Public · Community college

Cuyamaca College

El Cajon, California · Large suburb

8%
Transfer rate
$6,618
Avg net price
41%
Grad / completion
$32,435
Median earnings

Cuyamaca College is a public associate-granting institution in El Cajon, California (large suburb setting), enrolling 7,177 undergraduates. It is a Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI). Admission is open to all applicants.

PublicMidsize · 7,177 undergradsLarge suburbCCCAANear the coast

About El Cajon, California

El Cajon is a city in San Diego County, California, United States, 17 mi (27 km) east of downtown San Diego. During Spanish rule (1769–1821), the government encouraged settlement of territory now known as California by the establishment of large land grants called ranchos, from which the English word ranch is derived. (Wikipedia)

Setting
Large suburb
Highest degree offered
Associate
To the ocean
11 miles
Nearest airport
14 miles to San Diego (SAN) · major hub

How Cuyamaca College compares

Graduation rate41%

Higher than 26% · #297 of 382 in California

First-year retention72%

Higher than 47%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$32,435

Higher than 40% · #236 of 326 in California

Average net price$6,618

Cheaper than 84% · #58 cheapest of 377 in California

Student–faculty ratio28 : 1

Lower than 7%

Undergraduate enrollment7,177

Larger than 94%

Percentiles compare Cuyamaca 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

7,177undergrads
  • Women4,06557%
  • Men3,11243%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

  • White51%
  • Black4.0%
  • Hispanic32%
  • Asian4.7%
  • Other or multiracial8.5%

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

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment
7,177
Student–faculty ratio
28 : 1
Pell Grant recipients
27%
First-generation students
61%
Students over 25
38%
Median family income
$11,353
Avg faculty salary (academic year)
$97,785
Endowment
$1,857,532

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

Cost

In-state tuition
$1,346
Out-of-state tuition
$11,314
Room & board
Books & supplies
$1,062
Total cost of attendance
$16,690
Average net price
$6,618

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
41%
First-year retention
72%
Transferred to another college
8%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry
$29,836
Median earnings, 10 years after entry
$32,435
Median debt at graduation
Students with federal loans
2%
Paying down their loans (1 year in)
43%

Graduating on time

By student background (4 years)

All students
41%
First-generation
4%

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
176 (107 men · 69 women)

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%.

Varsity sports (6)

Soccer56
Track and Field (Outdoor)46
Basketball26
Golf17
Cross Country17
Volleyball14

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)
1
Property offenses (2022–2024)
3

On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 1 campus (8,905 students). Counts reflect reports, not convictions — schools with strong reporting cultures often show more, so a higher count doesn't simply mean a more dangerous campus.

Reported offenses in an average year

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

1.3reported offenses a year
0.3 violent a year1.0 property a year

By offense type, per year

Motor vehicle theft
0.7
Robbery
0.3
Burglary
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
$6,183
$30–48k
$5,219
$48–75k
$9,270
$75–110k
$12,665
$110k+
$11,961

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.

2%
of first-years get a grant from the school
$545
average award, among those who get one

Modest institutional aid: 2% of freshmen get a grant from the school, averaging $545. 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 452 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)
$32,435
Typical debt at graduation
Debt vs. one year's pay
Out-earn a HS grad
40%
Weigh it value

The payoff is less clear-cut here — weigh the debt against the earnings and your intended field before borrowing heavily.

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
$29,919
Men
$36,635

Men out-earn women by $6,716 (22%) 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
89°F
Winter low
42°F
Annual rain
11.6″

Average temperature

HighLow
30°70°100°JFMAMJJASOND

Average precipitation (inches)

0.01.32.6JFMAMJJASOND

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, EL Cajon, CA US station (4 mi from campus).

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 Cuyamaca College

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

Colleges near Cuyamaca College

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.