Which colleges are most affordable for California residents ? The answer may surprise you.
These rankings of the most affordable colleges for California residents are based on the estimated net price for a "typical" middle class family living in the state of California.
Note: Net price is the actual cost of the school paid by the student and family, after factoring in merit and grant aid from the college federal programs and work study.The net prices displayed in these rankings are College Raptor's estimates.
“Typical” middle class family values used in the Net Price estimates on this page are:
| Rank | Institution | Typical Net Price | Sticker Price | % Savings | Undergraduates | Est. Median SAT | Acceptance Rate | Save |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | California Institute of Technology | 3400 | 90800 | 0.9626 | 987 | 1557 | 0.0257 | |
| 2 | Stanford University | 3500 | 71800 | 0.9517 | 7,904 | 1535 | 0.0361 | |
| 3 | Santa Ana College | 4500 | 23100 | 0.8046 | 27,248 | 0 | 0 | |
| 4 | Pomona College | 8400 | 89000 | 0.9051 | 1,700 | 1520 | 0.0709 | |
| 5 | University of California-Davis | 10200 | 38200 | 0.7339 | 32,273 | 1290 | 0.4183 | |
| 6 | California State University-Fresno | 10700 | 19700 | 0.4554 | 21,954 | 995 | 0.9526 | |
| 7 | California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo | 11000 | 26000 | 0.5786 | 22,033 | 1321 | 0.3132 | |
| 7 | California State University-Stanislaus | 11000 | 28600 | 0.6155 | 8,455 | 950 | 0.9814 | |
| 9 | California State University-Channel Islands | 11200 | 25600 | 0.5601 | 5,118 | 975 | 0.9481 | |
| 9 | University of California-San Diego | 11200 | 39700 | 0.718 | 34,955 | 1375 | 0.2671 | |
| 11 | California State University-Northridge | 11500 | 22000 | 0.4767 | 32,756 | 1005 | 0.9345 | |
| 12 | California State Polytechnic University-Humboldt | 11900 | 25200 | 0.5256 | 5,661 | 1085 | 0.982 | |
| 13 | California State University-San Bernardino | 12200 | 30800 | 0.6049 | 15,365 | 990 | 0.9374 | |
| 14 | Northeastern University Oakland | 12500 | 89900 | 0.8606 | 464 | 1469 | 0.1665 | |
| 15 | California State Polytechnic University-Pomona | 12600 | 12600 | 0.0009 | 25,255 | 1134 | 0.7517 | |
| 16 | California State University-Bakersfield | 12900 | 30600 | 0.5792 | 8,865 | 925 | 0.9385 | |
| 17 | University of California-Santa Barbara | 13100 | 43000 | 0.6956 | 23,181 | 1354 | 0.3297 | |
| 18 | Pitzer College | 13200 | 92500 | 0.8571 | 1,242 | 1279 | 0.2516 | |
| 19 | Scripps College | 13300 | 93900 | 0.8578 | 1,117 | 1475 | 0.3829 | |
| 20 | University of California-Merced | 13600 | 42000 | 0.6764 | 8,372 | 1070 | 0.9053 | |
| 21 | California State University-San Marcos | 14100 | 24700 | 0.4309 | 14,977 | 1040 | 0.951 | |
| 21 | Sonoma State University | 14100 | 26900 | 0.475 | 5,272 | 1050 | 0.9343 | |
| 23 | California State University-Monterey Bay | 14400 | 31700 | 0.5465 | 6,907 | 1060 | 0.974 | |
| 24 | California State University-East Bay | 14500 | 30200 | 0.5211 | 9,909 | 940 | 0.9739 | |
| 25 | California State University-Chico | 14800 | 23700 | 0.3746 | 13,792 | 1075 | 0.9272 | |
| 26 | University of California-Irvine | 15100 | 38000 | 0.6031 | 30,204 | 1333 | 0.2857 | |
| 27 | University of Southern California | 15300 | 71400 | 0.786 | 20,630 | 1492 | 0.0981 | |
| 28 | California State University-Sacramento | 15700 | 27700 | 0.4345 | 28,820 | 1035 | 0.9399 | |
| 29 | San Francisco State University | 15800 | 46700 | 0.6611 | 19,444 | 1035 | 0.9644 | |
| 30 | University of California-Los Angeles | 16300 | 36700 | 0.5555 | 33,475 | 1399 | 0.0897 | |
| 31 | California State University-Long Beach | 16400 | 25800 | 0.3645 | 36,082 | 1135 | 0.4627 | |
| 32 | University of California-Riverside | 17000 | 36500 | 0.5341 | 22,600 | 1199 | 0.7639 | |
| 33 | California State University Maritime Academy | 17500 | 34100 | 0.488 | 804 | 1110 | 0.9501 | |
| 33 | Occidental College | 17500 | 88100 | 0.8011 | 1,881 | 1447 | 0.4417 | |
