It’s no longer news how competitive and expensive education in the United States is, especially for international students. As an international student, you should expect to pay between $25,000 to $45,000 annually, depending on your country.
If you’re coming from one of the developing countries, then this is almost – perhaps totally impossible to pay from pocket.
We could advise you to hustle for scholarships (which is necessary) but, you have more than 500,000 foreign students competing for several scholarships in the United States. So, the cheapest community colleges in Texas for international students are one of the best options in your arsenal. Even if it’s not Texas, there are still several very affordable community colleges in New York, Ohio, Virginia, California, etc.
Community colleges might not provide you with a 4-year bachelor’s degree, but they can provide an associate degree that can help you reduce your fees to the minimum, and then transfer your acquired credits to a 4-year college to complete the remaining 2 years. This is one of the best ways to finish college with little or no loan, and most of these colleges still provide scholarships.
Cheapest Community Colleges in Texas for International Students
1. Collin College
This is among the most affordable community colleges in Texas for foreign students that also provide scholarships to their students. Some of their scholarships include;
- Collin College Foundation Scholarships
- External Scholarship Opportunities
- Transfer Scholarships
- Good Neighbor Scholarship
| In-District | $62 per credit hour |
| Out-of-District Residents | $117 per credit hour |
| International Students | $187 per credit hour |
2. Dallas College
Dallas College provides both an affordable college for international students and also some degrees and certificates that are 100% online. Some of the degrees you can offer online include;
- Associate of Arts
- Associate of Science
- Associate of Science With a Field of Study in Business
| In-District | $79 per credit hour |
| Out-of-District Residents | $135 per credit hour |
| International Students | $200 per credit hour |
3. El Paso Community College
This college provides quality education in 9 areas of study, which some of them include;
- Arts, Humanities & Communication
- Business
- Health Sciences
- Public Service
- Science, Technology, Engineering, & Math
| In-District | $1392 per semester or $116 per credit hour |
| Non-residents/International Students | $2,412 per semester or 201 per credit hour |
4. San Jacinto College
This is one of the cheapest community colleges in Texas for international students that offers no lab fees, no general service fees, no distance learning fees, no technology fees, and no incidental fees. Their fees are easy to calculate and you don’t need to worry about additional costs.
| In-District | $83 per credit hour |
| Out-of-District Residents | $144 per credit hour |
| International Students | $223 per credit hour |
5. Tyler Junior College
TJC is one of the largest and most affordable community colleges in Texas that provides 115+ degree and certificate programs, plus extensive training and technical programs. Moreover, in a recent survey of current students, 75% said TJC was their first choice for college, and 94% said they would choose TJC again based on their experience so far.
| In-District | $216 per credit hour |
| Out-of-District Residents | $279 per credit hour |
| International Students | $304 per credit hour |
6. Houston Community College
Houston Community College doesn’t just provide affordable tuition, but they back it up with quality education in 8 fields of study, which range from art & design to Social & Behavioral Sciences.
| In-District | $107.50 per credit hour |
| Out-of-District Residents | $203.50 per credit hour |
| International Students | $322.00 per credit hour |
7. South Texas College
South Texas College doesn’t only provide associate programs and certificates, they also provide 5 bachelor’s degree programs – which is unlike other community colleges. Some of them include;
- Computer and Information Technologies
- Medical and Health Services Management
- Operations Management
| In-District | $160 per credit hour |
| Out-of-District Residents | $170 per credit hour |
| International Students | $250 per credit hour |
8. Central Texas College
In addition to Central Texas College’s low-cost tuition rate for international students, they also offer a wide range of academic certificate and undergraduate degree programs. Moreover, they also provide the convenience of campus dormitory housing and offer scholarship programs, professional advising services, tutoring, and academic support services to both regular and international students.
| In-District | $105 per credit hour |
| Out-of-District Residents | $130 per credit hour |
| International Students | $250 per credit hour |
9. Lone Star College System
Besides providing very cheap school fees, the school still offers payment plan options and competitive scholarships to international students who are found eligible.
| In-District | $103 per credit hour |
| Out-of-District Residents | $231 per credit hour |
| International Students | $290 per credit hour |
10. Austin Community College District
Outside being one of the cheapest community colleges in Texas for international students, the school still provides several scholarships to help reduce their fees. Also, the school offers more than 100 programs in 10 areas of study that lead to career certificates, associate degrees, bachelor’s degrees, or university transfer.
| Texas Residents | $1,275 per year or $85 per credit hour |
| Out-of-District Residents | $4,290 per year or $286 per credit hour |
| International Students | $5,295 per year or $353 per credit hour |
11. Alamo Colleges District
The Alamo Colleges District is a collective of five colleges in Greater San Antonio that offer a vast array of programs and two-year degrees. Besides providing cheap tuition, the school also offers more than $1.4M in scholarships, even though this might not be so much compared to other regular universities, coming from a community college, I believe it’s fine.
| In-District | $109 per credit hour |
| Out-of-District Residents | $225 per credit hour |
| International Students | $476 per credit hour |
Key Takeaway
Please note that these tuition fees are up-to-date for the 2024/2025 academic session, but are still subject to change as time progresses, and we promise to try our best to keep you updated with major changes.
