Cost comparison
Affordable colleges in California
CampusPin lists 420 colleges in California. The 40 below are ordered by lowest published in-state tuition, with a median of $1,156 and a median average net price of $5,380 among those reporting it. Tuition, total cost, and net price are three different numbers — the table keeps them separate.
California college costs by the numbers
- Lowest published in-state tuition
- Barstow Community College ($1,104)
- Median in-state tuition (40 reporting)
- $1,156
- Median net price after aid (40 reporting)
- $5,380
- Highest graduation rate
- Irvine Valley College (57%)
- Most selective
- Barstow Community College (100% acceptance)
- Largest by enrollment
- East Los Angeles College (33,677 students)
California colleges by published in-state tuition
Lowest published in-state tuition first. Every figure is as reported by the institution to federal data collections; blank cells are unreported values, not zeros.
| College | In-state tuition | Out-of-state tuition | Avg. net price | Graduation rate | Acceptance rate | Public/private | Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Barstow Community College | $1,104 | $9,744 | $12,773 | 39% | Open admission | Public | Barstow, CA |
| Taft College | $1,108 | $10,852 | $2,823 | 28% | Open admission | Public | Taft, CA |
| Antelope Valley Community College District | $1,124 | $9,548 | $8,263 | 34% | Open admission | Public | Lancaster, CA |
| Woodland Community College | $1,124 | $7,656 | $4,097 | 43% | Open admission | Public | Woodland, CA |
| Yuba College | $1,128 | $8,208 | $2,576 | 40% | Open admission | Public | Marysville, CA |
| Lake Tahoe Community College | $1,131 | $11,103 | $8,516 | 45% | Open admission | Public | South Lake Tahoe, CA |
| Compton College | $1,142 | $8,822 | $12,647 | 27% | Open admission | Public | Compton, CA |
| El Camino Community College District | $1,144 | $7,630 | $5,968 | 42% | Open admission | Public | Torrance, CA |
| Lassen Community College | $1,144 | $9,280 | $7,677 | 31% | Open admission | Public | Susanville, CA |
| San Diego City College | $1,146 | $10,002 | $7,935 | 30% | Open admission | Public | San Diego, CA |
| San Diego Mesa College | $1,146 | $10,002 | $5,814 | 35% | Open admission | Public | San Diego, CA |
| San Diego Miramar College | $1,146 | $10,002 | $3,337 | 48% | Open admission | Public | San Diego, CA |
| Imperial Valley College | $1,148 | $8,852 | $1,115 | 45% | Open admission | Public | Imperial, CA |
| Chabot College | $1,150 | $8,686 | $4,616 | 47% | Open admission | Public | Hayward, CA |
| Cypress College | $1,150 | $12,379 | $4,606 | 37% | Open admission | Public | Cypress, CA |
| Fullerton College | $1,150 | $12,379 | $6,134 | 34% | Open admission | Public | Fullerton, CA |
| Allan Hancock College | $1,156 | $9,892 | $5,383 | 26% | Open admission | Public | Santa Maria, CA |
| Irvine Valley College | $1,156 | $11,860 | $2,090 | 57% | Open admission | Public | Irvine, CA |
| Napa Valley College | $1,156 | $11,908 | $14,644 | 43% | Open admission | Public | Napa, CA |
| Saddleback College | $1,156 | $11,860 | $4,152 | 48% | Open admission | Public | Mission Viejo, CA |
| Santa Monica College | $1,156 | $10,708 | $2,779 | 36% | Open admission | Public | Santa Monica, CA |
| MiraCosta College | $1,158 | $9,750 | $7,339 | 41% | Open admission | Public | Oceanside, CA |
| Santiago Canyon College | $1,164 | $9,612 | $2,129 | 48% | Open admission | Public | Orange, CA |
| College of the Canyons | $1,166 | $10,958 | $2,114 | 45% | Open admission | Public | Santa Clarita, CA |
| Las Positas College | $1,168 | $9,808 | $5,377 | 53% | Open admission | Public | Livermore, CA |
| Solano Community College | $1,172 | $9,812 | $4,669 | 36% | Open admission | Public | Fairfield, CA |
| Pasadena City College | $1,180 | $9,820 | $3,864 | 48% | Open admission | Public | Pasadena, CA |
| San Joaquin Delta College | $1,180 | $9,772 | $8,508 | 35% | Open admission | Public | Stockton, CA |
| Santa Ana College | $1,180 | $10,756 | $3,133 | 31% | Open admission | Public | Santa Ana, CA |
| Chaffey College | $1,184 | $11,120 | $5,672 | 36% | Open admission | Public | Rancho Cucamonga, CA |
| Crafton Hills College | $1,188 | $14,556 | $11,331 | 31% | Open admission | Public | Yucaipa, CA |
| Monterey Peninsula College | $1,188 | $10,572 | $11,373 | 40% | Open admission | Public | Monterey, CA |
| Glendale Community College | $1,191 | $10,935 | $7,461 | 37% | Open admission | Public | Glendale, CA |
