I wouldn't call $22,000 plus whatever interest you have to pay on those loans "pretty darn close to free". Though yes, it's lower than many other options in the

I wouldn't call $22,000 plus whatever interest you have to pay on those loans "pretty darn close to free". Though yes, it's lower than many other options in the U.S. I do think California is one of the better places to make this work, though. The community college system really is almost free, and California has mandated that 4-year colleges must structure their degree programs in a way that makes it possible to do in-state transfers from an Associate's degree. Therefore you can do the first two years at a community college (~free) and pay "only" $11,000 to finish the last two years at a CSU.