Truth be told, even though the United States is a dream destination for lots of English-speaking international students, California alone boasts some top universities in the world, but the cost remains one of the highest obstacles for ambitious students. International students usually pay triple or more of what California residents pay, this makes it almost impossible for students to enroll especially those from developing countries.
The bright side is there are amazing cheapest community colleges in California for international students who want to benefit from the excellent American education without breaking the bank. There are still other states like New York, Georgia, North Carolina, Texas, etc, that provide very low-cost community colleges to international students.
Yes, an associate degree might be their highest degree but you can still complete it with very less financial burden and finally go to a 4-year university and complete your remaining 2 years to attain a bachelor’s degree.
Let’s go right away to list these schools.
Cheapest Community Colleges in California for International Students
We were able to list these colleges with the help of each school’s website, and their fees are up-to-date with 2023 tuition fees.
1. De Anza College
De Anza College is by far the cheapest community college in California for international students. You’ll never see another college that offers a tuition fee close to theirs, and they still provide financial aid and scholarships to their students.
Furthermore, they provide a wide variety of two-year programs leading to an Associate in Arts or Associate in Science degree. The school offers more than 90 associate degrees and university transfer programs.
| Tuition for Residents of California | $31 per unit |
| Tuition for Non-Residents/International Students | $239 per unit |
2. Foothill College
This is the second most affordable community college in California for international students that provides a total of 191 degrees and certificates. Most of their classes can be taken online, I’m talking about 88% of their classes.
The school also provides financial aid and scholarships worth $15,530,832 per year to more than 6,000 students.
| Residents of California (Enrollment Fee) | $31 per unit |
| Tuition for International Students | $239 per unit |
3. Diablo Valley College
Diablo Valley College is one of the cheapest community colleges in California for international students that also provides free tuition programs which require the completion of a financial aid application and don’t require anything to be paid back. Even if you’re not eligible for their tuition-free programs, you can still take advantage of their scholarships and financial aid.
| Residents of California (Enrollment Fee) | $46 per unit |
| Tuition for Non Residents/International Students | $420 per unit |
4. Santa Monica College
Santa Monica College is not just one of the most affordable community colleges in California for international students, they have also been known as California’s #1 transfer college for 33 years. Moreover, the school still provides financial aid and scholarships to help you graduate with less financial burden.
| Residents of California (Enrollment Fee) | $46 per unit |
| Tuition for International Students | $316 per unit |
5. Orange Coast College
OCC is among the cheapest community colleges in California for foreign students. It features exceptional facilities and the latest in technology and offers several academic and career programs. Moreover, the school has consistently ranked as one of the top colleges in California.
| Residents of California (Enrollment Fee) | $46 per unit |
| Tuition for Non-Residents/International Students | $381 per unit |
6. Los Angeles City College (LACC)
This is the oldest of the Los Angeles Community Colleges, celebrating almost 90 years of educational excellence. It is one of the cheapest community colleges in California for international students and provides more than 100 vocational and professional programs.
| Residents of California (Enrollment Fee) | $46 per unit |
| Tuition for Non-Residents/International Students | $342 per unit |
7. City College of San Francisco
City College of San Francisco offers more than 250 degrees and certificates, transferable credits, online courses, and career advancement classes. Some of them include;
- Arts, Media & Entertainment
- Business, Management, and Entrepreneurship
- Science, Technology, Engineering & Mathematics
| Residents of California | $46 per unit |
| Non-Residents/International Students | $358 per unit |
8. American River College
ARC provides associate degrees, certificates, and general education, where you can study natural science, social and behavioral sciences, humanities & the arts, & language and critical thinking.
| Residents of California | $46 per unit |
| Non-Residents/International Students | $480 per unit |
9. Sacramento City College
This is among the few most affordable community colleges in California for international students that provide Meta Majors. Meta Majors are groups of degrees & certificates that have related courses from a student’s perspective.
| Residents of California | $46 per unit |
| Non-Residents/International Students | $480 per unit |
10. Pasadena City College
PCC doesn’t only provide an affordable fee, but they also provide some of the best degrees, they are also ranked among the best in the country. PCC is regarded as the 15th best community college in the U.S., the 4th best in California, and the best in Los Angeles, by Niche.com 2024 ranking.
Also, the school provides more than $1m in scholarships for both its residents and international students.
| Residents of California | $46 per unit |
| Non Residents | $332 per unit |
| International Students | $11,860 per year |
11. Saddleback College
In addition to Saddleback College’s affordable tuition, the school still offers other forms of financial aid and scholarships which you can apply for each year. These aids will even help to reduce their fees to a minimum.
| Residents of California | $46 per unit or $1,380 per year |
| Non-Residents/International Students | $10,848 per year |
12. San Joaquin Delta College
San Joaquin Delta College provides several degrees, certificates, and transfer programs, some of the popular ones include; Astronomy, Business Administration, Computer Science, Digital Media, Economics, Electrical Technology, Engineering, and Law.
| Residents of California | $46 per unit |
| Non-Residents/International Students | $365 per unit |
13. Folsom Lake College
Folsom Lake College doesn’t really accept a lot of international students, but those who are admitted don’t get to pay a lot.
| Residents of California | $46 per unit |
| Non-Residents/International Students | $480 per unit |
Key Takeaway
In summary, there are several cheapest community colleges in California for international students and most of the universities still have scholarships to help reduce the fee even further. Also, they provide some of the relevant programs and quality education which made some of them recognized nationwide.
You should note that these tuition fees are liable to change as time goes on (we’ll try our best to keep updating the list), and they don’t contain some other educational expenses like books, accommodation fees, insurance, transportation, etc. We provided links for each school so you can be able to research them to verify the total cost of attending.
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