Tuition

Average Community College Tuition Cost in 2025

Updated August 2025 • by Grace Chen

Choosing the right community college starts with understanding current costs—and how they differ across the U.S. This guide updates 2025 national and state-level tuition data, compares public and private institutions, and explains how financial aid and affordability policies impact what families actually pay.

National Tuition Averages in 2025 Public Community Colleges

• In-state tuition averages $5,099 per year.

• Out-of-state tuition averages $8,784 per year (Community College Review).

Private Two-Year Colleges

• Average tuition is approximately $15,581 per year (Community College Review).

Alternate Cost Estimates

• $3,598 (in-district full-time) vs. $8,622 (out-of-district), according to Education Data Initiative.

• For 2023–24 cohorts: $4,072 (in-district), $4,815 (in-state), $8,912 (out-of-state) per College Raptor.

Insight: Averages hover around $5,100 for in-state and $8,800 for out-of-state, though residency definitions vary significantly.

Cost of Attendance Beyond Tuition

Tuition is only one expense. Books, supplies, technology, housing, food, and transportation often double the total cost of attendance. For many students, housing and food alone account for over 50% of expenses (NCES, Education Data Initiative).

State-by-State Tuition Differences

• Lowest in-district tuition: California—just $1,440 per year (College Board).

• Highest two-year tuition: Vermont—about $8,660 per year.

• States like New York, Pennsylvania, and Virginia often charge over $6,000 for in-state tuition (Education Data Initiative, ThinkImpact.com).

Financial Aid & Tuition-Free Programs

• Approximately 55% of community college students receive some form of financial aid (Education Data Initiative).

• Pell Grants remain the primary form of aid.

• At public two-year colleges, 67% of graduates finish

In 1975, the total cost of tuition at a private non-profit college was just over $10,000. With the cost of tuition rising with each passing year, it is becoming more and more difficult for students to pay for their education. If you are worried about the cost of your own tuition, you may be considering taking a part-time job while you are in school. Traditional jobs come with set hours, however, which can be difficult to work in around your class schedule. One option you might consider is an online job – there are plenty of online jobs for students that pay $18 an hour or more!

Online Jobs for Students to Earn Tuition Money

Several decades ago when college tuition was still fairly affordable, it was possible for students to earn enough money with a summer job to pay their tuition during the school year. Today, however, this is not the case. More and more, students are graduating from four-year universities with a crippling amount of debt and many of them never make their way out from under it. Attending a community college for part or all of your education can save you a lot of money, but the cost is still significant. To help cover their tuition costs, many students are taking online jobs both during and outside of the school year. Below you will find an overview of some of the top online jobs that could help you to earn some extra money to

The average published yearly tuition for a private 4-year college is about $31,000 and, for a public university, it is about $23,000 for out-of-state students. For many people, paying this much for college simply isn’t possible – the cost of tuition in many cases is more than the average person makes in a year. For this reason, more and more students are turning to community colleges because they are generally more affordable than traditional 4-year colleges and universities.

Even if community college is cheaper than traditional 4-year schools, tuition is still a major expense. Many students take out loans to finance their education but they are still left with the cost of books, supplies, and fees. If you are struggling to pay your community college expenses, you will be glad to know that there are some options out there that don’t involve taking out more loans.

This video shows you how to graduate from college without student loans

Money-Saving Tips Before Enrollment

To ensure that you save as much as possible on community college tuition, there are a few things you can do while you are still in high school. For one thing, you should take full advantage of any opportunities you have during high school to earn college credits – this may include taking Advanced Placement classes so you can skip low-level college courses. You should also keep an eye out for scholarship

It’s no secret that Americans are lagging behind other industrialized nations in terms of attaining a post-secondary degree. Losing the brain battle is concerning in and of itself, however, many politicians are also concerned about a workforce that may not have the necessary knowledge and skills to compete in the global market. To address this issue, legislators in some states are proposing plans that would make tuition at public community colleges free for all students, regardless of income.

Advantages of Zero-Tuition Programs

Clearly, free tuition makes college much more affordable for students. At a time when college tuition costs are higher than ever, being able to take advantage of such savings could encourage untold numbers of college hopefuls to enroll in classes at their local community college. Of course, with a college education comes improved knowledge, an expanded skill set, and better marketability for jobs.

Additionally, getting young people to go to college is a means to reverse the trend of income inequality in this country. With more and more of the nation’s wealth concentrated in the hands of a few, getting a college degree can help improve the economic situation of millions of young people that are the future of this country’s workforce. The better educated they are and the more skills they have, the more in-demand they will be and the more money they will make. As a result, upward mobility becomes much easier and the middle class expands.

This video asks

As federal lawmakers appear unable to make progress in the student debt crisis, state lawmakers in Oregon are moving ahead with a plan to make higher education more affordable and debt-free. The proposal, known as “Pay it Forward, Pay it Back,” is a unique approach to footing the climbing bill of postsecondary education today. The bill has been approved by the state legislature and is expected to be signed into law by Oregon Governor John Kitzhaber later this month.

What is Pay it Forward, Pay it Back?

According to the Oregon Working Families Party website, this new piece of legislation, officially dubbed House Bill 3472, offers access to higher education without accumulating large amounts of debt. Students attending public universities and community colleges would be able to do so without paying any tuition upfront. After the student leaves college or university and enters the workforce, these students would pay a percentage of their income directly to the state’s higher education funding.

Under the current proposal, students graduating from a four-year public school would pay 3 percent of their income. Those graduating from a community college would pay 1.5 percent of their income. Payments would be deducted directly from the individual’s payroll, much like social security taxes. The payments would increase or decrease according to the individual’s income amount and would continue for a full 24 years.

Pay it Forward, Pay it Back was the brainchild of a group of students at Portland State University in collaboration with