Community colleges
Community Colleges in California
CampusPin lists 102 public community colleges among California's 420 colleges, about 24.3% of the state's institutions. Community colleges are the most affordable on-ramp to higher education, with a median published in-state tuition of $1,288 in this snapshot.
California community colleges by the numbers
- Community colleges
- 102
- Share of state colleges
- 24.3%
- Median published in-state tuition
- $1,288
- National public 2-year median
- $4,288
Counts and shares come from CampusPin's committed institution-distribution snapshot; the tuition median is the published in-state figure from the tuition-by-state snapshot. Those cover every community college in the state. Here a community college means a public two-year college; private two-year and career schools are not counted. The list below shows the first 100 of 102 alphabetically, so per-college superlatives are withheld on this page rather than computed over part of the state. Published prices are before financial aid, net price is typically lower, and lower tuition is not a measure of quality.
What work without a bachelor's degree pays in California
69% of jobs in California are in occupations the federal government reports as typically entered with an associate degree, a certificate, some college, a high-school diploma, or no formal credential. 27% of that employment pays more than $58,240, the median wage across all occupations there.
- Jobs not typically needing a bachelor's
- 69%
- Of those, paying above the local median
- 27%
- California median wage, all occupations
- $58,240
- Best-paid such occupation in California
- Radiation therapists ($166,450) — typically entered with an associate's degree
These figures describe occupations, not graduates. They do not measure what community-college students in California earn, and they are not evidence that any credential caused the pay. Typical entry education is a national assignment describing what people entering an occupation usually hold, not a requirement and not a guarantee that a particular employer accepts it. A median describes everyone working in an occupation, experienced and new alike, so it is not a starting salary, and wages are not adjusted for cost of living.
All community colleges in California
- Allan Hancock College, Santa Maria · $1,156 published in-state tuition
- American River College, Sacramento · $1,288 published in-state tuition
- Barstow Community College, Barstow · $1,104 published in-state tuition
- Berkeley City College, Berkeley · $1,258 published in-state tuition
- Butte College, Oroville · $1,356 published in-state tuition
- Cabrillo College, Aptos · $1,270 published in-state tuition
- California Indian Nations College, Palm Desert · $7,743 published in-state tuition
- Canada College, Redwood City · $1,332 published in-state tuition
- Cerritos College, Norwalk · $1,364 published in-state tuition
- Cerro Coso Community College, Ridgecrest · $1,384 published in-state tuition
- Chabot College, Hayward · $1,150 published in-state tuition
- Chaffey College, Rancho Cucamonga · $1,184 published in-state tuition
- Citrus College, Glendora · $1,204 published in-state tuition
- City College of San Francisco, San Francisco · $1,696 published in-state tuition
- Clovis Community College, Fresno · $1,378 published in-state tuition
- Coalinga College, Coalinga · $1,384 published in-state tuition
- Coastline Community College, Fountain Valley · $1,364 published in-state tuition
- College of Alameda, Alameda · $1,258 published in-state tuition
- College of Marin, Kentfield · $1,558 published in-state tuition
- College of San Mateo, San Mateo · $1,332 published in-state tuition
- College of the Canyons, Santa Clarita · $1,166 published in-state tuition
- College of the Desert, Palm Desert · $1,326 published in-state tuition
- College of the Redwoods, Eureka · $1,198 published in-state tuition
- College of the Sequoias, Visalia · $1,394 published in-state tuition
- College of the Siskiyous, Weed · $1,444 published in-state tuition
- Columbia College, Sonora · $1,282 published in-state tuition
- Compton College, Compton · $1,142 published in-state tuition
- Contra Costa College, San Pablo · $1,312 published in-state tuition
- Copper Mountain Community College, Joshua Tree · $1,390 published in-state tuition
- Cosumnes River College, Sacramento · $1,288 published in-state tuition
- Crafton Hills College, Yucaipa · $1,188 published in-state tuition
- Cuesta College, San Luis Obispo · $1,350 published in-state tuition
- Cuyamaca College, El Cajon · $1,346 published in-state tuition
- De Anza College, Cupertino · $1,571 published in-state tuition
- Diablo Valley College, Pleasant Hill · $1,312 published in-state tuition
- East Los Angeles College, Monterey Park · $1,238 published in-state tuition
- El Camino Community College District, Torrance · $1,144 published in-state tuition
- Evergreen Valley College, San Jose · $1,366 published in-state tuition
- Folsom Lake College, Folsom · $1,288 published in-state tuition
- Fresno City College, Fresno · $1,334 published in-state tuition
- Fullerton College, Fullerton · $1,150 published in-state tuition
