5 Cheapest Universities in Los Angeles for International Students

Here are the top 5 Cheapest Universities in Los Angeles for International Students to study in 2022.

Los Angeles – also known as LA – is California’s biggest city. Heralded as the home of the film and television industry, it is also the second-most populous city in the US.

While LA is known for its glitz and glamour, it has undoubtedly become one of the country’s major educational hubs. After all, there are about 50+ colleges littered throughout the ‘City of Angels’. Despite LA’s high cost of living, there are many cheap universities in Los Angeles for international students. Let’s take a look.

Cheap Universities in Los Angeles

1. Los Angeles Community College

LACC is a community college based in former farmland in East Hollywood, LA. Founded in 1929 as the LA Junior College, it used to share a campus with another one of the city’s cheapest universities, Cal State LA. Los Angeles Community College is the cheapest university in Los Angeles for international students.

LACC offers 60 Associate Degree programs in the fields of Engineering, Computer Science, Business, Music, Theater, and Cinema Production, among many others. All of these are designed for the transfer path program, which allows students to study on a smaller campus first. After a few years in the college, these students can continue their education at the University of California System or California State University schools. They also have the option to proceed to renowned universities such as the University of Southern California or Loyola Marymount University.

This transfer path for foreign students is made possible with the school’s counselors, who can help greatly with the application, and education planning, among many other services.

2. Los Angeles Valley College

LAVC or ‘Valley College’ is a community college founded in the year 1949. The college, which was then situated in the premises of Van Nuys High School, now occupies a sprawling 105-acre campus in Valley Glen. Formerly an area of North Hollywood and Van Nuys, it is one of the more diverse neighborhoods in LA.

A member of the Los Angeles Community College District, LAVC offers 140 associate and certificate degree programs. These courses cover a variety of disciplines, including Anthropology, Biology, Business, Chemistry, Child Development, Communications, English, Health Science, and Kinesiology, among many others.

Although only 1% of its student population are foreigners, the school has a dedicated International Students Program. Here, students can take hold of a variety of services, which include orientation sessions, educational plans, and immigration advising, to name a few.

3. Los Angeles Trade Technical College

Next on our list of cheap universities in Los Angeles is the Los Angeles Trade Technical College. LA Trade Tech or LATTC is a 25-acre community college based in LA’s Historic Core. While it is widely known for its vocational programs, it also offers associates courses that can be carried over to 4-year colleges. Like LACC, it has a transfer pathway that allows both local and foreign students to continue their students at major universities.

LA Trade Tech was founded in 1925 as the Frank Wiggins Trade School. Currently, it is one of the older campuses in the LA Community College District, with which it became part in 1969. While LATTC offers a variety of trade programs, it is heralded for its fashion design program as it is one of the oldest in the LA.

With its free application and relatively low tuition, LA Trade Tech has become a popular choice amongst international applicants. To date, 2% of the school’s 18,000+ strong students are foreigners. This figure is expected to rise even further, many thanks to the facilitative services of LATTC’s International Student Center.

4. California State University – Los Angeles

Cal State LA is one of the 23 members of the CSU system. Located on the lush University Hills site, the 175-acre campus is home to more than 26,000 students.

At Cal State LA, international students can choose from 129 bachelor’s degrees, as well as 112 master’s degrees and 4 doctoral courses. These programs are categorized according to the Colleges of Arts & Letters, Business & Economics, Education, Engineering, Health & Human Services, Natural & Social Science, and Education.

Cal State LA was founded in 1947 as the LA State College of Applied Arts & Sciences. After a few years, it was renamed Cal State College at LA. Today, it is one of the most popular CSU schools in terms of applications. Given the strict competition for slots, Cal State LA also has one with the lowest admission rates.

Cal State LA has quite a large international student body at 7.6%. As mentioned, the nature of competition in the university means foreign applicants need to have a minimum GPA of 3.0. This basic requirement differs according to course, with degrees such as Nursing requiring a higher GPA of 3.50.

Foreign students are assisted with their transition to the US by the University’s International Programs Council.

5. California State University – Northridge

We end our list of cheap universities in Los Angeles with Cal State Northridge,which is a CSU school based in LA’s Northridge neighborhood. Founded in 1958 as the master planning and construction-centric San Fernando Valley State College, it is the second-largest CSU school in terms of undergraduate students.

To date, there are about 34,000+ students who are majoring in the school’s 68 bachelor’s degrees. These programs are delivered by the Colleges of Humanities, Science & Mathematics, Social & Behavioral Sciences, Engineering & Computer Science, Education, Business & Economics, and Arts, Media & Communication.

As for graduate students, there are about 4,000+ enrollees who are immersed in the university’s 70 master’s programs and 4 doctoral courses.

As one of the most diverse universities in the country, Cal State Northridge is home to more than 3,000 international students. All in all, these enrollees represent more than 100 countries. With the help of the university’s International Admission Advisors, many are taking the chance to apply at this cheap yet high-quality LA university.

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