Private for-profit · Community college
Central California School of Continuing Education
San Luis Obispo, California · Small city
- 0%
- Transfer rate
- $11,840
- Avg net price
- 86%
- Grad / completion
- $41,223
- Median earnings
Central California School of Continuing Education is a private for-profit certificate-granting institution in San Luis Obispo, California (small city setting), enrolling 41 undergraduates. Admission is open to all applicants.
About San Luis Obispo, California
San Luis Obispo is a city in and the county seat of San Luis Obispo County, California, United States. The earliest human inhabitants of the local area were the Chumash people. One of the earliest villages lies south of San Luis Obispo and reflects the landscape of the early Holocene when estuaries came farther inland. The Madonna Inn is an eccentric landmark established by Alex Madonna in 1958. The Fremont Theater, a historic Art Deco theater from the 1940s, once played first-run movies on the huge screen, and now hosts stage performances. (Wikipedia)
- Setting
- Small city
- Highest degree offered
- Certificate
- Nearest big city
- 79 miles to Santa Barbara, CA
- To the ocean
- 7 miles
- Nearest airport
- 2 miles to San Luis County (SBP)
How Central California School of Continuing Education compares
Higher than 86% · #64 of 382 in California
Higher than 57%
Higher than 73% · #116 of 326 in California
Cheaper than 63% · #112 cheapest of 377 in California
Lower than 98%
Lower than 73%
Larger than 10%
Percentiles compare Central California School of Continuing Education with the nation's 3,519 two-year and certificate schools, among schools reporting each statistic. State ranks count two-year and certificate schools in California.
Student body
Undergraduates by gender
- Women3688%
- Men512%
Undergraduates by race / ethnicity
- White24%
- Black4.9%
- Hispanic68%
- Asian2.4%
Graduate gender splits aren't published in this data, so the gender chart covers undergraduates only.
By the numbers
- Undergraduate enrollment
- 41
- Student–faculty ratio
- 12 : 1
- Pell Grant recipients
- 56%
- First-generation students
- 59%
- Students over 25
- 75%
- Median family income
- $21,879
Colleges don't publish true class-size data; student–faculty ratio (IPEDS) is the closest public measure of it.
Cost
- In-state tuition
- $9,895
- Room & board
- —
- Books & supplies
- $500
- Total cost of attendance
- $19,463
- Average net price
- $11,840
Net price is the total cost minus grants and scholarships — what students actually pay. It varies sharply by family income; see the breakdown below.
Outcomes
- Graduated
- 86%
- First-year retention
- 76%
- Transferred to another college
- 0%
- Median earnings, 6 years after entry
- $32,116
- Median earnings, 10 years after entry
- $41,223
- Median debt at graduation
- $5,150
- Students with federal loans
- 56%
- Paying down their loans (1 year in)
- 61%
Campus life & athletics
- On-campus housing
- No
- Application fee
- Free
Housing and fees: IPEDS 2023–24. Athletics rosters: Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25. Dorm capacity can include graduate and family housing, so the share of undergrads can top 100%.
What you'll actually pay, by family income
Average net price (total cost minus grants and scholarships) paid by aided students in each family-income band.
College Scorecard / IPEDS, most recent year. Family income is total household income; net price covers tuition, fees, room, board and supplies after grant aid, for students receiving federal aid.
Does the school pay you to attend?
Central California School of Continuing Education funds essentially no grants of its own — almost all aid here comes from federal (Pell), state, or outside sources rather than the school's own discount. Its sticker price is what it is.
Source: IPEDS Student Financial Aid, 2022–23 full-time first-year undergraduates.
Is it worth it?
A rough return-on-investment read from what graduates earn versus what they borrow.
- Median earnings (10 years)
- $41,223
- Typical debt at graduation
- $5,150
- Debt vs. one year's pay
- 12%
- Out-earn a HS grad
- 57%
Typical debt would take roughly 1.2 years to repay at about a tenth of median earnings.
A reasonable return: earnings comfortably clear the debt over a few years for most students who finish.
Earnings are the College Scorecard median for former students (working, not enrolled) 10 years after entry — not a guarantee, and they vary a lot by major. Debt is the median federal loan balance at graduation.
The pay gap here
Median earnings 10 years after entry, split by gender.
Men out-earn women by $21,339 (56%) a decade out.
Federal figures for former students working and not enrolled, 10 years after they first entered. A gap this wide usually reflects which majors men and women here tend to choose — not different pay for the same job.
Campus climate
- Summer high
- 80°F
- Winter low
- 40°F
- Annual rain
- 17.9″
Average temperature
HighLowAverage precipitation (inches)
NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, San Luis Obispo AP, CA US station (1.8 mi from campus).
What Central California School of Continuing Education graduates study — and earn
Median earnings of this school's own graduates 1 and 5 years after finishing each program, and median federal-loan debt at completion (College Scorecard). Small programs are privacy-suppressed (—). Click a major to compare colleges nationally.
Colleges similar to Central California School of Continuing Education
Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare Central California School of Continuing Education side by side →
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InterCoast Colleges-Riverside
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Colleges near Central California School of Continuing Education
Laurus College
San Luis Obispo, CA · Private for-profit · Associate · 1,116 students
California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo
San Luis Obispo, CA · Public · Bachelor's · 21,996 students
Cuesta College
San Luis Obispo, CA · Public · Certificate · 7,180 students
CET-Santa Maria
Santa Maria, CA · Private nonprofit · Certificate · 142 students
Allan Hancock College
Santa Maria, CA · Public · Certificate · 8,052 students
San Joaquin Valley College-Santa Maria
Santa Maria, CA · Private for-profit · Certificate · 114 students
Design's School of Cosmetology
Paso Robles, CA · Private for-profit · Certificate · 73 students
Coalinga College
Coalinga, CA · Public · Certificate · 2,522 students
Source: US Department of Education College Scorecard (most recent cohorts), IPEDS institutional characteristics, Equity in Athletics (EADA) data, Clery Act Campus Safety and Security data, and NOAA US Climate Normals. Distances are straight-line from campus coordinates. Percentiles compare schools of the same level (four-year vs. two-year) that report each statistic.