Cheapest Colleges in California
Sticker prices at the 83 four-year colleges we rank in California run from $7,159 to $72,097 a year in tuition and fees, a gap of $64,938 between the cheapest school and the most expensive one.
The 33 public colleges here charge a median of $8,250 a year, $1,690 (17%) below the national public median of $9,940. The 47 private nonprofit colleges on the list charge a median of $53,584, above the $39,582 national private median. Sticker price alone rarely settles the cheapest private option, so check the net price column.
California State University-Channel Islands ranks first at $7,159, ahead of California State University-Los Angeles ($7,160) and California State University-Long Beach ($7,350).
How this list is built
A college appears here only if it meets every condition below.
- Colleges considered
- 4-year colleges whose main award is the bachelor's degree (public, private nonprofit and for-profit)
- Ranked by in-state tuition & fees, lowest first. Ties are broken by larger undergraduate enrollment, then by name.
- Main campuses only, with at least 60% of core data fields reported
- Main campus located in California
- At least 500 undergraduate students enrolled (fall 2024)
- A reported in-state tuition & fees value (schools without one are not ranked)
- Schools that report no tuition or a $0 price are not ranked
- This page is published only when at least 15 schools qualify; California has 83
- Data period
- In-state tuition and fees: full-time undergraduate sticker price, academic year 2024-25. Some community colleges report the in-district rate.
- Out-of-state tuition and fees: academic year 2024-25. Shown for public colleges only, because private colleges charge everyone the same price.
- Net price: average for students receiving aid, academic year 2023-24.
- Graduation rate: first-time, full-time students who started in fall 2018 (4-year) or fall 2021 (2-year), finishing within 150% of normal time.
- Enrollment: undergraduate students, fall 2024.
- Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, June 2026 release.
Showing the top 50 of 83 qualifying schools. Select a column heading to re-sort the table.
| 1 | California State University-Channel Islands Camarillo, CA Public · 4-year | $7,159 | $19,759 | $9,849 | 52% | 5,013 |
| 2 | California State University-Los Angeles Los Angeles, CA Public · 4-year | $7,160 | $19,760 | $3,967 | 53% | 19,562 |
| 3 | California State University-Long Beach Long Beach, CA Public · 4-year | $7,350 | $19,950 | $10,440 | 69% | 35,924 |
| 4 | California State University-Fresno Fresno, CA Public · 4-year | $7,350 | $19,950 | $7,000 | 56% | 21,605 |
| 5 | California State University-Dominguez Hills Carson, CA Public · 4-year | $7,449 | $20,049 | $8,615 | 45% | 12,538 |
| 6 | California State University-Northridge Northridge, CA Public · 4-year | $7,458 | $20,058 | $7,021 | 57% | 32,691 |
| 7 | California State University-Fullerton Fullerton, CA Public · 4-year | $7,470 | $20,070 | $6,555 | 70% | 38,546 |
| 8 | California State University-East Bay Hayward, CA Public · 4-year | $7,583 | $20,183 | $9,320 | 47% | 9,809 |
| 9 | California State University-Monterey Bay Seaside, CA Public · 4-year | $7,779 | $20,379 | $13,663 | 61% | 6,819 |
| 10 | California State Polytechnic University-Pomona Pomona, CA Public · 4-year | $7,780 | $20,380 | $11,531 | 68% | 25,042 |
| 11 | San Francisco State University San Francisco, CA Public · 4-year | $7,950 | $20,550 | $12,278 | 50% | 18,639 |
| 12 | California State University-Sacramento Sacramento, CA Public · 4-year | $8,018 | $20,618 | $9,338 | 56% | 28,350 |
| 13 | California State University-San Marcos San Marcos, CA Public · 4-year | $8,082 | $20,682 | $10,229 | 54% | 14,877 |
| 14 | California State University-Bakersfield Bakersfield, CA Public · 4-year | $8,090 | $20,690 | $5,652 | 50% | 8,577 |
| 15 | California State University-San Bernardino San Bernardino, CA Public · 4-year | $8,093 | $20,693 | $4,564 | 55% | 15,023 |
| 16 | California State University-Stanislaus Turlock, CA Public · 4-year | $8,246 | $20,846 | $6,067 | 56% | 8,385 |
| 17 | California State Polytechnic University-Humboldt Arcata, CA Public · 4-year | $8,250 | $20,850 | $13,171 | 48% | 5,612 |
| 18 | San Jose State University San Jose, CA Public · 4-year | $8,410 | $21,010 | $13,760 | 67% | 27,601 |
| 19 | California State University-Chico Chico, CA Public · 4-year | $8,472 | $21,072 | $14,480 | 63% | 13,631 |
