California Colleges by Tuition Range

The following diagram categorizes California Colleges by tuition & fees range. You can view the schools in the tuition range by following the link on the circle. For public schools, classification is based on out-of-state tuition.

*Updated with 2025 Tuition

Any Range642 colleges
< $10K105 colleges
$10K - $20K277 colleges
$20K - $30K110 colleges
$30K - $40K65 colleges
$40K - $50K36 colleges
> $50K49 colleges

California Tuition Trends over Past 10 Years

The following table shows the changes of the tuition and living costs for undergraduate and gradate programs in California. The tuition & fees of the schools have risen 17.16% over the past decade. Last year, the tuition & fees increased by -0.76%.
The graduate tuition & fees have risen 2.46% over the past decade where it is increased by 4.19% last year. The living costs in California Colleges have risen 43.97% over the past decade. We analyze the trends based on the college costs of 4-year schools.
Tuition Changes over last 10 Years in California
Tuition & FeesLiving Costs
UndergraduateGraduateOn-CampusOff-Campus
in-StateOut-of-Statein-StateOut-of-State
2011-12 $6,230$17,342 $10,427$20,646 $13,680$14,739
2012-13 $6,372
2.28%		$17,683
1.97%		 $10,501
0.71%		$21,120
2.30%		 $14,071
2.86%		$14,871
0.90%
2013-14 $6,413
0.64%		$17,438
-1.39%		 $10,527
0.25%		$22,190
5.07%		 $14,149
0.55%		$14,902
0.21%
2014-15 $6,486
1.14%		$17,679
1.38%		 $10,660
1.26%		$22,414
1.01%		 $14,522
2.64%		$15,056
1.03%
2015-16 $6,541
0.85%		$18,077
2.25%		 $10,849
1.77%		$21,068
-6.01%		 $14,888
2.52%		$15,570
3.41%
2016-17 $6,594
0.81%		$18,650
3.17%		 $10,697
-1.40%		$20,596
-2.24%		 $15,648
5.10%		$16,079
3.27%
2017-18 $6,683
1.35%		$19,251
3.22%		 $11,179
4.51%		$21,446
4.13%		 $16,083
2.78%		$16,376
1.85%
2018-19 $6,668
-0.22%		$19,303
0.27%		 $11,301
1.09%		$21,590
0.67%		 $16,395
1.94%		$16,868
3.00%
2019-20 $6,725
0.85%		$19,708
2.10%		 $11,377
0.67%		$21,666
0.35%		 $17,027
3.85%		$18,109
7.36%
2020-21 $6,797
1.07%		$20,053
1.75%		 $11,609
2.04%		$22,316
3.00%		 $17,091
0.38%		$18,712
3.33%
2021-22 $6,806
0.13%		$20,117
0.32%		 $11,589
-0.17%		$21,878
-1.96%		 $17,380
1.69%		$19,406
3.71%
2022-23 $6,690
-1.70%		$20,356
1.19%		 $10,370
-10.52%		$21,651
-1.04%		 $18,230
4.89%		$20,793
7.15%
2023-24 $6,823
1.99%		$20,870
2.53%		 $10,762
3.78%		$22,043
1.81%		 $19,574
7.37%		$22,819
9.74%
2024-25 $6,663
-2.35%		$20,712
-0.76%		 $12,315
14.43%		$22,966
4.19%		 $20,908
6.82%		$25,664
12.47%

2025 Average Tuition & Fees of California Colleges

The 2025 average tuition & fees of California Colleges is $6,033 for state residents and $19,590 for out-of-state students in public 4-year colleges. In community colleges (2-4 year colleges), the tuition & fees is $1,672 for state residents and $10,350.
The average tuition at trade/vocational schools is $15,942. For graduate programs, the average tuition & fees are $12,209 for state residents and $22,828 for out-of-state students in public graduate schools. For private graduate schools, the average tuition is $24,708.
Undergraduate Programs Average Costs
4-Year CollegeCommunity CollegesTrade Schools
Public (in-State)$6,033$1,672 $15,942
Public (out-of-State)$19,590$10,350$15,942
Private$29,422-$15,942
Graduate Programs Average Costs
Tuition & Fees
Public (in-State)$12,209
Public (out-of-State)$22,828
Private$24,708