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Community colleges in California

There are 129 two-year, predominantly associate-degree-granting community colleges in California reporting to the U.S. Department of Education. Median published in-state tuition across the state is $1,312 per academic year — among the most affordable postsecondary options anywhere in the country.

This page is a working directory: every institution links to a full profile with cost, enrollment, completion, and transfer numbers. The lists below highlight the most affordable, the largest, and the most transfer-active campuses in California, drawn from the same Department of Education data four-year admissions offices use to evaluate incoming transfer applicants. If you are weighing a community-college start before continuing to a four-year program, the transfer rate column is the single most useful comparison.

Most affordable in-state tuition in California

  1. Barstow Community CollegeBarstow$1,104
  2. Taft CollegeTaft$1,108
  3. Antelope Valley Community College DistrictLancaster$1,124
  4. Woodland Community CollegeWoodland$1,124
  5. Yuba CollegeMarysville$1,128

Full California cost ranking → Tuition reference →

Largest community colleges in California

  1. East Los Angeles CollegeMonterey Park27,753
  2. Mt San Antonio CollegeWalnut26,140
  3. American River CollegeSacramento25,621
  4. University of the PeoplePasadena22,688
  5. Pasadena City CollegePasadena21,466

Full enrollment ranking →

Strongest transfer outcomes

Share of full-time entrants who transferred to another institution within 150% of program length.

  1. College of the SiskiyousWeed26%
  2. Santa Barbara City CollegeSanta Barbara25%
  3. Berkeley City CollegeBerkeley19%
  4. Laney CollegeOakland17%
  5. College of MarinKentfield17%

