Cost of Colleges in California

California Colleges, Cost and Affordability for 2021

How much does it cost to attend college in California? The average annual in-state college tuition in California was $14,519 for the 2019-2020 academic year. This is $146 lower than the U.S. average and ranks California in the middle of the pack as the 23rd most expensive and 30th most affordable state or district to attend college. This is a change of $249 from the 2018-2019 average of $14,270 and represents a 1.74% annual increase. The list of California colleges below provides school specific cost and value rating.

Our guide surveyed tuition data from the 280 colleges and universities in California, the most popular being University of California Los Angeles with 42,895 full time students and an in-state tuition list price of $11,442. Harvey Mudd College is the most expensive in California with an in-state tuition of $58,359.

Click on any school for current tuition, future cost estimates, school specific savings plans and estimated student loan payments. California colleges can also be filtered by public, private, community colleges and four year schools. Additionally, cost based sorting is available for the lowest and highest tuition options. Jump directly to our ranking of best values in California or cheap California colleges guide.

<Academic Rating is a CollegeCalc proprietary national percentile ranking of a college's overall difficulty and educational effectiveness. An average score is 50. Dollar value is a measure of a school's academic rating compared with the average net price paid. Colleges which are ranked "n/a" didn't report sufficient data to formulate a score. Learn more about our ratings.

All price data are reprinted from the U.S. Department of Education's 2018-2019 IPEDS Survey and reflect reported costs for the 2018-2019 academic year.

