The 2023 Directory of California Community Colleges and Costs
How much does it cost to attend community college in California? The average annual in-state two year college tuition in California was $3,015 for the 2021-2022 academic year. This is a change of $361 from the 2019-2020 average of $2,654 and represents a 13.6% annual increase. The list of California community colleges below provides school specific cost and value rating. Community colleges, also known as junior colleges, provide an excellent money saving opportunity for those concerned with college costs. Many students are choosing to begin their education at community colleges for two years, taking advantage of their lower cost. Then after two years transferring to a full four year institution to pursue a full bachelors degree or higher. Most community colleges also have the benefit of open admission policies.
Our guide surveyed tuition data from the 113 community colleges and universities in California, the most popular being Santa Monica College with 8,812 full time students and an in-state tuition list price of $1,104. East San Gabriel Valley Regional Occupational Program is the most expensive community school in California with an in-state tuition of $3,700.
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 2020-2021 IPEDS Survey and reflect reported costs for the 2021-2022 academic year.
| School | Tuition | Rating | Value |
|---|---|---|---|
Allan Hancock CollegeSanta Maria, California |
$1,104 | NA | NA |
American River CollegeSacramento, California |
$0 | NA | NA |
Antelope Valley CollegeLancaster, California |
$1,104 | NA | NA |
Bakersfield CollegeBakersfield, California |
$1,380 | NA | NA |
Barstow Community CollegeBarstow, California |
$1,104 | NA | NA |
Berkeley City CollegeBerkeley, California |
$1,104 | NA | NA |
Butte CollegeOroville, California |
$1,104 | NA | NA |
Cabrillo CollegeAptos, California |
$1,104 | NA | NA |
Canada CollegeRedwood City, California |
$1,288 | NA | NA |
Cerritos CollegeNorwalk, California |
$1,288 | NA | NA |
Cerro Coso Community CollegeRidgecrest, California |
$1,380 | NA | NA |
Chabot CollegeHayward, California |
$1,104 | NA | NA |
Chaffey CollegeRancho Cucamonga, California |
$1,104 | NA | NA |
Citrus CollegeGlendora, California |
$1,104 | NA | NA |
City College of San FranciscoSan Francisco, California |
$0 | NA | NA |
Coastline Community CollegeFountain Valley, California |
$1,104 | NA | NA |
College of AlamedaAlameda, California |
$1,104 | NA | NA |
College of MarinKentfield, California |
$1,380 | NA | NA |
College of San MateoSan Mateo, California |
$1,364 | NA | NA |
College of the CanyonsSanta Clarita, California |
$1,104 | NA | NA |