California Public Colleges Ranked by Highest In State Tution

Below is a college cost ranking of the 32 public colleges in California with the highest in state tution. What is the most expensive college in California? California Polytechnic State University San Luis Obispo leads the list with a tuition and fee total of $21,108. 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 Public Colleges Ranked by Highest In State Tution
College	Tuition In State
California Polytechnic State University San Luis Obispo San Luis Obispo, California	$21,108
University of California Davis Davis, California	$20,402
University of California San Diego La Jolla, California	$20,370
University of California Santa Barbara Santa Barbara, California	$19,682
University of California Berkeley Berkeley, California	$19,548
University of California Santa Cruz Santa Cruz, California	$18,864
University of California Irvine Irvine, California	$18,298
University of California Merced Merced, California	$18,100
University of California Riverside Riverside, California	$18,066
University of California Los Angeles Los Angeles, California	$17,260
California State University Maritime Academy Vallejo, California	$13,804
San Diego State University San Diego, California	$11,372
Sonoma State University Rohnert Park, California	$11,164
California State University Chico Chico, California	$10,860
San Jose State University San Jose, California	$10,736
California State Polytechnic University Humboldt Arcata, California	$10,416
California State University Stanislaus Turlock, California	$10,408
California State University San Bernardino San Bernardino, California	$10,102

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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.