Most Affordable Community Colleges in Michigan
Two-year colleges, ranked by what students actually pay after aid. These are usually the cheapest route to the first two years of a degree, and credits often transfer to a four-year school.
23 community colleges in Michigan are listed here, 23 of them reporting a net price. They run from $1,527 a year at West Shore Community College to $22,985 at Universal Technical Institute-Canton, with a middle of about $5,687.
The cheapest are West Shore Community College, Macomb Community College and Kalamazoo Valley Community College. A low average is not a low bill for everyone — aid depends on your family's income — but it is where to start.
Community colleges in Michigan, cheapest first · 23
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.
- West Shore Community College
- Macomb Community College
- Kalamazoo Valley Community College
- Washtenaw Community College
- Muskegon Community College
- Delta College
- Monroe County Community College
- Kellogg Community College
- Gogebic Community College
- Lansing Community College
- St Clair County Community College
- Mott Community College
- Oakland Community College
- Southwestern Michigan College
- Montcalm Community College
- Kirtland Community College
- Wayne County Community College District
- Mid Michigan College
- Grand Rapids Community College
- Glen Oaks Community College
- North Central Michigan College
- Bay de Noc Community College
- Universal Technical Institute-Canton
Questions families ask
- What is the most affordable community college in Michigan?
- By average net price — what students actually pay per year after grants and scholarships — it is West Shore Community College at about $1,527 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 community colleges in Michigan cost on average?
- Across the 23 community colleges in Michigan that report a figure, the middle of the range is about $5,687 a year after aid, running from $1,527 to $22,985.
- 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 community colleges listed here it runs from 24% to 42%, 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?
A list is a starting point, not an answer. Two minutes of questions gives you a shortlist ranked on cost, academics, size and location — with the reaches labelled honestly.
Find your match — free