Below is a college cost ranking of the 109 private colleges in California with the lowest in state tution. What is the cheapest college in California? California Institute of Integral Studies tops the list with a tuition and fee total of $0. Note these costs do not include room and board or living expenses.
Affordable doesn't simply mean finding a school with a low published price. It's important to research the typical financial aid package offered by a school, the average net price actually paid and most importantly the quality of education you receive for your tuition dollar. Sometimes a school which appears cheap based on list price can be a poor relative value if it can't award competitive financial aid or doesn't offer a quality education. The list below is a ranking on published in state tution with no consideration of actual average price paid or academic quality of the school. Please see the CollegeSimply Best Value Colleges in California list for a ranking which considers school quality and average net price.
All price data are reprinted from the U.S. Department of Education's 2022-2022 IPEDS Survey and reflect reported costs for the 2021/2022 academic year.
School | Tuition In State | |
---|---|---|
Saint Marys College of CaliforniaMoraga, CA |
$53,932 | |
University of San DiegoSan Diego, CA |
$54,554 | |
California College of the ArtsOakland, CA |
$54,706 | |
California Institute of the ArtsValencia, CA |
$55,056 | |
University of San FranciscoSan Francisco, CA |
$55,532 | |
University of RedlandsRedlands, CA |
$55,678 | |
Loyola Marymount UniversityLos Angeles, CA |
$55,926 | |
Santa Clara UniversitySanta Clara, CA |
$57,534 | |
Stanford UniversityStanford, CA |
$58,416 | |
Pomona CollegeClaremont, CA |
$59,238 | |
Occidental CollegeLos Angeles, CA |
$60,566 | |
Pitzer CollegeClaremont, CA |
$60,578 | |
Chapman UniversityOrange, CA |
$60,672 | |
Scripps CollegeClaremont, CA |
$60,712 | |
Claremont McKenna CollegeClaremont, CA |
$60,715 | |
California Institute of TechnologyPasadena, CA |
$60,864 | |
Harvey Mudd CollegeClaremont, CA |
$62,817 | |
Pepperdine UniversityMalibu, CA |
$63,142 |