Here’s the scoop: colleges are getting rather expensive with costs for tuition alone around $7000 at a California State University, and $12,000 at an University of California for an undergraduate (bachelor’s) degree. You can take courses for the first two years at a California Community College for roughly $50 to $100 each term. Specifically, if you are receiving Federal Financial Aid (which implies US citizenship) and you are a California resident, you qualify for the BOG (Board of Governors) waiver to tuition at a community college.
The first two years, called lower division, typically are the general education type of courses (Segment I and Segment II). They can also include some courses required for your major, like Statistics, Accounting, and Economics for a business major. To assess which courses count toward you major, you need to visit: http://assist.org.
So if you take the first two years at a community college (4 semesters or 6 quarters), you can save over $35,000 in tuition costs alone. Many students transfer into a 4-year after completing the general education requirements, then take some courses on the side or in the summer at local community colleges to save costs.
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