California Public colleges 2025 Average Tuition

For California Public colleges, the 2025 average undergraduate tuition & fees is $3,416 for California residents and $14,215 for out-of-state students.

For graduate programs, the average tuition & fees is $12,315 for California residents and $22,966 for out-of-state students.

University of California-Davis has the highest undergraduate tuition & fees of $47,692 and Sierra College has the lowest tuition & fees of $1,446 among California Public colleges. For graduate programs, University of California College of the Law-San Francisco has the highest graduate tuition & fees of $48,296 and Teachers College of San Joaquin has the lowest graduate tuition & fees of $7,454 among California Public colleges.

Costs of Attendance (COA)

The average COA of California Public colleges in 2025 is $26,213 for state residents and $37,012 for out-of-state students including tuition, fees, books, supplies, room & board (on-campus), and other living expenses.

Table. 2025 Average Costs of Attendance for California Public colleges
UndergraduateGraduate
In-StateOut-of-StateIn-StateOut-of-State
Tuition & Fees$3,416$14,215$12,315$22,966
Books & Supplies$1,285$1,285
Room & Board$16,492$16,492
Other Expenses$5,020$5,020
COA$26,213$37,012$35,111$45,762

Undergraduate Tuition & Fees

The 2025 average undergraduate tuition & fees of California Public colleges is $3,416 for state residents and $14,215 for out-of-state students.

The following table describes the changes of average tuition & fees for California Public colleges over last 5 years as well as recent year average tuition & fees.

Table. 2025 Average Undergraduate Tuition & Fees Changes for California Public colleges (2021-2025)
In-StateOut-of-State
TuitionFeesTuitionFees
2020-2021$2,722$520$11,744$523
2021-2022$2,693$523$11,972$545
2022-2023$2,699$540$12,219$566
2023-2024$2,729$556$12,899$603
2024-2025$2,825$591$13,589$626
*The amount of tuition for 2024-2025 includes fees.

Graduate Programs Tuition & Fees

The average graduate program tuition & fees of California Public colleges in 2025 is $12,315 for state residents and $22,966 for out-of-state students.

The following table describes the changes of average graduate tuition & fees for California Public colleges over last 5 years.

Table. 2025 Average Graduate Tuition & Fees Changes for California Public colleges (2021-2025)
In-StateOut-of-State
TuitionFeesTuitionFees
2020-2021$9,672$1,876$20,380$1,876
2021-2022$9,654$1,880$19,943$1,880
2022-2023$9,715$1,842$20,004$1,842
2023-2024$9,829$1,925$20,118$1,925
2024-2025$10,357$1,958$21,008$1,958

Tuition Per Credit Hour (Part-time Students and Over Credits)

The undergraduate average cost per credit hour of California Public colleges in 2025 is $54 for state residents and $398 for out-of-state students.

The graduate average cost per credit hour is $1,022 for state residents and $484 for out-of-state students.

The following table describes the changes of tuition per credit hour over last 5 years.

Table. 2025 Average Cost Per Credit Hour for California Public colleges (2021-2025)
UndergraduateGraduate
In-StateOut-of-StateIn-StateOut-of-State
2020-2021$52$328 $977$458
2021-2022$52$340 $987$459
2022-2023$54$362 $973$457
2023-2024$54$390 $989$459
2024-2025$54$398 $1,022$484

California Public colleges Living Costs

The average living costs of California Public colleges in 2025 is $21,512 when a student lives on campus such as dormitory and school's apartment and $28,915 living off campus including room, board, and other living expenses.

The following table describes the changes of average living costs over last 5 years for California Public colleges.

Table. 2025 Average Living Costs for California Public colleges (2021-2025)
On-CampusOff-Campus
Room&BoardOther ExpensesRoom&BoardOther Expenses
2020-2021 $13,484$3,688 $16,307$4,692
2021-2022 $13,550$3,620 $17,081$4,722
2022-2023 $14,194$3,757 $18,088$4,849
2023-2024 $14,825$4,569 $20,108$5,712
2024-2025 $16,492$5,020 $22,451$6,464