Explore California Colleges

School	Tuition	Rating	Value
Allan Hancock College Santa Maria, California	$1,288	NA	NA
American Academy of Dramatic Arts Los Angeles Los Angeles, California	$35,440	NA	NA
American Conservatory Theater San Francisco, California	$30,235	NA	NA
American Jewish University Los Angeles, California	$30,480	NA	NA
American River College Sacramento, California	$0	NA	NA
American University of Health Sciences Signal Hill, California	$21,420	NA	NA
Antelope Valley College Lancaster, California	$1,104	NA	NA
Art Center College of Design Pasadena, California	$44,272	NA	NA
Azusa Pacific Online University Glendora, California	$10,800	NA	NA
Azusa Pacific University Azusa, California	$39,640	70	80
Bakersfield College Bakersfield, California	$1,288	NA	NA
Barstow Community College Barstow, California	$1,104	NA	NA
Berkeley City College Berkeley, California	$1,104	NA	NA
Bethesda University of California Anaheim, California	$7,875	NA	NA
Biola University La Mirada, California	$41,976	65	48
Bryan University Los Angeles, California	$10,050	NA	NA
Butte College Oroville, California	$1,104	NA	NA
Cabrillo College Aptos, California	$1,104	NA	NA
California Baptist University Riverside, California	$32,942	47	42
California Christian College Fresno, California	$9,120	NA	NA
California College of the Arts Oakland, California	$50,592	NA	NA
California College San Diego San Diego, California	$18,480	NA	NA
California Institute of Technology Pasadena, California	$52,506	98	97
California Institute of the Arts Valencia, California	$50,850	NA	NA
California Lutheran University Thousand Oaks, California	$43,900	61	57
California Maritime Academy Vallejo, California	$5,742	NA	NA
California Polytechnic State University San Luis Obispo San Luis Obispo, California	$5,742	75	48
California State Polytechnic University Pomona Pomona, California	$5,742	54	45
California State University Bakersfield Bakersfield, California	$5,742	NA	NA
California State University Channel Islands Camarillo, California	$5,742	NA	NA
California State University Chico Chico, California	$5,742	50	38
California State University Dominguez Hills Carson, California	$5,742	NA	NA
California State University East Bay Hayward, California	$5,742	NA	NA
California State University Fresno Fresno, California	$5,742	41	71
California State University Fullerton Fullerton, California	$5,742	48	47
California State University Long Beach Long Beach, California	$5,742	56	67
California State University Los Angeles Los Angeles, California	$5,742	35	63
California State University Monterey Bay Seaside, California	$5,742	38	28
California State University Northridge Northridge, California	$5,742	40	57
California State University Sacramento Sacramento, California	$5,742	39	34
California State University San Bernardino San Bernardino, California	$5,743	36	46
California State University San Marcos San Marcos, California	$5,742	44	35
California State University Stanislaus Turlock, California	$5,742	NA	NA
Canada College Redwood City, California	$1,288	NA	NA
Cerritos College Norwalk, California	$1,288	NA	NA
Cerro Coso Community College Ridgecrest, California	$1,288	NA	NA
Chabot College Hayward, California	$1,104	NA	NA
Chaffey College Rancho Cucamonga, California	$1,104	NA	NA
Chapman University Orange, California	$54,540	79	55
Charles R Drew University of Medicine and Science Los Angeles, California	$13,872	63	84
Citrus College Glendora, California	$1,104	NA	NA
City College of San Francisco San Francisco, California	$0	NA	NA
Claremont McKenna College Claremont, California	$56,190	96	98
Coastline Community College Fountain Valley, California	$1,104	NA	NA
Cogswell College Sunnyvale, California	$19,800	NA	NA
Coleman University San Diego, California	$20,700	NA	NA
College of Alameda Alameda, California	$1,104	NA	NA
College of Marin Kentfield, California	$1,380	NA	NA
College of San Mateo San Mateo, California	$1,362	NA	NA
College of the Canyons Santa Clarita, California	$1,104	NA	NA
College of the Desert Palm Desert, California	$1,297	NA	NA
College of the Redwoods Eureka, California	$1,143	NA	NA
College of the Sequoias Visalia, California	$1,288	NA	NA
College of the Siskiyous Weed, California	$1,104	NA	NA
Columbia College Sonora, California	$1,104	NA	NA
Columbia College Hollywood Tarzana, California	$24,000	NA	NA
Community Christian College Redlands, California	$9,450	NA	NA
Concordia University Irvine Irvine, California	$35,990	48	25
Contra Costa College San Pablo, California	$1,288	NA	NA
