent)
6. Highest percentage increases in average net price (top 5 percent)

Each list is broken out into nine sectors as follows:

1. Four-year public
2. Four-year private non-profit
3. Four-year private for-profit
4. Two-year public
5. Two-year private non-profit
6. Two-year private for-profit
7. Less-than-two-year public
8. Less-than-two-year private non-profit
9. Less-than-two-year private for-profit

The lists are designed to highlight not only the high-priced colleges, but also the colleges where prices are rising quickly. The colleges where prices are rising the fastest will provide reports on the reasons for the cost increases, as well as the actions each college plans to take to address the rising prices--those reports will be summarized online.

The lists are being hosted online at the Department of Education's College Affordability and Transparency Center, which also provides information on admissions, retention and graduation rates, and financial aid.

For related news and other information from Schools.com, see:

• The 5 cheapest colleges in the country
• Most expensive colleges: Is yours on the list?
• College degrees boost earnings--even for jobs that don't require them
• Degree decisions: How to choose a college major (infographic)