Cheap Colleges in California for Out-of-State Students
Out-of-state students pay between $1,446 and $50,974 a year in tuition and fees at the 121 public colleges and universities we rank in California, a gap of $49,528 between the cheapest and the most expensive. This list ranks the non-resident price, not the in-state price.
The median public college charges nonresidents $11,120, $1,666 (13%) below the national median of $12,786 for public colleges. Residents pay a median of $1,364, so the typical out-of-state premium is $9,756, with nonresidents charged 8.2 times the in-state price.
Sierra College ranks first at $1,446, ahead of El Camino Community College District ($7,630) and Woodland Community College ($7,656).
How this list is built
A college appears here only if it meets every condition below.
- Colleges considered
- All public colleges and universities, 4-year and 2-year (community colleges and state colleges included)
- Ranked by out-of-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 out-of-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 121
- Data period
- Out-of-state tuition and fees: academic year 2024-25. Shown for public colleges only, because private colleges charge everyone the same price.
- In-state tuition and fees: full-time undergraduate sticker price, academic year 2024-25. Some community colleges report the in-district rate.
- 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 121 qualifying schools. Select a column heading to re-sort the table.
| 1 | Sierra College Rocklin, CA Public · 2-year | $1,446 | $1,446 | $7,245 | 40% | 14,122 |
| 2 | El Camino Community College District Torrance, CA Public · 2-year | $7,630 | $1,144 | $5,968 | 39% | 19,210 |
| 3 | Woodland Community College Woodland, CA Public · 2-year | $7,656 | $1,124 | $8,356 | 40% | 3,154 |
| 4 | Yuba College Marysville, CA Public · 2-year | $8,208 | $1,128 | $2,576 | 36% | 4,779 |
| 5 | Clovis Community College Fresno, CA Public · 2-year | $8,638 | $1,378 | $4,590 | 42% | 7,956 |
| 6 | Madera Community College Madera, CA Public · 2-year | $8,638 | $1,378 | $4,179 | 34% | 4,808 |
| 7 | West Valley College Saratoga, CA Public · 2-year | $8,702 | $0 | $3,423 | 52% | 6,416 |
| 8 | Ohlone College Fremont, CA Public · 2-year | $8,714 | $1,202 | $11,130 | 53% | 7,099 |
| 9 | Evergreen Valley College San Jose, CA Public · 2-year | $8,718 | $1,366 | $12,414 | 42% | 7,688 |
| 10 | Compton College Compton, CA Public · 2-year | $8,822 | $1,142 | $12,647 | 29% | 3,142 |
| 11 | Imperial Valley College Imperial, CA Public · 2-year | $8,852 | $1,148 | $1,115 | 45% | 7,652 |
| 12 | Shasta College Redding, CA Public · 4-year | $8,853 | $1,197 | $2,878 | 26% | 6,128 |
| 13 | College of the Redwoods Eureka, CA Public · 2-year | $8,854 | $1,198 | $6,904 | 30% | 3,829 |
| 14 | Modesto Junior College Modesto, CA Public · 4-year | $9,264 | $1,282 | $2,818 | 28% | 15,109 |
| 15 | Columbia College (CA) Sonora, CA Public · 2-year | $9,264 | $1,282 | $11,316 | 28% | 1,984 |
| 16 | Butte College Oroville, CA Public · 2-year | $9,276 | $1,356 | $5,520 | 38% | 8,890 |
| 17 | Lassen Community College Susanville, CA Public · 2-year | $9,280 | $1,144 | $12,517 | 30% | 1,741 |
| 18 | College of Marin Kentfield, CA Public · 2-year | $9,334 | $1,558 | $12,351 | 38% | 4,042 |
| 19 | College of the Siskiyous Weed, CA Public · 2-year | $9,394 | $1,444 | $11,120 | 32% | 1,190 |
| 20 | Antelope Valley Community College District Lancaster, CA Public · 4-year | $9,548 | $1,124 | $3,860 | 33% | 11,534 |
| 21 | Santiago Canyon College Orange, CA Public · 2-year | $9,612 | $1,164 | $2,129 | 47% | 10,579 |
| 22 | Moorpark College Moorpark, CA Public · 4-year | $9,615 | $1,426 | — | 44% | 12,082 |
| 23 | Ventura College Ventura, CA Public · 2-year | $9,615 | $1,426 | — | 41% | 10,150 |
