What is the most affordable private college in California?

By average net price — what students actually pay per year after grants and scholarships — it is Bethesda University at about $11,097 a year. That is an average across all students there; your own cost depends on your family's income, so check the school's net price calculator.

What is the difference between sticker price and net price?

Sticker price is the published tuition before any aid. Net price is what students actually pay after grants and scholarships are subtracted — not loans, which you pay back. Net price is usually far lower, and at expensive private colleges the gap can be tens of thousands a year, which is why every figure on this page is net price rather than tuition.

How much do private colleges in California cost on average?

Across the 56 private colleges in California that report a figure, the middle of the range is about $30,378 a year after aid, running from $11,097 to $58,098.

What does the Pell grant percentage mean?

It is the share of undergraduates at that school receiving a federal Pell grant — need-based aid that does not have to be repaid. A higher share usually means the school enrols more students from lower-income families. Across the private colleges listed here it runs from 11% to 63%, with a middle of about 29%. It is the only aid figure the Department of Education publishes per school, so it is the only one shown.

Affordable Private Colleges in California

Private nonprofit four-year colleges, ranked by net price after aid. Their sticker prices are the highest and their discounts are the deepest, so the published tuition tells you very little.

58 private colleges in California are listed here, 56 of them reporting a net price. They run from $11,097 a year at Bethesda University to $58,098 at Pepperdine University, with a middle of about $30,378.

The cheapest are Bethesda University, Fresno Pacific University and Stanford University. A low average is not a low bill for everyone — aid depends on your family's income — but it is where to start.

Private colleges in California, cheapest first · 58

Average net price per year after grants and scholarships, with the share of students on federal Pell grants where reported. Schools publishing no net price are listed last.

← All colleges in California

Questions families ask

What is the most affordable private college in California?: By average net price — what students actually pay per year after grants and scholarships — it is Bethesda University at about $11,097 a year. That is an average across all students there; your own cost depends on your family's income, so check the school's net price calculator.
What is the difference between sticker price and net price?: Sticker price is the published tuition before any aid. Net price is what students actually pay after grants and scholarships are subtracted — not loans, which you pay back. Net price is usually far lower, and at expensive private colleges the gap can be tens of thousands a year, which is why every figure on this page is net price rather than tuition.
How much do private colleges in California cost on average?: Across the 56 private colleges in California that report a figure, the middle of the range is about $30,378 a year after aid, running from $11,097 to $58,098.
What does the Pell grant percentage mean?: It is the share of undergraduates at that school receiving a federal Pell grant — need-based aid that does not have to be repaid. A higher share usually means the school enrols more students from lower-income families. Across the private colleges listed here it runs from 11% to 63%, with a middle of about 29%. It is the only aid figure the Department of Education publishes per school, so it is the only one shown.

Which of these actually fits you?

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