Copper Mountain Community College Joshua Tree, California	$1,104	NA	NA
Cosumnes River College Sacramento, California	$0	NA	NA
Crafton Hills College Yucaipa, California	$1,104	NA	NA
Cuesta College San Luis Obispo, California	$1,288	NA	NA
Cuyamaca College El Cajon, California	$1,288	NA	NA
Cypress College Cypress, California	$1,104	NA	NA
De Anza College Cupertino, California	$1,395	NA	NA
Dell'Arte International School of Physical Theatre Blue Lake, California	$12,600	NA	NA
Design Institute of San Diego San Diego, California	$25,500	NA	NA
DeVry University California Pomona, California	$15,835	NA	NA
Diablo Valley College Pleasant Hill, California	$1,288	NA	NA
Dominican University of California San Rafael, California	$46,260	62	47
East Los Angeles College Monterey Park, California	$1,196	NA	NA
East San Gabriel Valley Regional Occupational Program West Covina, California	$3,700	NA	NA
El Camino College Compton Center Compton, California	$1,104	NA	NA
El Camino Community College District Torrance, California	$1,104	NA	NA
Epic Bible College Sacramento, California	$8,964	NA	NA
Evergreen Valley College San Jose, California	$1,288	NA	NA
Expression College for Digital Arts Emeryville, California	$22,000	NA	NA
Fashion Careers College San Diego, California	$21,775	NA	NA
Feather River Community College District Quincy, California	$1,380	NA	NA
FIDM/Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising Los Angeles Los Angeles, California	$31,362	NA	NA
FIDM/Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising Orange County Irvine, California	$31,141	NA	NA
FIDM/Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising San Diego San Diego, California	$31,141	NA	NA
FIDM/Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising San Francisco San Francisco, California	$31,362	NA	NA
Folsom Lake College Folsom, California	$0	NA	NA
Foothill College Los Altos Hills, California	$1,395	NA	NA
Fresno City College Fresno, California	$1,104	NA	NA
Fresno Pacific University Fresno, California	$32,458	45	59
Fullerton College Fullerton, California	$1,104	NA	NA
Gavilan College Gilroy, California	$1,104	NA	NA
Glendale Community College Glendale, California	$1,104	NA	NA
Golden West College Huntington Beach, California	$1,104	NA	NA
Golf Academy of America Carlsbad Carlsbad, California	$15,750	NA	NA
Grossmont College El Cajon, California	$1,288	NA	NA
Hands on Medical Massage School Redlands, California	$11,076	NA	NA
Hartnell College Salinas, California	$1,400	NA	NA
Harvey Mudd College Claremont, California	$58,359	90	89
Holy Names University Oakland, California	$39,576	46	53
Hope International University Fullerton, California	$32,250	31	13
Horizon College San Diego San Diego, California	$9,000	NA	NA
Humboldt State University Arcata, California	$5,742	35	18
Humphreys College Stockton and Modesto Campuses Stockton, California	$14,580	NA	NA
Imperial Valley College Imperial, California	$1,104	NA	NA
International Professional School of Bodywork San Diego, California	$7,220	NA	NA
Irvine Valley College Irvine, California	$1,104	NA	NA
John Paul the Great Catholic University San Diego, California	$26,200	53	18
King's University Van Nuys, California	$14,100	36	2
La Sierra University Riverside, California	$32,580	44	28
Laguna College of Art and Design Laguna Beach, California	$31,600	NA	NA
Lake Tahoe Community College South Lake Tahoe, California	$1,209	NA	NA
Laney College Oakland, California	$1,104	NA	NA
Las Positas College Livermore, California	$1,104	NA	NA
Lassen Community College Susanville, California	$1,104	NA	NA
Life Pacific College San Dimas, California	$15,792	25	1
Lincoln University Oakland, California	$10,800	NA	NA
Long Beach City College Long Beach, California	$1,472	NA	NA
Los Angeles City College Los Angeles, California	$1,196	NA	NA
Los Angeles College of Music Pasadena, California	$24,450	NA	NA
Los Angeles Harbor College Wilmington, California	$1,196	NA	NA
Los Angeles Mission College Sylmar, California	$1,196	NA	NA
Los Angeles Pierce College Woodland Hills, California	$1,196	NA	NA
Los Angeles Southwest College Los Angeles, California	$1,196	NA	NA
Los Angeles Trade Technical College Los Angeles, California	$1,196	NA	NA
Los Angeles Valley College Valley Glen, California	$1,196	NA	NA
Los Medanos College Pittsburg, California	$1,288	NA	NA
Loyola Marymount University Los Angeles, California	$49,550	86	51
Marymount California University Rancho Palos Verdes, California	$34,134	NA	NA
Mendocino College Ukiah, California	$1,380	NA	NA
Menlo College Atherton, California	$43,525	NA	NA
