Community Colleges in California
Community college pricing in California is remarkably uniform. The 87 colleges we rank charge between $1,108 and $1,571 a year, only $463 apart.
The median college charges $1,282, $3,264 (72%) below the national community college median of $4,546. The median net price is $6,855, above the median tuition, because net price also counts books, transportation and living costs that tuition leaves out. That is why a community college can show a net price higher than its sticker price.
Taft College ranks first at $1,108, ahead of Antelope Valley Community College District ($1,124) and Woodland Community College ($1,124).
How this list is built
A college appears here only if it meets every condition below.
- Colleges considered
- Public community colleges and state colleges whose main award is the associate degree
- 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
- State colleges that also grant a few bachelor's degrees but mostly award associate degrees are included and marked in the table
- This page is published only when at least 10 schools qualify; California has 87
- 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 87 qualifying schools. Select a column heading to re-sort the table.
| 1 | Taft College Taft, CA Public · Also grants some bachelor's degrees | $1,108 | $10,852 | $2,823 | 28% | 3,556 |
| 2 | Antelope Valley Community College District Lancaster, CA Public · Also grants some bachelor's degrees | $1,124 | $9,548 | $3,860 | 33% | 11,534 |
| 3 | Woodland Community College Woodland, CA Public · 2-year | $1,124 | $7,656 | $8,356 | 40% | 3,154 |
| 4 | Yuba College Marysville, CA Public · 2-year | $1,128 | $8,208 | $2,576 | 36% | 4,779 |
| 5 | Lake Tahoe Community College South Lake Tahoe, CA Public · 2-year | $1,131 | $11,103 | $8,516 | 43% | 3,660 |
| 6 | Compton College Compton, CA Public · 2-year | $1,142 | $8,822 | $12,647 | 29% | 3,142 |
| 7 | El Camino Community College District Torrance, CA Public · 2-year | $1,144 | $7,630 | $5,968 | 39% | 19,210 |
| 8 | Lassen Community College Susanville, CA Public · 2-year | $1,144 | $9,280 | $12,517 | 30% | 1,741 |
| 9 | San Diego Mesa College San Diego, CA Public · Also grants some bachelor's degrees | $1,146 | $10,002 | $5,814 | 34% | 16,098 |
| 10 | San Diego Miramar College San Diego, CA Public · Also grants some bachelor's degrees | $1,146 | $10,002 | $3,337 | — | 11,271 |
| 11 | San Diego City College San Diego, CA Public · Also grants some bachelor's degrees | $1,146 | $10,002 | $7,935 | — | 10,441 |
| 12 | Imperial Valley College Imperial, CA Public · 2-year | $1,148 | $8,852 | $1,115 | 45% | 7,652 |
| 13 | Fullerton College Fullerton, CA Public · 2-year | $1,150 | $12,379 | $6,134 | 34% | 17,121 |
| 14 | Santa Monica College Santa Monica, CA Public · Also grants some bachelor's degrees | $1,156 | $10,708 | $2,779 | 36% | 21,440 |
| 15 | Saddleback College Mission Viejo, CA Public · 2-year | $1,156 | $11,860 | $4,152 | 46% | 17,684 |
| 16 | Irvine Valley College Irvine, CA Public · 2-year | $1,156 | $11,860 | $2,090 | 57% | 10,286 |
| 17 | Napa Valley College Napa, CA Public · 2-year | $1,156 | $11,908 | $14,644 | 37% | 3,813 |
| 18 | MiraCosta College Oceanside, CA Public · Also grants some bachelor's degrees | $1,158 | $9,750 | $7,339 | 41% | 10,278 |
| 19 | Santiago Canyon College Orange, CA Public · 2-year | $1,164 | $9,612 | $2,129 | 47% | 10,579 |
| 20 | College of the Canyons Santa Clarita, CA Public · Also grants some bachelor's degrees | $1,166 | $10,958 | $3,702 | — | 15,832 |
| 21 | Las Positas College Livermore, CA Public · 2-year | $1,168 | $9,808 | $5,377 | 51% | 7,299 |
| 22 | Solano Community College Fairfield, CA Public · Also grants some bachelor's degrees | $1,172 | $9,812 | $4,669 | 35% | 8,061 |
