There are 696 colleges in California - 178 public and 518 private schools. At California colleges, over the past decade, the Cost of Attendance (COA)—covering tuition, fees, textbooks, room and board, and living expenses—has sharply increased, making higher education less affordable for many students and families.
California Colleges Key COA Trends (2016-2025)
The total Cost of Attendance has increased substantially at California colleges:
- On-Campus: The COA has risen by 23.94%.
- Off-Campus: The COA has risen by 35.03%.
- 2024-2025 Total COA: the average total COA is $42,873 when living on campus and $47,629 when living off campus.
California Colleges Tuition & Fees Changes
Tuition and fees saw dramatic increases across institution types:
| Institution Type |
10-Year Increase (2016-2025) |
2025 Average Tuition & Fees |
| Public, In-State |
1.87% (from $6,541 to $6,663) |
$6,663 |
| Public, Out-of-State |
14.58% (from $18,077 to $20,712) |
$20,712 |
| Private Colleges |
20.24% (from $26,221 to $31,527) |
$31,527 |
Note on Degrees: Undergraduate tuition & fees increased by 14.58%, while graduate program tuition & fees increased by 9.01% over the same period.
Living and Other Costs
Living Costs (Room & Board, Other Expenses):
- At California colleges, living costs increased by 40.44% for on-campus and 64.83% for off-campus.
- The average living cost for 2024-2025 is $20,908 (on-campus) and $25,664 (off-campus).
Books & Supplies:
- Books and supplies costs have remained relatively stable (-22.94%), with the average cost for 2024-2025 being $1,253.
COA (Cost of Attendance) Trends
Over the past 10 years, the COA has increased 23.94% when living on campus and 35.03% when living off campus at California Colleges.
In private California Colleges, the COA has increase by 25.63% (on-campus) and 34.61% (off-camus). The COA includes tuition, fees, books & supplies, room & board, and other personal expenses.
For the academic year 2024-2025, the total cost of attendance is $42,873 when a student lives on campus and $47,629 when living off campus at California Colleges. The following table and chart illustrate the changes of COA for California Colleges over the past 10 years.
COA (Cost of Attendance) Trends of California Colleges
| Year | Living On Campus | Living Off Campus |
|---|
| In-State | Out-of-State | Private Schools | In-State | Out-of-State | Private Schools |
|---|
| 2015-16 |
$23,055 | $34,591 | $42,735 | $23,737 | $35,273 | $43,417 |
|---|
| 2016-17 |
$23,834
3.38% | $35,890
3.76% | $44,118
3.24% | $24,265
2.22% | $36,321
2.97% | $44,549
2.61% |
|---|
| 2017-18 |
$24,317
2.03% | $36,885
2.77% | $44,383
0.60% | $24,610
1.42% | $37,178
2.36% | $44,676
0.29% |
|---|
| 2018-19 |
$24,611
1.21% | $37,246
0.98% | $44,434
0.11% | $25,084
1.93% | $37,719
1.46% | $44,907
0.52% |
|---|
| 2019-20 |
$25,350
3.00% | $38,333
2.92% | $45,183
1.69% | $26,432
5.37% | $39,415
4.50% | $46,265
3.02% |
|---|
| 2020-21 |
$25,127
-0.88% | $38,383
0.13% | $45,107
-0.17% | $26,748
1.20% | $40,004
1.49% | $46,728
1.00% |
|---|
| 2021-22 |
$25,443
1.26% | $38,754
0.97% | $45,959
1.89% | $27,469
2.70% | $40,780
1.94% | $47,985
2.69% |
|---|
| 2022-23 |
$26,138
2.73% | $39,804
2.71% | $47,327
2.98% | $28,701
4.49% | $42,367
3.89% | $49,890
3.97% |
|---|
| 2023-24 |
$27,597
5.58% | $41,644
4.62% | $49,535
4.67% | $30,842
7.46% | $44,889
5.95% | $52,780
5.79% |
|---|
| 2024-25 |
$28,824
4.45% | $42,873
2.95% | $53,688
8.38% | $33,580
8.88% | $47,629
6.10% | $58,444
10.73% |
|---|
Tuition & Fees Changes
For the current year (2025), the average tuition & fees for California Colleges is $8,022 for California residents and $22,226 out-of-state students. In private schools, the average tuition & fees is $32,883.
