Public · Community college

Cuesta College

San Luis Obispo, California · Fringe rural

10%
Transfer rate: $12,124
Avg net price: 48%
Grad / completion: $46,047
Median earnings

Cuesta College is a public certificate-granting institution in San Luis Obispo, California (fringe rural setting), enrolling 7,180 undergraduates. Admission is open to all applicants.

PublicMidsize · 7,180 undergradsFringe ruralCCCAANear the coast

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: Fringe rural
Highest degree offered: Associate
Nearest big city: 86 miles to Santa Barbara, CA
To the ocean: 5 miles
Nearest airport: 9 miles to San Luis County (SBP)

How Cuesta College compares

#77 · Cheapest Community Colleges

Graduation rate48%

Higher than 35% · #260 of 382 in California

First-year retention73%

Higher than 50%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$46,047

Higher than 85% · #63 of 326 in California

Average net price$12,124

Cheaper than 62% · #114 cheapest of 377 in California

Median debt at graduation$13,750

Lower than 18%

Student–faculty ratio27 : 1

Lower than 8%

Undergraduate enrollment7,180

Larger than 94%

Percentiles compare Cuesta College 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

Women4,21059%
Men2,97041%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

White48%
Black2.1%
Hispanic36%
Asian3.1%
Other or multiracial11%

Graduate gender splits aren't published in this data, so the gender chart covers undergraduates only.

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment: 7,180
Student–faculty ratio: 27 : 1
Pell Grant recipients: 18%
First-generation students: 43%
Students over 25: 22%
Median family income: $19,228
Avg faculty salary (academic year): $107,073
Endowment: $41,586,328

Colleges don't publish true class-size data; student–faculty ratio (IPEDS) is the closest public measure of it.

Where students come from

Home state of the 966 first-year students who entered in fall 2023.

From California93%
Other U.S. states4.7%
International2.0%

Most first-years stay in state — Cuesta College draws overwhelmingly from California.

2% came from outside the U.S. Out-of-state students usually pay a higher tuition rate at public schools — check the cost card above for your bracket. Source: IPEDS residence & migration, fall 2023 entering class.

Cost

In-state tuition: $1,350
Out-of-state tuition: $11,010
Room & board: —
Books & supplies: $1,062
Total cost of attendance: $20,192
Average net price: $12,124

Outcomes

Graduated: 48%
First-year retention: 73%
Transferred to another college: 10%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry: $38,541
Median earnings, 10 years after entry: $46,047
Median debt at graduation: $13,750
Students with federal loans: 2%
Paying down their loans (1 year in): 50%

Graduating on time

By student background (4 years)

All students

48%

Low-income (Pell)

12%

First-generation

13%

When these bars run close together, students from every background tend to finish at similar rates — a sign the school supports the ~30% who are first-gen or low-income.

Campus life & athletics

On-campus housing: No
Application fee: Free
Athletics: CCCAA
Varsity athletes: 265 (148 men · 117 women)

Varsity sports (11)

Water Polo46

Swimming39

Track and Field (Outdoor)34

Baseball27

Basketball25

Wrestling22

Soccer19

Softball14

Volleyball14

Beach Volleyball13

Cross Country12

Athlete counts per sport, Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25.

Campus safety

Safety grade: A
Reported offenses per 1,000 students: 0.1 / year
Violent offenses (2022–2024): 0
Property offenses (2022–2024): 3

Reported offenses in an average year

The same 2022–2024 Clery Act reports, divided down to one year.

1.0reported offenses a year

0 violent a year1.0 property a year

By offense type, per year

Burglary

0.7

Motor vehicle theft

0.3

Averages, not a forecast — a single year can run well above or below this. Bars are scaled against this campus's most-reported offense, so they compare types here rather than against other schools.

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.

< $30k

$10,414

$30–48k

$10,905

$48–75k

$15,150

$75–110k

$16,620

$110k+

$18,448

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?

Grant aid from the school's own funds — the discount off sticker, on top of any federal or state help.