Merced College Merced, California	$1,104	NA	NA
Merritt College Oakland, California	$1,104	NA	NA
Mills College Oakland, California	$29,340	69	79
MiraCosta College Oceanside, California	$1,104	NA	NA
Mission College Santa Clara, California	$1,104	NA	NA
Modesto Junior College Modesto, California	$1,104	NA	NA
Monterey Peninsula College Monterey, California	$1,104	NA	NA
Moorpark College Moorpark, California	$1,340	NA	NA
Moreno Valley College Moreno Valley, California	$1,380	NA	NA
Mount St. Mary's College Los Angeles, California	$41,592	57	45
Mt Sierra College Monrovia, California	$14,220	NA	NA
Mt. San Antonio College Walnut, California	$1,288	NA	NA
Mt. San Jacinto Community College District San Jacinto, California	$1,380	NA	NA
Musicians Institute Hollywood, California	$24,525	NA	NA
Napa Valley College Napa, California	$1,104	NA	NA
National University La Jolla, California	$13,320	32	NA
Newschool of Architecture and Design San Diego, California	$27,786	NA	NA
Norco College Norco, California	$1,380	NA	NA
Notre Dame de Namur University Belmont, California	$36,306	NA	NA
Occidental College Los Angeles, California	$55,980	84	89
Ohlone Community College Fremont, California	$1,104	NA	NA
Orange Coast College Costa Mesa, California	$1,104	NA	NA
Otis College of Art and Design Los Angeles, California	$45,200	62	12
Oxnard College Oxnard, California	$1,340	NA	NA
Pacific College of Oriental Medicine LLC San Diego San Diego, California	$9,571	NA	NA
Pacific States University Los Angeles, California	$16,560	NA	NA
Pacific Union College Angwin, California	$29,898	55	64
Palo Verde College Blythe, California	$1,288	NA	NA
Palomar College San Marcos, California	$1,288	NA	NA
Pasadena City College Pasadena, California	$1,104	NA	NA
Patten University Oakland, California	$8,036	NA	NA
Pepperdine University Malibu, California	$55,640	77	60
Pitzer College Claremont, California	$55,734	NA	NA
Platt College Los Angeles Alhambra, California	$14,279	NA	NA
Platt College Ontario Ontario, California	$14,279	NA	NA
Platt College San Diego San Diego, California	$17,125	NA	NA
Point Loma Nazarene University San Diego, California	$36,350	64	38
Pomona College Claremont, California	$54,380	96	99
Porterville College Porterville, California	$1,380	NA	NA
Professional Golfers Career College Temecula, California	$14,000	NA	NA
Providence Christian College Pasadena, California	$30,996	64	79
Reedley College Reedley, California	$1,104	NA	NA
Rio Hondo College Whittier, California	$1,288	NA	NA
Riverside City College Riverside, California	$1,380	NA	NA
Sacramento City College Sacramento, California	$0	NA	NA
Saddleback College Mission Viejo, California	$1,288	NA	NA
Sage College Moreno Valley, California	$12,200	NA	NA
Saint Marys College of California Moraga, California	$48,988	68	55
San Diego Christian College El Cajon, California	$30,760	39	10
San Diego City College San Diego, California	$1,104	NA	NA
San Diego Mesa College San Diego, California	$1,104	NA	NA
San Diego Miramar College San Diego, California	$1,104	NA	NA
San Diego State University San Diego, California	$5,742	64	49
San Diego State University Imperial Valley Campus Calexico, California	$5,472	NA	NA
San Francisco Art Institute San Francisco, California	$45,664	NA	NA
San Francisco Conservatory of Music San Francisco, California	$46,350	NA	NA
San Francisco State University San Francisco, California	$5,742	44	29
San Joaquin Delta College Stockton, California	$1,288	NA	NA
San Joaquin Valley College Bakersfield Bakersfield, California	$16,492	NA	NA
San Joaquin Valley College Fresno Fresno, California	$16,023	NA	NA
San Joaquin Valley College Fresno Aviation Fresno, California	$13,620	NA	NA
San Joaquin Valley College Hesperia Hesperia, California	$16,658	NA	NA
San Joaquin Valley College Modesto Salida, California	$15,528	NA	NA
San Joaquin Valley College Online Visalia, California	$14,315	NA	NA
San Joaquin Valley College Rancho Cordova Rancho Cordova, California	$20,450	NA	NA
San Joaquin Valley College Rancho Cucamonga Rancho Cucamonga, California	$17,724	NA	NA
San Joaquin Valley College Temecula Temecula, California	$17,384	NA	NA
San Joaquin Valley College Visalia Visalia, California	$16,606	NA	NA
San Jose City College San Jose, California	$1,288	NA	NA
San Jose State University San Jose, California	$5,742	55	45
Santa Ana College Santa Ana, California	$1,104	NA	NA
Santa Barbara Business College Bakersfield Bakersfield, California	$11,558	NA	NA
Santa Barbara Business College Santa Maria Santa Maria, California	$11,558	NA	NA
