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California ranking · College Scorecard · Mar-Jul 2026 retrievals

Cheapest Colleges in California

Looking for the cheapest colleges in California? Using College Scorecard data retrieved March-July 2026, these operating California campuses rank lowest on average net price among colleges with at least 1,000 students. Net price is what full-time, first-time Title IV recipients actually paid after grants and scholarships, not sticker tuition alone.

$32
Lowest average net price
100
California colleges ranked
$11,373
#100 cutoff

The list in one line

The cheapest colleges in California on this list all report average net price of $11,373 or less after aid. Canada College leads at $32.

According to the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard.

$32
#1 - Canada College
$11,373
#100 cutoff on this list
1,000+
enrollment required per school

Average net price covers full-time, first-time undergraduate Title IV recipients; see methodology for cohort details.

Top 15 cheapest California colleges by average net price

Lower bars mean lower average net price after aid

avg net price

What this shows Public regional campuses often dominate low net price in California - compare earnings and graduation rates before treating cost alone as value.

Source U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard As of Mar-Jul 2026 retrievals
# School Name Avg Net PriceMedian Earnings (10yr)Enrollment
1 Canada College $32 $50,087 5,175
2 College of the Sequoias $480 $39,092 11,562
3 College of San Mateo $536 $54,172 7,977
4 Imperial Valley College $1,115 $34,487 7,652
5 Skyline College $1,738 $55,702 7,620
6 Victor Valley College $1,947 $36,119 4,210
7 Hartnell College $2,039 $44,316 9,453
8 Irvine Valley College $2,090 $49,156 10,286
9 Santiago Canyon College $2,129 $44,956 10,579
10 San Joaquin Delta College $2,407 $43,212 15,781
11 Cerritos College $2,424 $41,156 18,870
12 Yuba College $2,576 $39,552 4,779
13 Santa Monica College $2,779 $42,193 21,440
14 Modesto Junior College $2,818 $42,368 15,109
15 Taft College $2,823 $38,861 3,556
16 Shasta College $2,878 $39,269 6,128
17 Santa Ana College $3,133 $43,552 22,485
18 San Diego Miramar College $3,337 $48,224 11,271
19 West Valley College $3,423 $51,688 6,416
20 College of the Canyons $3,702 $49,022 15,832
21 Antelope Valley Community College District $3,860 $36,526 11,534
22 Pasadena City College $3,864 $43,937 21,466
23 California State University-Los Angeles $3,967 $59,211 19,562
24 Citrus College $4,135 $42,065 8,286
25 Saddleback College $4,152 $50,874 17,684
26 Madera Community College $4,179 - 4,808
27 California State University-San Bernardino $4,564 $59,977 15,023
28 Clovis Community College $4,590 - 7,956
29 Cypress College $4,606 $43,533 13,354
30 Solano Community College $4,669 $44,170 8,061
31 Golden West College $4,824 $43,145 9,034
32 Merced College $5,040 $37,815 10,001
33 Mission College $5,080 $50,936 5,784
34 Norco College $5,169 $51,206 8,779
35 Grossmont College $5,311 $40,309 12,163
36 Las Positas College $5,377 $51,088 7,299
37 Allan Hancock College $5,383 $42,786 8,052
38 Butte College $5,520 $41,810 8,890
39 California State University-Bakersfield $5,652 $59,009 8,577
40 Chaffey College $5,672 $42,975 18,132
41 Palomar College $5,763 $42,300 17,712
42 San Diego Mesa College $5,814 $45,120 16,098
43 Los Angeles Southwest College $5,964 $32,172 3,706
44 El Camino Community College District $5,968 $41,589 19,210
45 Folsom Lake College $5,975 $42,568 9,414
46 Cosumnes River College $5,981 $42,446 14,023
47 California State University-Stanislaus $6,067 $63,188 8,385
48 Fullerton College $6,134 $43,366 17,121
49 Long Beach City College $6,202 $38,870 22,427
50 Santa Rosa Junior College $6,331 $47,224 15,080