31%

of first-years get a grant from the school

$338

average award, among those who get one

Modest institutional aid: 31% of freshmen get a grant from the school, averaging $338. Most of what lowers the price here is federal or state money, not the school's own funds.

Blends need-based and merit aid — IPEDS doesn't split the two, so a high number can mean generous merit scholarships, deep need-based aid, or both. Figures cover 537 full-time first-year undergraduates, 2022–23. Source: IPEDS Student Financial Aid.

Is it worth it?

A rough return-on-investment read from what graduates earn versus what they borrow.

Median earnings (10 years): $46,047
Typical debt at graduation: $13,750
Debt vs. one year's pay: 30%
Out-earn a HS grad: 52%

Typical debt would take roughly 3.0 years to repay at about a tenth of median earnings.

Solid value

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.

Women

$39,629

Men

$54,000

Men out-earn women by $14,371 (36%) 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: 44°F
Annual rain: 22.4″

Average temperature

HighLow

Average precipitation (inches)

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, San Luis Obispo Poly, CA US station (4.9 mi from campus).

What Cuesta College graduates study — and earn

Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and HumanitiesCert.

1,060 grads— 1 yr$44k 5 yr— debt

1,060—$43,886—Business/Commerce, GeneralCert.

705 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

705———Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and HumanitiesAssoc.

692 grads— 1 yr$35k 5 yr— debt

692—$35,374—Business Administration, Management and OperationsAssoc.

167 grads$30k 1 yr$57k 5 yr— debt

167$29,983$56,729—Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment ProfessionsCert.

166 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

166———Health Services/Allied Health/Health Sciences, GeneralAssoc.

144 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

144———Business Administration, Management and OperationsCert.

141 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

141———Human Development, Family Studies, and Related ServicesCert.

100 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

100———Psychology, GeneralAssoc.

99 grads— 1 yr$42k 5 yr— debt

99—$41,854—Mental and Social Health Services and Allied ProfessionsCert.

82 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

82———EconomicsAssoc.

68 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

68———Library and Archives AssistingCert.

63 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

63———

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 Cuesta College

Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare Cuesta College side by side →

Santa Barbara City College

Public

Santa Barbara, California · Small city · 1 mi to Santa Barbara

Students: 9,889
Tuition: $1k
Transfer: 25%
Earnings: $48k

Merritt College

Public

Oakland, California · Large city · 14 mi to San Francisco

Students: 5,288
Tuition: $1k
Transfer: 15%
Earnings: $44k

Crafton Hills College

Public

Yucaipa, California · Large suburb · 16 mi to Riverside

Students: 5,687
Tuition: $1k
Transfer: 9%
Earnings: $43k

Cabrillo College

Public

Aptos, California · Midsize suburb · 24 mi to San Jose

Students: 8,002
Tuition: $1k
Transfer: 10%
Earnings: $44k

Monterey Peninsula College

Public

Monterey, California · Midsize suburb · 52 mi to San Jose

Students: 5,624
Tuition: $1k
Transfer: 12%
Earnings: $42k

Coastline Community College

Public

Fountain Valley, California · Small city · 29 mi to Los Angeles

Students: 7,393
Tuition: $1k
Transfer: 14%
Earnings: $44k

Colleges near Cuesta College

California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo

San Luis Obispo, CA · Public · Bachelor's · 21,996 students

5 mi

Laurus College

San Luis Obispo, CA · Private for-profit · Associate · 1,116 students

6 mi

Central California School of Continuing Education

San Luis Obispo, CA · Private for-profit · Certificate · 41 students

7 mi

Design's School of Cosmetology

Paso Robles, CA · Private for-profit · Certificate · 73 students

22 mi

CET-Santa Maria

Santa Maria, CA · Private nonprofit · Certificate · 142 students

32 mi

San Joaquin Valley College-Santa Maria

Santa Maria, CA · Private for-profit · Certificate · 114 students

32 mi

Allan Hancock College

Santa Maria, CA · Public · Certificate · 8,052 students

32 mi

Coalinga College

Coalinga, CA · Public · Certificate · 2,522 students

60 mi

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.