| 35 | University of California-Berkeley | 17900 | 43600 | 0.5903 | 33,070 | 1407 | 0.1098 | |
| 36 | California State University-Fullerton | 18300 | 20600 | 0.1107 | 38,760 | 1090 | 0.9052 | |
| 37 | Life Pacific University | 18700 | 46900 | 0.602 | 460 | 1020 | 0.958 | |
| 38 | San Jose State University | 19000 | 40800 | 0.5349 | 28,008 | 1124 | 0.8461 | |
| 38 | Thomas Aquinas College | 19000 | 43400 | 0.5624 | 566 | 1332 | 0.8309 | |
| 40 | Soka University of America | 19100 | 59900 | 0.6811 | 484 | 1412 | 0.4338 | |
| 41 | California State University-Los Angeles | 19400 | 38000 | 0.4896 | 19,586 | 965 | 0.9125 | |
| 42 | Claremont McKenna College | 20300 | 94500 | 0.7851 | 1,390 | 1507 | 0.0959 | |
| 43 | Westmont College | 21800 | 76400 | 0.715 | 1,302 | 1335 | 0.7705 | |
| 44 | University of San Diego | 23300 | 83300 | 0.7205 | 5,851 | 1298 | 0.5238 | |
| 45 | San Diego State University | 23600 | 28900 | 0.1846 | 35,782 | 1208 | 0.3619 | |
| 46 | Vanguard University of Southern California | 23700 | 54300 | 0.5638 | 1,960 | 1100 | 0.6244 | |
| 47 | University of La Verne | 25800 | 66800 | 0.6136 | 3,050 | 1109 | 0.7117 | |
| 48 | Azusa Pacific University | 25900 | 63000 | 0.589 | 2,759 | 1189 | 0.8843 | |
| 49 | University of the Pacific | 26400 | 69800 | 0.621 | 3,249 | 1298 | 0.7132 | |
| 50 | William Jessup University | 27800 | 51700 | 0.4615 | 1,317 | 1140 | 0.9333 | |
| 51 | Harvey Mudd College | 27900 | 93400 | 0.7007 | 951 | 1528 | 0.1266 | |
| 52 | Concordia University-Irvine | 28200 | 72300 | 0.6099 | 1,544 | 1172 | 0.6599 | |
| 53 | Simpson University | 28700 | 58500 | 0.5098 | 820 | 1105 | 0.8603 | |
| 54 | University of California-Santa Cruz | 29400 | 43000 | 0.3169 | 17,940 | 1281 | 0.6579 | |
| 55 | Dominican University of California | 29600 | 69200 | 0.5725 | 1,114 | 1255 | 0.835 | |
| 56 | Fresno Pacific University | 30600 | 52200 | 0.4144 | 1,545 | 1099 | 0.6407 | |
| 56 | Saint Mary's College of California | 30600 | 77000 | 0.6028 | 1,954 | 1175 | 0.8653 | |
| 58 | California Baptist University | 30900 | 64800 | 0.5223 | 8,417 | 1070 | 0.8488 | |
| 59 | Whittier College | 33500 | 67100 | 0.5006 | 769 | 1258 | 0.8079 | |
| 60 | Biola University | 33600 | 71200 | 0.5283 | 3,481 | 1268 | 0.7435 | |
| 61 | Hope International University | 34000 | 60500 | 0.4384 | 564 | 1027 | 0.3298 | |
| 62 | Loyola Marymount University | 35400 | 90800 | 0.6104 | 7,273 | 1353 | 0.4508 | |
| 62 | Woodbury University | 35400 | 66600 | 0.4686 | 786 | 1087 | 0.8165 | |
| 64 | Point Loma Nazarene University | 36000 | 65400 | 0.4491 | 3,246 | 1290 | 0.8368 | |
| 65 | University of Redlands | 38200 | 81400 | 0.5309 | 2,049 | 1226 | 0.8271 | |
| 66 | The Master's University and Seminary | 38300 | 53700 | 0.2862 | 1,908 | 1139 | 0.8402 | |
| 67 | Pepperdine University | 40200 | 92400 | 0.5648 | 3,553 | 1378 | 0.6286 | |
| 67 | Santa Clara University | 40200 | 84500 | 0.5245 | 6,577 | 1427 | 0.48 | |
| 69 | University of San Francisco | 40600 | 83900 | 0.5164 | 5,321 | 1292 | 0.6171 | |
| 70 | Pacific Union College | 41000 | 53000 | 0.2258 | 937 | 1070 | 0.473 | |
| 70 | Providence Christian College | 41000 | 54800 | 0.2517 | 168 | 1110 | 1 | |
| 72 | California Institute of the Arts | 42100 | 84600 | 0.5025 | 868 | 0 | 0.3234 | |
| 72 | Mount Saint Mary's University | 42100 | 79300 | 0.4686 | 1,731 | 1015 | 0.7313 | |
| 74 | California College of the Arts | 43300 | 87800 | 0.5064 | 1,004 | 1079 | 0.911 | |
| 75 | La Sierra University | 44900 | 66000 | 0.3187 | 1,226 | 1025 | 0.915 | |
| 76 | Otis College of Art and Design | 49000 | 78800 | 0.378 | 1,224 | 1335 | 0.8176 | |
| 77 | California Lutheran University | 53300 | 70000 | 0.2388 | 2,297 | 1254 | 0.7567 | |
| 78 | Menlo College | 58500 | 86800 | 0.326 | 764 | 1045 | 0.6847 | |
| 79 | Chapman University | 61800 | 91500 | 0.3248 | 7,713 | 1353 | 0.6543 |
School data is from 2023–2024 (top 500 results shown) for schools with at least 100 undergraduate students.
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