Santa Barbara Business College Ventura Ventura, California	$17,640	NA	NA
Santa Barbara City College Santa Barbara, California	$1,288	NA	NA
Santa Clara University Santa Clara, California	$52,998	88	75
Santa Monica College Santa Monica, California	$1,104	NA	NA
Santa Rosa Junior College Santa Rosa, California	$1,282	NA	NA
Santiago Canyon College Orange, California	$1,104	NA	NA
Scripps College Claremont, California	$56,970	89	83
Shasta Bible College and Graduate School Redding, California	$12,000	NA	NA
Shasta College Redding, California	$1,104	NA	NA
Sierra College Rocklin, California	$1,104	NA	NA
Simpson University Redding, California	$31,180	49	50
Skyline College San Bruno, California	$1,380	NA	NA
Soka University of America Aliso Viejo, California	$32,250	90	99
Solano Community College Fairfield, California	$1,104	NA	NA
Sonoma State University Rohnert Park, California	$5,742	45	20
Southern California Institute of Architecture Los Angeles, California	$45,292	NA	NA
Southern California Institute of Technology Anaheim, California	$15,790	NA	NA
Southern California Seminary El Cajon, California	$15,588	NA	NA
Southwestern College Chula Vista, California	$1,288	NA	NA
Stanford University Stanford, California	$52,857	99	99
SUM Bible College and Theological Seminary Oakland, California	$9,600	NA	NA
Taft College Taft, California	$1,104	NA	NA
Taft University System Santa Ana, California	$3,292	NA	NA
The Master's College and Seminary Santa Clarita, California	$24,950	NA	NA
The National Hispanic University San Jose, California	$7,896	NA	NA
Thomas Aquinas College Santa Paula, California	$25,600	68	71
Touro College Los Angeles Los Angeles, California	$14,400	NA	NA
Trident University International Cypress, California	$9,240	NA	NA
University of California Berkeley Berkeley, California	$11,442	85	94
University of California Davis Davis, California	$11,442	81	96
University of California Irvine Irvine, California	$11,442	81	95
University of California Los Angeles Los Angeles, California	$11,442	86	96
University of California Merced Merced, California	$11,442	52	91
University of California Riverside Riverside, California	$11,442	67	94
University of California San Diego La Jolla, California	$11,442	82	95
University of California Santa Barbara Santa Barbara, California	$11,442	77	94
University of California Santa Cruz Santa Cruz, California	$11,442	68	84
University of La Verne La Verne, California	$43,440	57	53
University of Phoenix Bay Area Campus San Jose, California	$10,548	NA	NA
University of Phoenix Central Valley Campus Fresno, California	$10,549	NA	NA
University of Phoenix Sacramento Valley Campus Sacramento, California	$10,543	NA	NA
University of Phoenix San Diego Campus San Diego, California	$10,515	NA	NA
University of Phoenix Southern California Campus Costa Mesa, California	$10,560	NA	NA
University of Redlands Redlands, California	$50,630	65	71
University of San Diego San Diego, California	$50,450	80	79
University of San Francisco San Francisco, California	$49,740	75	63
University of Southern California Los Angeles, California	$57,256	92	92
University of the Pacific Stockton, California	$48,904	78	83
University of the West Rosemead, California	$11,928	NA	NA
Vanguard University of Southern California Costa Mesa, California	$34,500	49	67
Ventura College Ventura, California	$1,340	NA	NA
Victor Valley College Victorville, California	$1,402	NA	NA
West Coast Ultrasound Institute Beverly Hills, California	$18,500	NA	NA
West Coast University Los Angeles North Hollywood, California	$34,060	NA	NA
West Coast University Ontario Ontario, California	$34,060	NA	NA
West Coast University Orange County Anaheim, California	$25,615	NA	NA
West Hills College Coalinga Coalinga, California	$1,380	NA	NA
West Hills College Lemoore Lemoore, California	$1,380	NA	NA
West Los Angeles College Culver City, California	$1,196	NA	NA
West Valley College Saratoga, California	$1,380	NA	NA
Westmont College Santa Barbara, California	$45,410	74	78
Whittier College Whittier, California	$48,924	63	73
William Jessup University Rocklin, California	$34,200	55	63
Woodbury University Burbank, California	$39,712	61	65
Woodland Community College Woodland, California	$1,104	NA	NA
World Mission University Los Angeles, California	$6,240	NA	NA
Yeshiva Ohr Elchonon Chabad West Coast Talmudical Seminary Los Angeles, California	$15,000	NA	NA
Yuba College Marysville, California	$1,104	NA	NA

College Costs in California

California Colleges, Cost and Affordability for 2021

Explore California Colleges