For graduate programs, the 2025 average graduate tuition & fees is $14,273 for California residents and $24,924 out-of-state students. In private schools, the average graduate program tuition & fees is $27,476.
The tuition & fees has increased 14.58% for undergraduate programs and 9.01% for graduate programs at California Colleges. The following table and chart illustrate the changes of tuition & fees by tuition rates and degrees.
Tuition & Fees Changes for California Colleges
| Year | Undergraduate | Graduate |
|---|
| In-State | Out-of-State | Private Schools | In-State | Out-of-State | Private Schools |
|---|
| 2015-16 |
$6,541 | $18,077 | $26,221 | $10,849 | $21,068 | $21,235 |
|---|
| 2016-17 |
$6,594
0.81% | $18,650
3.17% | $26,878
2.51% | $10,697
-1.40% | $20,596
-2.24% | $22,117
4.15% |
|---|
| 2017-18 |
$6,683
1.35% | $19,251
3.22% | $26,749
-0.48% | $11,179
4.51% | $21,446
4.13% | $22,118 |
|---|
| 2018-19 |
$6,668
-0.22% | $19,303
0.27% | $26,491
-0.96% | $11,301
1.09% | $21,590
0.67% | $21,894
-1.01% |
|---|
| 2019-20 |
$6,725
0.85% | $19,708
2.10% | $26,558
0.25% | $11,377
0.67% | $21,666
0.35% | $21,939
0.21% |
|---|
| 2020-21 |
$6,797
1.07% | $20,053
1.75% | $26,777
0.82% | $11,609
2.04% | $22,316
3.00% | $22,384
2.03% |
|---|
| 2021-22 |
$6,806
0.13% | $20,117
0.32% | $27,322
2.04% | $11,589
-0.17% | $21,878
-1.96% | $23,016
2.82% |
|---|
| 2022-23 |
$6,690
-1.70% | $20,356
1.19% | $27,879
2.04% | $10,370
-10.52% | $21,651
-1.04% | $23,391
1.63% |
|---|
| 2023-24 |
$6,823
1.99% | $20,870
2.53% | $28,761
3.16% | $10,762
3.78% | $22,043
1.81% | $24,675
5.49% |
|---|
| 2024-25 |
$6,663
-2.35% | $20,712
-0.76% | $31,527
9.62% | $12,315
14.43% | $22,966
4.19% | $26,433
7.12% |
|---|
Books & Supplies Costs Changes
For the current year (2025), the average book & supplies costs is $1,253 for California Colleges. The following table shows the changes of book & supplies costs from year 2016 to 2025.
Books & Supplies Costs Changes for California Colleges
| Year | Books & Supplies |
|---|
| 2015-16 | $1,626 |
|---|
| 2016-17 | $1,592
-2.09% |
|---|
| 2017-18 | $1,551
-2.58% |
|---|
| 2018-19 | $1,548
-0.19% |
|---|
| 2019-20 | $1,598
3.23% |
|---|
| 2020-21 | $1,239
-22.47% |
|---|
| 2021-22 | $1,257
1.45% |
|---|
| 2022-23 | $1,218
-3.10% |
|---|
| 2023-24 | $1,200
-1.48% |
|---|
| 2024-25 | $1,253
4.42% |
|---|
Living Costs Changes
For California Colleges, the living have increased 30.25% when a student lives on campus facilities and 45.38% when living off campus from year 2016 to 2025. The living costs includes costs for room & board, and other living expenses.
Living Costs Changes for California Colleges
| Year | Living On Campus | Living Off Campus |
|---|
| 2015-16 | $14,888 | $15,809 |
|---|
| 2016-17 | $15,648
5.56% | $16,558
3.59% |
|---|
| 2017-18 | $16,083
3.22% | $16,935
2.68% |
|---|
| 2018-19 | $16,395
1.80% | $17,253
3.30% |
|---|
| 2019-20 | $17,027
3.39% | $18,239
5.51% |
|---|
| 2020-21 | $17,091
1.77% | $18,342
5.54% |
|---|
| 2021-22 | $17,380
2.35% | $18,684
4.79% |
|---|
| 2022-23 | $18,230
4.94% | $19,683
7.33% |
|---|
| 2023-24 | $19,574
5.98% | $21,216
8.67% |
|---|
| 2024-25 | $20,908
6.40% | $22,748
13.44% |
|---|