| 23 | Pasadena City College Pasadena, CA Public · 2-year | $1,180 | $9,820 | $3,864 | 44% | 21,466 |
| 24 | San Joaquin Delta College Stockton, CA Public · 2-year | $1,180 | $9,772 | $2,407 | 33% | 15,781 |
| 25 | Chaffey College Rancho Cucamonga, CA Public · 2-year | $1,184 | $11,120 | $5,672 | 34% | 18,132 |
| 26 | Crafton Hills College Yucaipa, CA Public · Also grants some bachelor's degrees | $1,188 | $14,556 | $11,331 | 31% | 5,687 |
| 27 | Monterey Peninsula College Monterey, CA Public · 2-year | $1,188 | $10,572 | $11,373 | 35% | 5,624 |
| 28 | Glendale Community College Glendale, CA Public · 2-year | $1,191 | $10,935 | $8,365 | 35% | 10,509 |
| 29 | San Bernardino Valley College San Bernardino, CA Public · 2-year | $1,196 | $14,382 | $18,943 | 24% | 12,234 |
| 30 | Shasta College Redding, CA Public · Also grants some bachelor's degrees | $1,197 | $8,853 | $2,878 | 26% | 6,128 |
| 31 | College of the Redwoods Eureka, CA Public · 2-year | $1,198 | $8,854 | $6,904 | 30% | 3,829 |
| 32 | Ohlone College Fremont, CA Public · 2-year | $1,202 | $8,714 | $11,130 | 53% | 7,099 |
| 33 | Los Angeles Pierce College Woodland Hills, CA Public · 2-year | $1,238 | $10,572 | $13,270 | 44% | 13,436 |
| 34 | Los Angeles City College Los Angeles, CA Public · 2-year | $1,238 | $10,572 | $10,261 | 27% | 11,198 |
| 35 | Los Angeles Mission College Sylmar, CA Public · Also grants some bachelor's degrees | $1,238 | $10,572 | $13,380 | 20% | 7,999 |
| 36 | Los Angeles Harbor College Wilmington, CA Public · 2-year | $1,238 | $10,568 | $13,250 | 36% | 6,694 |
| 37 | Los Angeles Southwest College Los Angeles, CA Public · 2-year | $1,238 | $10,572 | $5,964 | 34% | 3,706 |
| 38 | Santa Barbara City College Santa Barbara, CA Public · 2-year | $1,240 | $10,432 | $11,315 | 34% | 9,889 |
| 39 | Laney College Oakland, CA Public · 2-year | $1,258 | $9,898 | $17,110 | 34% | 6,842 |
| 40 | College of Alameda Alameda, CA Public · 2-year | $1,258 | $9,898 | $8,496 | 34% | 4,487 |
| 41 | Berkeley City College Berkeley, CA Public · 2-year | $1,258 | $9,898 | $9,096 | 39% | 4,456 |
| 42 | Cabrillo College Aptos, CA Public · 2-year | $1,270 | $9,862 | $15,843 | 38% | 8,002 |
| 43 | Skyline College San Bruno, CA Public · Also grants some bachelor's degrees | $1,272 | $9,956 | $1,738 | 43% | 7,620 |
| 44 | Modesto Junior College Modesto, CA Public · Also grants some bachelor's degrees | $1,282 | $9,264 | $2,818 | 28% | 15,109 |
| 45 | Columbia College (CA) Sonora, CA Public · 2-year | $1,282 | $9,264 | $11,316 | 28% | 1,984 |
| 46 | American River College Sacramento, CA Public · 2-year | $1,288 | $12,616 | $7,999 | 35% | 25,621 |
| 47 | Sacramento City College Sacramento, CA Public · 2-year | $1,288 | $12,616 | $6,614 | 32% | 17,657 |
| 48 | Cosumnes River College Sacramento, CA Public · 2-year | $1,288 | $12,616 | $5,981 | 36% | 14,023 |
| 49 | Folsom Lake College Folsom, CA Public · 2-year | $1,288 | $12,616 | $5,975 | 42% | 9,414 |
| 50 | Diablo Valley College Pleasant Hill, CA Public · 2-year | $1,312 | $10,320 | $8,312 | 47% | 15,358 |
How to compare these colleges
Community college tuition is often quoted at the in-district or in-state rate, and the out-of-state column shows what a nonresident would pay. Colleges marked as also granting some bachelor's degrees are state colleges that mostly award associate degrees. If you plan to transfer, check the receiving university's transfer agreements before choosing on price alone.
Guides worth reading first
More lists for California
Cheapest colleges in California
83 schools
Cheap colleges in California for out-of-state students
121 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
Community colleges in Oregon
11 schools
Community colleges in Texas
42 schools
Community colleges in New York
39 schools
All 232 colleges in California See the national version of this ranking