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.

Compiled by PlainCollege , College outcomes data analysis

$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.

Canada College

$32
College of the Sequoias

$480
College of San Mateo

$536
Imperial Valley College

$1,115
Skyline College

$1,738
Victor Valley College

$1,947
Hartnell College

$2,039
Irvine Valley College

$2,090
Santiago Canyon College

$2,129
San Joaquin Delta College

$2,407
Cerritos College

$2,424
Yuba College

$2,576
Santa Monica College

$2,779
Modesto Junior College

$2,818
Taft College

$2,823

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

#	School Name	Avg Net Price	Median 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.