LBCC is only around $6000 a year for out-of-state students. I was shocked by this price, the only school at this price in nJ is my county college, which is terrible. Room and board is only around $11000 a year, which is average, but I think I could rent an apartment with one or two other college students for less, as many people do. So, is this a good school?
LBCC is a community college. You can get an associate degree or prepare for transfer to a four year institution. Many students from California go the CC Route to save money. Many CCs have agreements with their local CSU for transfers. All California CCs will specifically tell you which courses will be accepted by a UC or a CSU so you can chose your courses accordingly. Many CA students transfer to top UCs like Berkeley or UCLA from CCs. Many from LBCC transfer to CSULB.
City College, as we here in Long Beach call it, does not have dorms so you will have to rent an apartment. There are plenty of places near campus to live. Long Beach is a great city - but I may be biased 
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Is it a good college? As far as CCs go I would say yes, but it is still a CC not a university. But it may be a good place to start if you want to move to CA, as your posts indicate you do.
@LKnomad Thank you! I was wondering if I should avoid community colleges, but I think I may consider them, as university costs are so high. My county college isn’t great, and many students have issues transferring, so it’s helpful that I’ll have one selected in CA.
Community colleges can be an excellent way to go. Long Beach is pretty proud of their college. Students who attend a Long Beach high schools can attend City College for one semester free so City College is pretty popular around here. My son will be attending this Fall for duel enrollment like many other high school students in the city. Around here there is no shame in attending a community college before transferring to a four year. When we toured the local UCs (UCLA and UCI), our tour guides were transfer students. I have met several people who started in California CCs and ended up with PhDs in the end.
Just note - if you plan to transfer to a CSU or UC, you’ll pay out of state rate.
@NCalRent I know, which are close to in-state tuitions in NJ (28K, 30K, 40K, for some of the better schools). My community college is much cheaper, but it’s terrible, so I’m not considering it.
Check the OOS tuition at LBCC. http://www.lbcc.edu/international/fees.cfm
Estimated cost for OOS is ~$20K per year, so if you can afford that, you should be good to go. Depends on where you find housing. Long Beach is expensive. Note @NCalRent 's comments^^^^
You may want to look at this one instead http://schedule.lbcc.edu/Springdocs/spring2015/FeesCosts.pdf
Aunt bea’s link above is for international students.
It is difficult to understand what the actual amount it. The international student amount says 305 per unit but the non resident seems to be 239. A phone call might be in order. This of course does not include room and board or books.
Just spent about an hour there this afternoon trying to deal with a clerical error with my son. Nice people.
@auntbea Those are international costs, but the next post’s link is for American students. My non-resident per unit fee wold be less, but they still add up. I have heard the LB area is pricey.
@Lknomad Thank you for the correct link! I would have to add $4179 to my total, I’m not a sure a CC is worth 25K a year…my Cal State estimates are the same, with room & board!
Yep, Long Beach is extremely pricey and has a limited number of affordable housing units because they have multiple businesses and the tourist trade taking up the land. We learned that while visiting for the son. A number of students commute in from local areas. Some less-expensive housing is in Costa Mesa. You need a car to get around the area and this is expensive as well.
@NCalRent Not true, if she ends up going to the community college for two years, since she is not living on a dorm and will be living in an apartment which she will have to find on her own not through the school, she will be eligible for residency by the time she transfers. So while it will be a little expensive for her to attend the CC since she will be considered oos for at least a year, after that she will be eligible for instate tuition rates. My friend goes to LBCC, he generally likes the school. As others have said though it is a CC not a University. If you don’t mind taking a gap year, you can find a job in california and work for a year to get residency, and then in a year I believe you should be eligible for in state tuition rates.
@Sopopoi, the residency requirements for in-state status at the UCs and Cal States are very strict; they deal with this all of the time and know how to deal with the tricks especially if the student is from an OOS high school. That is a big red flag of coming to California for educational needs. @Ncalrent is correct. A student has to be a self supporting person with strict documentation and California State taxes at full time rates. Paying for living expenses with an unskilled job, in California, will be tough. The student cannot receive “outside” help in paying local expenses.
But the student stated her mother may travel with her. This means mother’s taxes will change to CA. Won’t that help?
They have to abide by a residency determination date where the family has been paying real California taxes. Residency is determined by the university and a number of factors.
Right, you have to support yourself as a CA resident for one year without attending college of any kind - then apply as a resident.