California Public Colleges Ranked by Lowest In State Tution

Below is a college cost ranking of the 33 public colleges in California with the lowest in state tution. What is the cheapest college in California? San Diego State University Imperial Valley Campus tops the list with a tuition and fee total of $5,706. Note these costs do not include room and board or living expenses.

Affordable doesn't simply mean finding a school with a low published price. It's important to research the typical financial aid package offered by a school, the average net price actually paid and most importantly the quality of education you receive for your tuition dollar. Sometimes a school which appears cheap based on list price can be a poor relative value if it can't award competitive financial aid or doesn't offer a quality education. The list below is a ranking on published in state tution with no consideration of actual average price paid or academic quality of the school. Please see the CollegeSimply Best Value Colleges in California list for a ranking which considers school quality and average net price.

All price data are reprinted from the U.S. Department of Education's 2022-2022 IPEDS Survey and reflect reported costs for the 2021/2022 academic year.