- Gavilan College, Gilroy · $1,508 published in-state tuition
- Glendale Community College, Glendale · $1,191 published in-state tuition
- Golden West College, Huntington Beach · $1,380 published in-state tuition
- Grossmont College, El Cajon · $1,332 published in-state tuition
- Hartnell College, Salinas · $1,404 published in-state tuition
- Imperial Valley College, Imperial · $1,148 published in-state tuition
- Irvine Valley College, Irvine · $1,156 published in-state tuition
- Lake Tahoe Community College, South Lake Tahoe · $1,131 published in-state tuition
- Laney College, Oakland · $1,258 published in-state tuition
- Las Positas College, Livermore · $1,168 published in-state tuition
- Lassen Community College, Susanville · $1,144 published in-state tuition
- Lemoore College, Lemoore · $1,384 published in-state tuition
- Long Beach City College, Long Beach · $1,556 published in-state tuition
- Los Angeles City College, Los Angeles · $1,238 published in-state tuition
- Los Angeles County College of Nursing and Allied Health, Los Angeles
- Los Angeles Harbor College, Wilmington · $1,238 published in-state tuition
- Los Angeles Mission College, Sylmar · $1,238 published in-state tuition
- Los Angeles Pierce College, Woodland Hills · $1,238 published in-state tuition
- Los Angeles Southwest College, Los Angeles · $1,238 published in-state tuition
- Los Angeles Trade Technical College, Los Angeles · $1,238 published in-state tuition
- Los Angeles Valley College, Valley Glen · $1,238 published in-state tuition
- Los Medanos College, Pittsburg · $1,312 published in-state tuition
- Madera Community College, Madera · $1,378 published in-state tuition
- Mendocino College, Ukiah · $1,423 published in-state tuition
- Merced College, Merced · $1,200 published in-state tuition
- Merritt College, Oakland · $1,258 published in-state tuition
- Mission College, Santa Clara · $1,438 published in-state tuition
- Monterey Peninsula College, Monterey · $1,188 published in-state tuition
- Moorpark College, Moorpark · $1,426 published in-state tuition
- Moreno Valley College, Moreno Valley · $1,428 published in-state tuition
- Mt San Antonio College, Walnut · $1,364 published in-state tuition
- Mt San Jacinto Community College District, San Jacinto · $1,448 published in-state tuition
- Napa Valley College, Napa · $1,156 published in-state tuition
- Norco College, Norco · $1,428 published in-state tuition
- Ohlone College, Fremont · $1,202 published in-state tuition
- Orange Coast College, Costa Mesa · $1,392 published in-state tuition
- Oxnard College, Oxnard · $1,426 published in-state tuition
- Palo Verde College, Blythe · $1,288 published in-state tuition
- Palomar College, San Marcos · $1,354 published in-state tuition
- Pasadena City College, Pasadena · $1,180 published in-state tuition
- Porterville College, Porterville · $1,438 published in-state tuition
- Reedley College, Reedley · $1,334 published in-state tuition
- Riverside City College, Riverside · $1,428 published in-state tuition
- Sacramento City College, Sacramento · $1,288 published in-state tuition
- Saddleback College, Mission Viejo · $1,156 published in-state tuition
- San Bernardino Valley College, San Bernardino · $1,196 published in-state tuition
- San Diego City College, San Diego · $1,146 published in-state tuition
- San Diego Miramar College, San Diego · $1,146 published in-state tuition
- San Joaquin Delta College, Stockton · $1,180 published in-state tuition
- San Jose City College, San Jose · $1,366 published in-state tuition
- Santa Barbara City College, Santa Barbara · $1,240 published in-state tuition
- Santa Rosa Junior College, Santa Rosa · $1,318 published in-state tuition
- Santiago Canyon College, Orange · $1,164 published in-state tuition
- Sierra College, Rocklin · $1,446 published in-state tuition
- Southwestern College, Chula Vista · $1,344 published in-state tuition
- Taft College, Taft · $1,108 published in-state tuition
- Ventura College, Ventura · $1,426 published in-state tuition
- Victor Valley College, Victorville · $1,425 published in-state tuition
- West Valley College, Saratoga · $1,490 published in-state tuition
Why start at a California community college?
Community colleges typically offer open or less-selective admission, the lowest published tuition of any sector, and transfer pathways that let students complete lower-division coursework before moving to a four-year university. They also serve working and returning students with part-time, evening, and online options. Confirm transfer-credit and articulation agreements with each college and your target university. Because two-year colleges anchor the low-cost end of every state's mix, our cost and outcomes by state research puts that affordability in context against each state's overall medians.
Community colleges in nearby states
Data sources & methodology
Community-college counts and shares for California come from CampusPin's committed institution-distribution and tuition-by-state snapshots; the college list is compiled live from each institution's record.
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. Community Colleges in California. Retrieved from https://campuspin.com/community-colleges-in/california