Unless otherwise noted, data in this section are from Data Mart. Data reflect the 2019-2020 academic year and are unduplicated, so that students who enrolled in more than one college are only counted once for the system-wide totals.

Frequently Asked Questions

Current tuition is $46 per unit. For students enrolling full-time (12 units), the cost of tuition is $552 per semester. Other costs include books, supplies, parking, and fees for health services.
In addition to tuition, students pay for basic needs that comprise their full educational expenses. According to the California Student Aid Commission, California college students spend more than $22,000 per year on necessities including food, housing, transportation, books and supplies. Of note, housing costs can differ substantially by region in California.

According to the California Student Aid Commission, in the 2019-20 academic year, approximately 920,000 CCC students submitted a Free Application for Federal Students Aid (FAFSA) or California Dream Act Application (CADAA).

Some financial aid programs, such as the California College Promise Grant and other institutional aid programs, do not require students to complete a FAFSA or CADAA.

Beginning in the 2022-23 academic year, all California high school seniors will be required to submit a FAFSA or CADAA, or opt out.

In 2019-20, approximately 20% of California community college students received a Pell Grant, 5% received a Cal Grant, and 45% received a California College Promise Grant.

In 2019-20, 1% of students received a loan (including federal, institutional, and private loans).

According to the Hope Center’s California Community Colleges #RealCollege Survey (March 2019), approximately 60% of respondents experienced housing insecurity and 19% of respondents were homeless in the previous year. 50% of respondents were food insecure in the prior 30 days.