California transfer guide →

All 129 community colleges in California

InstitutionCityEnrollmentIn-state tuition
American Academy of Dramatic Arts-Los AngelesLos Angeles112$40,650
American Medical Sciences CenterGlendale365—
American River CollegeSacramento25,621$1,288
Antelope Valley Community College DistrictLancaster11,534$1,124
Asher CollegeSacramento649—
Bakersfield CollegeBakersfield17,280$1,430
Barstow Community CollegeBarstow2,657$1,104
Berkeley City CollegeBerkeley4,456$1,258
Cabrillo CollegeAptos8,002$1,270
California Career CollegeCanoga Park190—
California Indian Nations CollegePalm Desert142$7,743
Canada CollegeRedwood City5,175$1,332
Career Networks InstituteSanta Ana1,133—
Casa Loma College-Los AngelesSherman Oaks758—
CBD CollegeLos Angeles1,581—
Cerro Coso Community CollegeRidgecrest3,171$1,384
Chabot CollegeHayward11,392$1,150
Chaffey CollegeRancho Cucamonga18,132$1,184
Clovis Community CollegeFresno7,956$1,378
Coastline Community CollegeFountain Valley7,393$1,364
College of AlamedaAlameda4,487$1,258
College of MarinKentfield4,042$1,558
College of San MateoSan Mateo7,977$1,332
College of the CanyonsSanta Clarita15,832$1,166
College of the RedwoodsEureka3,829$1,198
College of the SequoiasVisalia11,562$1,394
College of the SiskiyousWeed1,190$1,444
Columbia CollegeSonora1,984$1,282
Compton CollegeCompton3,142$1,142
Contra Costa CollegeSan Pablo5,203$1,312
Copper Mountain Community CollegeJoshua Tree1,323$1,390
Cosumnes River CollegeSacramento14,023$1,288
Cuyamaca CollegeEl Cajon7,177$1,346
De Anza CollegeCupertino15,264$1,571
Diablo Valley CollegePleasant Hill15,358$1,312
East Los Angeles CollegeMonterey Park27,753$1,238
El Camino Community College DistrictTorrance19,210$1,144
Evergreen Valley CollegeSan Jose7,688$1,366
Feather River Community College DistrictQuincy1,828$1,465
FIDM-Fashion Institute of Design & MerchandisingLos Angeles535$35,000
Folsom Lake CollegeFolsom9,414$1,288
Fremont UniversityCerritos157—
Fresno City CollegeFresno21,251$1,334
Fullerton CollegeFullerton17,121$1,150
Gavilan CollegeGilroy4,786$1,508
Glendale Career College-North-West College-BakersfieldBakersfield493—
Glendale Career College-North-West College-MFSONWest Covina290—
Glendale Community CollegeGlendale10,509$1,191
Golden West CollegeHuntington Beach9,034$1,380
Grossmont CollegeEl Cajon12,163$1,332
Hartnell CollegeSalinas9,453$1,404
Imperial Valley CollegeImperial7,652$1,148
Interior Designers InstituteNewport Beach97$20,250
Irvine Valley CollegeIrvine10,286$1,156
Lake Tahoe Community CollegeSouth Lake Tahoe3,660$1,131
Laney CollegeOakland6,842$1,258
Las Positas CollegeLivermore7,299$1,168
Lassen Community CollegeSusanville1,741$1,144
Latin American Bible InstituteLa Puente111$14,050
Laurus CollegeSan Luis Obispo1,116—
Lemoore CollegeLemoore3,373$1,384
Los Angeles City CollegeLos Angeles11,198$1,238
Los Angeles County College of Nursing and Allied HealthLos Angeles204—
Los Angeles Harbor CollegeWilmington6,694$1,238
Los Angeles Mission CollegeSylmar7,999$1,238
Los Angeles Pierce CollegeWoodland Hills13,436$1,238
Los Angeles Southwest CollegeLos Angeles3,706$1,238
Los Angeles Valley CollegeValley Glen12,601$1,238
Los Medanos CollegePittsburg7,320$1,312
Madera Community CollegeMadera4,808$1,378
Mendocino CollegeUkiah2,870$1,423
Merced CollegeMerced10,001$1,200
Mission CollegeSanta Clara5,784$1,438
Modesto Junior CollegeModesto15,109$1,282
Monterey Peninsula CollegeMonterey5,624$1,188
Moorpark CollegeMoorpark12,082$1,426
Moreno Valley CollegeMoreno Valley9,346$1,428
Mt San Antonio CollegeWalnut26,140$1,364
Mt San Jacinto Community College DistrictSan Jacinto15,259$1,448
Napa Valley CollegeNapa3,813$1,156
National Polytechnic CollegeLakewood516—
Norco CollegeNorco8,779$1,428
North-West College-San DiegoSan Diego636—
Ohlone CollegeFremont7,099$1,202
Oxnard CollegeOxnard6,240$1,426
Pacific CollegeCosta Mesa225—
Palo Verde CollegeBlythe3,381$1,288
Pasadena City CollegePasadena21,466$1,180
PCI CollegeCerritos149—
Platt College-AnaheimAnaheim498$14,922
Platt College-Los AngelesAlhambra570$14,922
Platt College-OntarioOntario500$14,922
Platt College-RiversideRiverside413$14,922
Porterville CollegePorterville2,834$1,438
Premiere Career CollegeIrwindale105—
Professional Golfers Career CollegeTemecula70$18,840
Rio Hondo CollegeWhittier15,684$1,388
Riverside City CollegeRiverside18,346$1,428
Sacramento City CollegeSacramento17,657$1,288
Saddleback CollegeMission Viejo17,684$1,156
San Bernardino Valley CollegeSan Bernardino12,234$1,196
San Diego City CollegeSan Diego10,441$1,146
San Diego Mesa CollegeSan Diego16,098$1,146
San Diego Miramar CollegeSan Diego11,271$1,146
San Joaquin Delta CollegeStockton15,781$1,180
San Joaquin Valley College-Rancho CordovaRancho Cordova224—
San Jose City CollegeSan Jose7,105$1,366
Santa Barbara City CollegeSanta Barbara9,889$1,240
Santa Monica CollegeSanta Monica21,440$1,156
Shasta CollegeRedding6,128$1,197
Sierra CollegeRocklin14,122$1,446
Skyline CollegeSan Bruno7,620$1,272
Smith Chason CollegeLos Angeles2,447$19,040
Solano Community CollegeFairfield8,061$1,172
Southwestern CollegeChula Vista18,614$1,344
Sri Sai Krish InstituteORANGE61$64,500
Stanbridge UniversityIrvine2,643—
Taft CollegeTaft3,556$1,108
Theatre of ArtsHollywood10$21,830
Universal Technical Institute of California IncRancho Cucamonga1,553—
Universal Technical Institute of Northern California IncSacramento1,214—
Universal Technical Institute-Southern CaliforniaLong Beach1,701—
University of the PeoplePasadena22,688$1,400
Ventura CollegeVentura10,150$1,426
West Los Angeles CollegeCulver City7,284$1,238
West Valley CollegeSaratoga6,416$0
Woodland Community CollegeWoodland3,154$1,124
Young Americans College of the Performing ArtsCorona15$14,030
Yuba CollegeMarysville4,779$1,128

About community college in California

California's 129 community colleges serve as the primary on-ramp into postsecondary education for hundreds of thousands of residents each year. They award associate degrees, occupational certificates, and — through articulation agreements with public and private four-year institutions — transferable general-education credit. For most students, the financial argument is decisive: published in-state tuition averages a small fraction of state-flagship sticker price, and many community-college students qualify for the full federal Pell Grant, eliminating tuition entirely.

If you intend to transfer, the most important question to ask any California community college is which four-year institutions accept its credit on a course-for-course basis. The state's strongest transfer pipelines tend to feed regional public universities, but well-prepared students from accredited community colleges in California routinely transfer into selective private institutions as well. Use the transfer-rate column above as a starting filter, then consult the receiving university's transfer admissions office to confirm specific course equivalencies.

Career-focused students should pay attention to the local labor market as much as to the institution. California's community colleges concentrate heavily in health-care occupations, mechanical and engineering technology, business administration, and skilled-trades programs aligned to regional employers. The Bureau of Labor Statistics' state-level wage data is the right reference for setting expectations on starting salary by field. Where this site reports earnings, the figure is median earnings ten years after first enrollment, drawn from the College Scorecard's match against federal tax records.