| 20 | Sonoma State University Rohnert Park, CA Public · 4-year | $8,624 | $21,224 | $12,885 | 59% | 5,166 |
| 21 | San Diego State University San Diego, CA Public · 4-year | $8,728 | $21,328 | $15,364 | 77% | 35,377 |
| 22 | Cal Poly Maritime Academy Vallejo, CA Public · 4-year | $9,944 | $22,544 | $20,555 | 63% | 804 |
| 23 | Los Angeles Pacific University Glendora, CA Private nonprofit · 4-year | $12,360 | — | $22,677 | 29% | 1,483 |
| 24 | Reach University Oakland, CA Private nonprofit · 4-year | $12,374 | — | $22,423 | — | 1,946 |
| 25 | University of Massachusetts Global Aliso Viejo, CA Public · 4-year | $12,540 | $12,540 | $32,654 | — | 4,491 |
| 26 | National University San Diego, CA Private nonprofit · 4-year | $13,284 | — | $22,878 | 42% | 10,794 |
| 27 | California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo San Luis Obispo, CA Public · 4-year | $13,596 | $34,665 | $16,665 | 86% | 21,996 |
| 28 | University of California-Los Angeles Los Angeles, CA Public · 4-year | $15,203 | $49,403 | $12,548 | 93% | 33,475 |
| 29 | University of California-Riverside Riverside, CA Public · 4-year | $15,606 | $49,806 | $14,304 | 76% | 22,593 |
| 30 | University of California-Merced Merced, CA Public · 4-year | $15,623 | $49,823 | $11,983 | 69% | 8,372 |
| 31 | University of California-Irvine Irvine, CA Public · 4-year | $15,722 | $49,922 | $14,251 | 86% | 30,197 |
| 32 | University of California-Santa Cruz Santa Cruz, CA Public · 4-year | $16,005 | $50,205 | $17,890 | 75% | 17,940 |
| 33 | University of California-Berkeley Berkeley, CA Public · 4-year | $16,347 | $50,547 | $13,481 | 93% | 33,068 |
| 34 | University of California-Santa Barbara Santa Barbara, CA Public · 4-year | $16,414 | $50,614 | $16,109 | 84% | 23,113 |
| 35 | University of California-San Diego La Jolla, CA Public · 4-year | $16,758 | $50,958 | $12,470 | 87% | 34,948 |
| 36 | University of California-Davis Davis, CA Public · 4-year | $16,774 | $50,974 | $14,741 | 85% | 32,253 |
| 37 | Westcliff University Irvine, CA For-profit · 4-year | $17,670 | — | $35,426 | 61% | 2,363 |
| 38 | Thomas Aquinas College Santa Paula, CA Private nonprofit · 4-year | $30,200 | — | $26,196 | 83% | 566 |
| 39 | Academy of Art University San Francisco, CA For-profit · 4-year | $30,736 | — | $40,613 | 38% | 3,587 |
| 40 | Fresno Pacific University Fresno, CA Private nonprofit · 4-year | $36,660 | — | $13,630 | 53% | 1,544 |
| 41 | New York Film Academy Burbank, CA For-profit · 4-year | $36,920 | — | $39,011 | 69% | 849 |
| 42 | William Jessup University Rocklin, CA Private nonprofit · 4-year | $37,150 | — | $28,062 | 58% | 1,294 |
| 43 | Laguna College of Art and Design Laguna Beach, CA Private nonprofit · 4-year | $37,500 | — | $42,505 | 57% | 746 |
| 44 | La Sierra University Riverside, CA Private nonprofit · 4-year | $37,710 | — | $45,566 | 64% | 1,116 |
| 45 | Hope International University Fullerton, CA Private nonprofit · 4-year | $38,050 | — | $29,310 | 48% | 564 |
| 46 | The Master's University and Seminary Santa Clarita, CA Private nonprofit · 4-year | $39,020 | — | $32,647 | 66% | 1,622 |
| 47 | Simpson University Redding, CA Private nonprofit · 4-year | $39,708 | — | $27,817 | 45% | 809 |
| 48 | California Baptist University Riverside, CA Private nonprofit · 4-year | $41,228 | — | $26,285 | 61% | 8,179 |
| 49 | Vanguard University of Southern California Costa Mesa, CA Private nonprofit · 4-year | $41,700 | — | $21,241 | 56% | 1,933 |
| 50 | Concordia University-Irvine Irvine, CA Private nonprofit · 4-year | $43,480 | — | $28,115 | 60% | 1,536 |
How to compare these colleges
Start with the net price column rather than the sticker price. Net price is the average a student who receives aid pays after grants and scholarships, so a school that ranks lower here can still be the cheaper choice for your family. The out-of-state column applies only if you are not a legal resident of California, and only public colleges charge a separate rate.
Guides worth reading first
More lists for California
Cheap colleges in California for out-of-state students
121 schools
Community colleges in California
87 schools
Best value colleges in California
81 schools
Highest graduate earnings in California
108 schools
Most affordable private colleges in California
50 schools
Same list in nearby states
Cheapest colleges in Oregon
16 schools
Cheapest colleges in New York
112 schools
Cheapest colleges in Pennsylvania
83 schools
All 232 colleges in California See the national version of this ranking