| San Bernardino Valley College | $1,196 | $14,382 | $8,234 | 28% | Open admission | Public | San Bernardino, CA |
| Shasta College | $1,197 | $8,853 | $2,878 | 23% | Open admission | Public | Redding, CA |
| College of the Redwoods | $1,198 | $8,854 | $3,214 | 34% | Open admission | Public | Eureka, CA |
| Merced College | $1,200 | $8,520 | $5,040 | 36% | Open admission | Public | Merced, CA |
| Ohlone College | $1,202 | $8,714 | $11,130 | 52% | Open admission | Public | Fremont, CA |
| Citrus College | $1,204 | $10,636 | $4,135 | 41% | Open admission | Public | Glendora, CA |
| East Los Angeles College | $1,238 | $10,572 | $10,852 | 37% | Open admission | Public | Monterey Park, CA |
“Open admission” means the college reports an open-admission policy to the federal IPEDS survey (2024-25), or reported admitting every applicant. Programs such as nursing can still have their own entry requirements, so confirm with the college.
What the California cost data shows
- Barstow Community College has the lowest published in-state tuition on this page at $1,104 per year. Published tuition is the sticker price and excludes housing, food, books, and fees.
- Median average net price is $5,380 across the 40 colleges here that report it. Net price includes housing and other costs, so it can exceed tuition alone.
How this list was built
This page lists colleges CampusPin holds for California, sorted by published in-state tuition, lowest first. That sort is the only ranking applied — there is no CampusPin score, no editorial ordering, and no “#1 cheapest” claim.
Published tuition is the sticker price for instruction. Total cost of attendance adds housing, food, books, and fees. Average net price is what students actually paid on average after grant and scholarship aid, reported to federal collections for a prior entering class. Net price is an average across a whole cohort and varies substantially by family income, so treat it as a comparison tool between colleges rather than a prediction of your own bill.
Figures come from the institution’s federal reporting (420 of 420 California institutions report in-state tuition). Always confirm current costs with the college’s financial aid office before making a decision.
Frequently asked questions
- What is the cheapest college in California?
- Of the 40 California colleges on this page, Barstow Community College in Barstow reports the lowest published in-state tuition at $1,104 per year. That is the sticker price before aid and before housing and food; the college's net price after grants may rank differently.
- Is tuition the same as the total cost of college?
- No. Published tuition covers instruction only. Total cost of attendance adds housing, food, books, transportation, and fees. Net price is what students actually paid on average after grant and scholarship aid was applied, and across the 40 California colleges reporting it here the median is $5,380. Compare all three before deciding a college is or isn't affordable.
- Will I personally pay these amounts at a California college?
- Almost certainly not exactly. Net price varies widely by family income, and the figures here are averages across a previous entering class reported to federal collections. Use them to compare colleges against each other, then run the numbers for your own situation with the net price estimator and confirm with each financial aid office.
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Data sources & methodology
Cost, aid, and outcome figures for California colleges are compiled from federal datasets and each institution's own reporting.
Sources used across this page
Not every source informs every figure. Each data point draws on the source appropriate to it see the relevant section and the data dictionary for field-level provenance.
IPEDS / NCES College Navigator
Federal enrollment, admissions, tuition, retention, and program data. Released annually with a 1–2 year lag.
U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard
Net price by income band, post-graduation earnings, and federal aid context.
Institutional websites
Each school's official admissions, registrar, and financial-aid pages are the authoritative source for current details.
Where a value is unavailable it is shown as unavailable, never as 0, free, or a negative judgment. Always confirm final details with the institution before applying.
Suggested citation
CampusPin. Affordable Colleges in California. Retrieved from https://campuspin.com/affordable-colleges/california