College Costs in California
California Colleges, Cost and Affordability for 2027
How much does it cost to attend college in California? The average annual in-state college tuition in California was $15,539 for the 2024-2025 academic year. This is $2,271 lower than the U.S. average and ranks California in the middle of the pack as the 29th most expensive state or district to attend college. This is a change of $1,916 from the 2022-2023 average of $13,623 and represents a 14.06% annual increase in tuition costs. The list of California colleges below provides school specific cost and value rating.
This analysis surveyed tuition data from the 278 colleges and universities in California, the most popular being University of California Los Angeles with 45,444 full time students and an in-state tuition list price of $15,203. University of Southern California is the most expensive in California with an in-state tuition of $72,097.
All price data are reprinted from the U.S. Department of Education's IPEDS 2025 survey and reflect reported costs for academic year 2024/2025.
Saddleback College
- Public 2 Year
- Mission Viejo, CA
-
| 0 reviews
- $1,156 tuition
Saddleback is a public community college known for undergraduate nursing and transfer programs. Most students commute to the suburban campus in Mission Viejo.
- SAT Range -
- Avg GPA NA
- Acceptance Rate 100%
- Net Price $8,122
Sacramento City College
- Public 2 Year
- Sacramento, CA
-
| 0 reviews
- $1,288 tuition
Sacramento City College is a public community college known for undergraduate nursing, allied health, and transfer preparation. The urban campus is in Sacramento's Curtis Park neighborhood.
- SAT Range -
- Avg GPA NA
- Acceptance Rate 100%
- Net Price $8,624
Orange Coast College
- Public 2 Year
- Costa Mesa, CA
-
| 0 reviews
- $1,392 tuition
Orange Coast is a public community college known for undergraduate marine science, culinary arts, and aviation. The Costa Mesa campus sits near the Southern California coast.
- SAT Range -
- Avg GPA NA
- Acceptance Rate 100%
- Net Price $9,116
Cypress College
- Public 2 Year
- Cypress, CA
-
| 0 reviews
- $1,150 tuition
- Aug 25 application deadline
Cypress College is a public community college known for undergraduate nursing and mortuary science. The suburban Orange County campus draws many commuting students.
- SAT Range -
- Avg GPA NA
- Acceptance Rate 100%
- Net Price $7,253
Vanguard University of Southern California
- Private 4 Year
- Costa Mesa, CA
-
3.5 | 4 reviews
- $41,700 tuition
- Aug 1 application deadline
Vanguard is a private Christian university known for undergraduate nursing, business, and theatre. The suburban Costa Mesa campus is affiliated with the Assemblies of God.
- SAT Range 980-1200
- Avg GPA 3.31
- Acceptance Rate 62%
- Net Price $23,286
Berkeley City College
- Public 2 Year
- Berkeley, CA
-
| 0 reviews
- $1,258 tuition
Berkeley City College is a public community college known for transfer preparation and programs in the liberal arts and sciences. The urban campus sits in downtown Berkeley near UC Berkeley.
- SAT Range -
- Avg GPA NA
- Acceptance Rate 100%
- Net Price $12,695
Pasadena City College
- Public 2 Year
- Pasadena, CA
-
| 0 reviews
- $1,180 tuition
Pasadena City College is a public community college known for undergraduate transfer pathways to UC campuses and programs in the visual arts. The urban campus sits in Pasadena northeast of downtown Los Angeles.
- SAT Range -
- Avg GPA NA
- Acceptance Rate 100%
- Net Price $6,888
Soka University of America
- Private 4 Year
- Aliso Viejo, CA
-
4.7 | 18 reviews
- $38,728 tuition
- Jan 15 application deadline
Soka is a private liberal arts college known for undergraduate international studies and a required study-abroad semester. The residential campus sits in the hills of Aliso Viejo in Orange County.
- SAT Range 1333-1510
- Avg GPA 3.7
- Acceptance Rate 43%
- Net Price $15,691
Fresno Pacific University
- Private 4 Year
- Fresno, CA
-
| 0 reviews
- $36,660 tuition
- Aug 1 application deadline
Fresno Pacific is a private Christian university known for undergraduate teacher education and nursing. The campus is located in Fresno in California's Central Valley.
- SAT Range 970-1240
- Avg GPA 3.54
- Acceptance Rate 64%
- Net Price $15,261
La Sierra University
- Private 4 Year
- Riverside, CA
-
| 0 reviews
- $37,710 tuition
La Sierra is a private Seventh-day Adventist university known for undergraduate business, education, and biology. The suburban campus sits in Riverside east of Los Angeles.
- SAT Range 880-1140
- Avg GPA 3.54
- Acceptance Rate 91%
- Net Price $23,848
Irvine Valley College
- Public 2 Year
- Irvine, CA
-
2.3 | 3 reviews
- $1,156 tuition
A public community college known for undergraduate business, science, and transfer pathways to four-year universities. Most students commute to the suburban campus in Irvine.
- SAT Range -
- Avg GPA NA
- Acceptance Rate 100%
- Net Price $5,821
Woodbury University
- Private 4 Year
- Burbank, CA
-
| 0 reviews
- $47,056 tuition
Woodbury is a private university known for undergraduate architecture, design, and media arts. The urban Burbank campus sits near Los Angeles's entertainment and design industries.
- SAT Range -
- Avg GPA 3.39
- Acceptance Rate 82%
- Net Price $37,258
Allan Hancock College
- Public 2 Year
- Santa Maria, CA
-
4.0 | 1 reviews
- $1,156 tuition
Allan Hancock is a public community college known for undergraduate theater and agriculture programs. The campus is in Santa Maria on California's Central Coast.
- SAT Range -
- Avg GPA NA
- Acceptance Rate 100%
- Net Price $8,029
Palomar College
- Public 2 Year
- San Marcos, CA
-
| 0 reviews
- $1,354 tuition
Palomar is a public community college known for nursing and fire technology programs. The suburban campus is in San Marcos in northern San Diego County.
- SAT Range -
- Avg GPA NA
- Acceptance Rate 100%
- Net Price $8,372
City College of San Francisco
- Public 2 Year
- San Francisco, CA
-
| 0 reviews
- $1,696 tuition
A large public community college known for undergraduate nursing, culinary arts, and transfer preparation. The main Ocean Avenue campus and additional centers serve students across San Francisco.
- SAT Range -
- Avg GPA NA
- Acceptance Rate 100%
- Net Price $9,616
Los Angeles Pierce College
- Public 2 Year
- Woodland Hills, CA
-
| 0 reviews
- $1,238 tuition
- Aug 20 application deadline
Pierce College is a public community college known for undergraduate agriculture, animal science, and veterinary technology. The Woodland Hills campus includes a working farm and equestrian center.
- SAT Range -
- Avg GPA NA
- Acceptance Rate 100%
- Net Price $14,469
California College of the Arts
- Private 4 Year
- San Francisco, CA
-
| 0 reviews
- $60,226 tuition
CCA is a private art and design college known for undergraduate programs in fine arts, graphic design, and architecture. The urban campus is in San Francisco.
- SAT Range -
- Avg GPA 3.34
- Acceptance Rate 91%
- Net Price $46,823
College of the Canyons
- Public 2 Year
- Santa Clarita, CA
-
| 0 reviews
- $1,166 tuition
A public community college offering associate degrees and preparation for transfer to four-year universities. The suburban campus is located in Santa Clarita north of Los Angeles.
- SAT Range -
- Avg GPA NA
- Acceptance Rate 100%
- Net Price $5,760