| 24 | Oxnard College Oxnard, CA Public · 2-year | $9,615 | $1,426 | — | 33% | 6,240 |
| 25 | MiraCosta College Oceanside, CA Public · 4-year | $9,750 | $1,158 | $7,339 | 41% | 10,278 |
| 26 | San Joaquin Delta College Stockton, CA Public · 2-year | $9,772 | $1,180 | $2,407 | 33% | 15,781 |
| 27 | Las Positas College Livermore, CA Public · 2-year | $9,808 | $1,168 | $5,377 | 51% | 7,299 |
| 28 | Solano Community College Fairfield, CA Public · 4-year | $9,812 | $1,172 | $4,669 | 35% | 8,061 |
| 29 | Pasadena City College Pasadena, CA Public · 2-year | $9,820 | $1,180 | $3,864 | 44% | 21,466 |
| 30 | Cabrillo College Aptos, CA Public · 2-year | $9,862 | $1,270 | $15,843 | 38% | 8,002 |
| 31 | Laney College Oakland, CA Public · 2-year | $9,898 | $1,258 | $17,110 | 34% | 6,842 |
| 32 | College of Alameda Alameda, CA Public · 2-year | $9,898 | $1,258 | $8,496 | 34% | 4,487 |
| 33 | Berkeley City College Berkeley, CA Public · 2-year | $9,898 | $1,258 | $9,096 | 39% | 4,456 |
| 34 | Skyline College San Bruno, CA Public · 4-year | $9,956 | $1,272 | $1,738 | 43% | 7,620 |
| 35 | San Diego Mesa College San Diego, CA Public · 4-year | $10,002 | $1,146 | $5,814 | 34% | 16,098 |
| 36 | San Diego Miramar College San Diego, CA Public · 4-year | $10,002 | $1,146 | $3,337 | — | 11,271 |
| 37 | San Diego City College San Diego, CA Public · 4-year | $10,002 | $1,146 | $7,935 | — | 10,441 |
| 38 | Mendocino College Ukiah, CA Public · 2-year | $10,003 | $1,423 | $8,330 | 28% | 2,870 |
| 39 | Victor Valley College Victorville, CA Public · 4-year | $10,125 | $1,425 | $1,947 | — | 4,210 |
| 40 | Diablo Valley College Pleasant Hill, CA Public · 2-year | $10,320 | $1,312 | $8,312 | 47% | 15,358 |
| 41 | Los Medanos College Pittsburg, CA Public · 2-year | $10,320 | $1,312 | $7,443 | 40% | 7,320 |
| 42 | Contra Costa College San Pablo, CA Public · 2-year | $10,320 | $1,312 | $9,490 | 30% | 5,203 |
| 43 | Hartnell College Salinas, CA Public · 2-year | $10,374 | $1,404 | $2,039 | 35% | 9,453 |
| 44 | Santa Barbara City College Santa Barbara, CA Public · 2-year | $10,432 | $1,240 | $11,315 | 34% | 9,889 |
| 45 | Feather River Community College District Quincy, CA Public · 4-year | $10,435 | $1,465 | $10,800 | 40% | 1,828 |
| 46 | Mt San Antonio College Walnut, CA Public · 2-year | $10,464 | $1,364 | $6,490 | 42% | 26,140 |
| 47 | Los Angeles Harbor College Wilmington, CA Public · 2-year | $10,568 | $1,238 | $13,250 | 36% | 6,694 |
| 48 | Los Angeles Pierce College Woodland Hills, CA Public · 2-year | $10,572 | $1,238 | $13,270 | 44% | 13,436 |
| 49 | Los Angeles City College Los Angeles, CA Public · 2-year | $10,572 | $1,238 | $10,261 | 27% | 11,198 |
| 50 | Los Angeles Mission College Sylmar, CA Public · 4-year | $10,572 | $1,238 | $13,380 | 20% | 7,999 |
How to compare these colleges
The ranked column is the out-of-state price. The in-state price is shown for comparison, and net price is the average for students who receive aid, measured mostly for in-state students at public colleges, so it is not a good guide to what a nonresident will pay. Many states cut the non-resident rate through regional exchange programs, reciprocity agreements or merit awards, and residency can change after a year of living in the state, so check each college's non-resident aid page before ruling a school out.
Guides worth reading first
More lists for California
Cheapest colleges in California
83 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
Cheap colleges in Oregon for out-of-state students
18 schools
Cheap colleges in Texas for out-of-state students
77 schools
Cheap colleges in New York for out-of-state students
74 schools
All 232 colleges in California See the national version of this ranking