51 Moreno Valley College $6,483 $52,133 9,346
52 Mt San Antonio College $6,490 $46,283 26,140
53 Gavilan College $6,542 $47,169 4,786
54 California State University-Fullerton $6,555 $62,951 38,546
55 Sacramento City College $6,614 $42,214 17,657
56 Cuyamaca College $6,618 $32,435 7,177
57 De Anza College $6,642 $56,596 15,264
58 Mt San Jacinto Community College District $6,806 $38,319 15,259
59 Reedley College $6,814 $38,493 5,504
60 College of the Redwoods $6,904 $36,243 3,829
61 City College of San Francisco $6,906 $45,805 17,348
62 California State University-Fresno $7,000 $61,244 21,605
63 California State University-Northridge $7,021 $59,115 32,691
64 Orange Coast College $7,203 $47,348 16,091
65 Sierra College $7,245 $45,294 14,122
66 MiraCosta College $7,339 $43,845 10,278
67 Los Medanos College $7,443 $42,454 7,320
68 Foothill College $7,653 $57,072 11,137
69 San Diego City College $7,935 $38,503 10,441
70 American River College $7,999 $40,162 25,621
71 Fresno City College $8,069 $37,361 21,251
72 Diablo Valley College $8,312 $51,378 15,358
73 Mendocino College $8,330 $40,243 2,870
74 Woodland Community College $8,356 $40,042 3,154
75 Glendale Community College $8,365 $41,540 10,509
76 Riverside City College $8,377 $41,091 18,346
77 College of Alameda $8,496 $42,563 4,487
78 Lake Tahoe Community College $8,516 $36,657 3,660
79 California State University-Dominguez Hills $8,615 $57,162 12,538
80 Chabot College $9,053 $48,143 11,392
81 Berkeley City College $9,096 $41,217 4,456
82 Copper Mountain Community College $9,105 $33,281 1,323
83 California State University-East Bay $9,320 $71,401 9,809
84 California State University-Sacramento $9,338 $64,876 28,350
85 Contra Costa College $9,490 $40,850 5,203
86 West Los Angeles College $9,634 $38,537 7,284
87 California State University-Channel Islands $9,849 $62,152 5,013
88 California State University-San Marcos $10,229 $62,908 14,877
89 Los Angeles City College $10,261 $36,190 11,198
90 California State University-Long Beach $10,440 $64,403 35,924
91 Coalinga College $10,477 $37,633 2,522
92 Feather River Community College District $10,800 $38,142 1,828
93 Lemoore College $10,832 $40,292 3,373
94 East Los Angeles College $10,852 $42,006 27,753
95 College of the Siskiyous $11,120 $39,098 1,190
96 Ohlone College $11,130 $54,278 7,099
97 Santa Barbara City College $11,315 $47,647 9,889
98 Columbia College $11,316 $39,035 1,984
99 Crafton Hills College $11,331 $42,553 5,687
100 Monterey Peninsula College $11,373 $42,176 5,624

About This Ranking

California schools are ranked by average net price for full-time, first-time undergraduate Title IV recipients. Only operating colleges with enrollment of at least 1,000 are included so tiny specialty campuses do not dominate. The national companion is our cheapest colleges list. See our methodology for source vintage and cohort definitions.

Caveats and limitations

"Cheapest" here means lowest reported average net price among eligible California schools, not guaranteed cost for any one family. Your price depends on income, residency, and aid packaging.

For earnings-adjusted value in California, see best colleges in California. For the national best-value list, see best value.

This ranking is for informational purposes only and does not constitute financial advice. Use each school's net price calculator for a personalized estimate.

Every figure on PlainCollege is rendered directly from the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard data, no number is typed in by an editor. Rankings are computed directly from College Scorecard data, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error on this page. Review the public data changelog. Data current as of Mar-Jul 2026 retrievals.