California Private Colleges Ranked by Highest In State Tution

Below is a college cost ranking of the 100 private colleges in California with the highest in state tution. What is the most expensive college in California? University of Southern California leads the list with a tuition and fee total of $74,290. Note these costs do not include room and board or living expenses.

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.

List of California Private Colleges Ranked by Highest In State Tution
College	Tuition In State
Otis College of Art and Design Los Angeles, California	$60,236
California Institute of the Arts Valencia, California	$59,674
Saint Mary's College of California Moraga, California	$58,303
University of the Pacific Stockton, California	$58,020
San Francisco Conservatory of Music San Francisco, California	$57,900
Southern California Institute of Architecture Los Angeles, California	$57,762
Art Center College of Design Pasadena, California	$55,254
Westmont College Santa Barbara, California	$54,848
Menlo College Atherton, California	$54,560
California Lutheran University Thousand Oaks, California	$53,370
Dominican University of California San Rafael, California	$53,006
Whittier College Whittier, California	$52,290
Mount Saint Mary's University Los Angeles, California	$51,024
University of La Verne La Verne, California	$50,390
Biola University La Mirada, California	$48,984
Woodbury University Burbank, California	$48,550
Point Loma Nazarene University San Diego, California	$47,200
Azusa Pacific University Azusa, California	$45,158

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This list is updated annually based on the latest data from the National Center for Education Statistics.
Last updated: March 15, 2026

Data source: IPEDS 2025 survey for academic year 2024/2025 - National Center for Education Statistics.