National ranking · College Scorecard · Mar-Jul 2026 retrievals

Colleges with the Lowest Tuition

Looking for colleges with the lowest tuition? Using College Scorecard data retrieved March-July 2026, these operating campuses rank lowest on published in-state sticker tuition among colleges with at least 1,000 students. Community colleges dominate this list - compare programs, transfer paths, and net price before treating sticker tuition as the full cost.

Compiled by PlainCollege , College outcomes data analysis

$1,104
Lowest in-state tuition: 100
Colleges ranked: $1,426
#100 cutoff

The list in one line

The lowest-tuition colleges on this list all publish in-state sticker tuition of $1,426 or less. Barstow Community College leads at $1,104.

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

$1,104
#1 - Barstow Community College: $1,426
#100 cutoff on this list: 1,000+
enrollment required per school

Tuition is the published in-state sticker field from College Scorecard; see methodology for vintage details.

Barstow Community College

$1,104
Taft College

$1,108
Antelope Valley Communit…

$1,124
Woodland Community College

$1,124
Yuba College

$1,128
Lake Tahoe Community Col…

$1,131
Compton College

$1,142
El Camino Community Coll…

$1,144
Lassen Community College

$1,144
San Diego Mesa College

$1,146
San Diego Miramar College

$1,146
San Diego City College

$1,146
Imperial Valley College

$1,148
Fullerton College

$1,150
Cypress College

$1,150

What this shows Public community colleges usually fill the bottom of the sticker ladder - fees, books, and living costs still matter beyond published tuition.

Full ranking table

Filter by state, ownership sector, or minimum enrollment, then open any school profile for net price and program-level outcomes.

#	School Name	State	In-state tuition	Enrollment
1	Barstow Community College	CA	$1,104	2,657
2	Taft College	CA	$1,108	3,556
3	Antelope Valley Community College District	CA	$1,124	11,534
4	Woodland Community College	CA	$1,124	3,154
5	Yuba College	CA	$1,128	4,779
6	Lake Tahoe Community College	CA	$1,131	3,660
7	Compton College	CA	$1,142	3,142
8	El Camino Community College District	CA	$1,144	19,210
9	Lassen Community College	CA	$1,144	1,741
10	San Diego Mesa College	CA	$1,146	16,098
11	San Diego Miramar College	CA	$1,146	11,271
12	San Diego City College	CA	$1,146	10,441
13	Imperial Valley College	CA	$1,148	7,652
14	Fullerton College	CA	$1,150	17,121
15	Cypress College	CA	$1,150	13,354
16	Chabot College	CA	$1,150	11,392
17	Santa Monica College	CA	$1,156	21,440
18	Saddleback College	CA	$1,156	17,684
19	Irvine Valley College	CA	$1,156	10,286
20	Allan Hancock College	CA	$1,156	8,052
21	Napa Valley College	CA	$1,156	3,813
22	MiraCosta College	CA	$1,158	10,278
23	Santiago Canyon College	CA	$1,164	10,579
24	College of the Canyons	CA	$1,166	15,832
25	Las Positas College	CA	$1,168	7,299
26	Solano Community College	CA	$1,172	8,061
27	Santa Ana College	CA	$1,180	22,485
28	Pasadena City College	CA	$1,180	21,466
29	San Joaquin Delta College	CA	$1,180	15,781
30	Chaffey College	CA	$1,184	18,132
31	Crafton Hills College	CA	$1,188	5,687
32	Monterey Peninsula College	CA	$1,188	5,624
33	Glendale Community College	CA	$1,191	10,509
34	San Bernardino Valley College	CA	$1,196	12,234
35	Shasta College	CA	$1,197	6,128
36	College of the Redwoods	CA	$1,198	3,829
37	Merced College	CA	$1,200	10,001
38	Ohlone College	CA	$1,202	7,099
39	Citrus College	CA	$1,204	8,286
40	East Los Angeles College	CA	$1,238	27,753
41	Los Angeles Pierce College	CA	$1,238	13,436
42	Los Angeles Valley College	CA	$1,238	12,601
43	Los Angeles City College	CA	$1,238	11,198
44	Los Angeles Trade Technical College	CA	$1,238	9,998
45	Los Angeles Mission College	CA	$1,238	7,999
46	West Los Angeles College	CA	$1,238	7,284
47	Los Angeles Harbor College	CA	$1,238	6,694
48	Los Angeles Southwest College	CA	$1,238	3,706
49	Santa Barbara City College	CA	$1,240	9,889
50	Laney College	CA	$1,258	6,842
51	Merritt College	CA	$1,258	5,288
52	College of Alameda	CA	$1,258	4,487
53	Berkeley City College	CA	$1,258	4,456
54	Cabrillo College	CA	$1,270	8,002
55	Skyline College	CA	$1,272	7,620
56	Modesto Junior College	CA	$1,282	15,109
57	Columbia College	CA	$1,282	1,984
58	American River College	CA	$1,288	25,621
59	Sacramento City College	CA	$1,288	17,657
60	Cosumnes River College	CA	$1,288	14,023
61	Folsom Lake College	CA	$1,288	9,414
62	Palo Verde College	CA	$1,288	3,381
63	Diablo Valley College	CA	$1,312	15,358
64	Los Medanos College	CA	$1,312	7,320
65	Contra Costa College	CA	$1,312	5,203
66	Santa Rosa Junior College	CA	$1,318	15,080
67	College of the Desert	CA	$1,326	10,207
68	Grossmont College	CA	$1,332	12,163
69	College of San Mateo	CA	$1,332	7,977
70	Canada College	CA	$1,332	5,175
71	Fresno City College	CA	$1,334	21,251
72	Reedley College	CA	$1,334	5,504
73	Southwestern College	CA	$1,344	18,614
74	Cuyamaca College	CA	$1,346	7,177
75	Cuesta College	CA	$1,350	7,180
76	Palomar College	CA	$1,354	17,712
77	Butte College	CA	$1,356	8,890
78	Mt San Antonio College	CA	$1,364	26,140
79	Cerritos College	CA	$1,364	18,870
80	Coastline Community College	CA	$1,364	7,393
81	Evergreen Valley College	CA	$1,366	7,688
82	San Jose City College	CA	$1,366	7,105
83	Clovis Community College	CA	$1,378	7,956
84	Madera Community College	CA	$1,378	4,808
85	Golden West College	CA	$1,380	9,034
86	Lemoore College	CA	$1,384	3,373
87	Cerro Coso Community College	CA	$1,384	3,171
88	Coalinga College	CA	$1,384	2,522
89	Rio Hondo College	CA	$1,388	15,684
90	Copper Mountain Community College	CA	$1,390	1,323
91	Orange Coast College	CA	$1,392	16,091
92	College of the Sequoias	CA	$1,394	11,562
93	University of the People	CA	$1,400	22,688
94	Hartnell College	CA	$1,404	9,453
95	Dine College	AZ	$1,410	1,375
96	Mendocino College	CA	$1,423	2,870
97	Victor Valley College	CA	$1,425	4,210
98	Moorpark College	CA	$1,426	12,082
99	Ventura College	CA	$1,426	10,150
100	Oxnard College	CA	$1,426	6,240

About This Ranking

Schools are ranked by published in-state sticker tuition from College Scorecard. Only operating colleges with enrollment of at least 1,000 are included. For what students actually pay after aid, see our cheapest colleges list. See our methodology for source vintage.

Caveats and limitations

In-state sticker tuition does not include fees, books, housing, or out-of-state rates. Non-residents at public colleges often pay far more than these figures.

For the opposite end of the sticker ladder, see colleges with the highest tuition.

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.