For California colleges, the 2024 average undergraduate tuition & fees is $3,285 for California residents and $21,246 for out-of-state students.

For graduate programs, the average tuition & fees is $11,754 for California residents and $24,308 for out-of-state students.

Laurus College has the highest undergraduate tuition & fees of $83,400 and Trinity School of Health and Allied Sciences has the lowest tuition & fees of $930 among California colleges. For graduate programs, Claremont McKenna College has the highest graduate tuition & fees of $68,525 and Grace Mission University has the lowest graduate tuition & fees of $2,640 among California colleges.

You can narrow California colleges down into public schools and private schools to check tuition and other college costs in deep.

Costs of Attendance (COA)

The average COA of California colleges in 2024 is $23,694 for state residents and $41,655 for out-of-state students including tuition, fees, books, supplies, room & board (on-campus), and other living expenses.

Table. 2024 Average Costs of Attendance for California colleges
UndergraduateGraduate
In-StateOut-of-StateIn-StateOut-of-State
Tuition & Fees$3,285$21,246$11,754$24,308
Books & Supplies$1,255$1,255
Room & Board$15,061$15,061
Other Expenses$4,093$4,093
COA$23,694$41,655$32,163$44,717

Undergraduate Tuition & Fees

The 2024 average undergraduate tuition & fees of California colleges is $3,285 for state residents and $21,246 for out-of-state students.

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

Table. 2024 Average Undergraduate Tuition & Fees Changes for California colleges (2020-2024)
In-StateOut-of-State
TuitionFeesTuitionFees
2019-2020$2,698$526$18,889$671
2020-2021$2,722$520$18,947$673
2021-2022$2,693$523$19,079$705
2022-2023$2,699$540$19,609$745
2023-2024$2,729$556$20,453$793
*The amount of tuition for 2023-2024 includes fees.

Graduate Programs Tuition & Fees

The average graduate program tuition & fees of California colleges in 2024 is $11,754 for state residents and $24,308 for out-of-state students.

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

Table. 2024 Average Graduate Tuition & Fees Changes for California colleges (2020-2024)
In-StateOut-of-State
TuitionFeesTuitionFees
2019-2020$9,513$1,849$21,303$964
2020-2021$9,672$1,876$21,717$1,006
2021-2022$9,654$1,880$21,910$1,049
2022-2023$9,715$1,842$22,418$1,079
2023-2024$9,829$1,925$23,168$1,140

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

The undergraduate average cost per credit hour of California colleges in 2024 is $574 for state residents and $706 for out-of-state students.

The graduate average cost per credit hour is $935 for state residents and $857 for out-of-state students.

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

Table. 2024 Average Cost Per Credit Hour for California colleges (2020-2024)
UndergraduateGraduate
In-StateOut-of-StateIn-StateOut-of-State
2019-2020$539$638 $877$804
2020-2021$538$645 $886$813
2021-2022$543$656 $960$877
2022-2023$559$679 $920$843
2023-2024$574$706 $935$857

California colleges Living Costs

The average living costs of California colleges in 2024 is $19,154 when a student lives on campus such as dormitory and school's apartment and $24,034 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 colleges.

Table. 2024 Average Living Costs for California colleges (2020-2024)
On-CampusOff-Campus
Room&BoardOther ExpensesRoom&BoardOther Expenses
2019-2020 $13,102$3,533 $14,166$4,728
2020-2021 $13,374$3,394 $15,107$4,668
2021-2022 $13,574$3,356 $15,846$4,729
2022-2023 $14,224$3,507 $16,667$4,935
2023-2024 $15,061$4,093 $18,409$5,625