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Cuesta College

San Luis Obispo, CA, USA

Cuesta College is a public 2-year community college based in San Luis Obispo County and serves the Central Coast of California. Cuesta offers associate degrees as well as technical and professional certifications. Noted programs include health service preparatory studies, mathematics and statistics, and psychiatric mental health services. Cuesta College has an open admissions policy.

Admissions

Key Admissions Stats

Institution Type
Public
  • Not for Profit
  • Coed

Need Aware

This school may consider an applicant’s financial situation when deciding admission

Level of Institution
2 Year
Campus Setting
Suburb or town

Admissions Requirements

SAT
SAT is not checked
No
ACT
ACT is not checked
No
Transcript
Transcript is checked
Yes

Important Deadlines

Application TypeApplication DeadlineReply Deadline
Fall Regular DecisionAugust 13

Rolling Admissions

The college has rolling admissions, which means applications are accepted any time throughout the year.

Admitted Student Stats

In-State Students
94%

Academics

Key Academic Stats

Highest Degree Offered
At least 2, but less than 4 academic years
Total Number of Students
9,661
Total Number of Undergrads
9,661
Academic Calendar

Semester

See your fit
Classroom Sizes

0
100
33%
Graduate in 6 Years US National: 52%
Student:Faculty Ratio
25:1
US National: 21:1

Tuition, Cost & Aid

Key Financial Stats

Average Net Price
$7,790
Calculate your net cost
Tuition
In-State Tuition In-state tuition is the tuition charged by institutions to those students who meet the state's or institution's residency requirements. In-district tuition is the tuition charged by the institution to those students residing in the locality in which they attend school and may be a lower rate than in-state tuition if offered by the institution.
$1,340
Out-of-State Tuition Out-of-state tuition is the tuition charged by institutions to those students who do not meet the state’s or institution’s residency requirements. Out-of-district tuition is the tuition charged by the institution to those students not residing in the locality in which they attend school.
$9,348
Additional Costs
Room and Board The weighted average for room and board and other expenses is generated as follows:
  • (amount for on-campus room, board and other expenses * # of students living on-campus.
  • + amount for off-campus (with family) room, board and other expenses * # of students living off-campus with family
  • + amount for off-campus (not with family) room, board and other expenses * # of students living off-campus not with family)
divided by the total # of students. Students whose living arrangements are unknown are excluded from the calculation. For some institutions the # of students by living arrangement will be known, but dollar amounts will not be known. In this case the # of students with no corresponding dollar amount will be excluded from the denominator.
$13,293
Books and Supplies
$1152

Aid & Grants

Students Receiving Gift Aid Percent of undergraduate students awarded federal gift aid. Federal gift aid includes any grant or scholarship aid awarded, from the federal government, a state or local government, the institution, and other sources known by the institution.
20%
Average Aid Per Year
$3,963
Students Receiving Grants Percent of undergraduate students awarded grant aid. Grant aid includes any grant or scholarship aid awarded, from the federal government, a state or local government, the institution, and other sources known by the institution.
20%
Average Federal Grant Aid Per Year
$5,031
Average Institution Grant Aid Per Year
$296

Student Loans

Students Borrowing Loans Loans to students - Any monies that must be repaid to the lending institution for which the student is the designated borrower. Includes all Title IV subsidized and unsubsidized loans and all institutionally- and privately-sponsored loans. Does not include PLUS and other loans made directly to parents.
4%
Average Loan Amount Per Year
$5,741
Average Debt at Graduation The median federal debt of undergraduate borrowers who graduated. This figure includes only federal loans; it excludes private student loans and Parent PLUS loans.
$8,500
Median Monthly Loan Payment The median monthly loan payment for student borrowers who completed, if it were repaid over 10 years at a 5.05% interest rate.
$100

Campus Life

Key Campus Stats

Student Gender
Male
Female
48%
52%
Student Organizations
21
Size of Town
Suburb or town
LGBTQIA Student Resource Groups
LGBTQIA Student Resource Groups is checked
Yes
On Campus Women's Center
On Campus Women's Center is not checked
No

Housing

On-campus living required of freshman
No

Athletics

Divisional Sports Nickname
Cougar
Varsity Athletics Association
NJCAA
Varsity Athletics Conference Primary
Not applicable

Campus Safety

24-HR security patrol
24-HR security patrol is checked
Yes
Campus emergency phones
Campus emergency phones is checked
Yes

After Graduation

Post Grad Stats

Top 5 Cities
San Luis Obispo
San Francisco
Los Angeles
Sacramento
San Diego
Average Salary
6 years after graduation
$42,100

What Students Are Saying

Cuesta has a beautiful small campus. The teachers here will challenge you, it is a good transition school to get you ready fro a 4 year. Most people that attend Cuesta and work there are friendly and helpful.
Elina from San Luis Obispo, CA
As a single mother of four children, age 37 I have found returning to college quite challenging. I will say that I am happy where I am in school, I am enjoying the classes I am taking and really feel determined to get to my long term goal.
Student from Atascadero, CA
Great one on one. Awesome community to be involved with. Welding program is very good.
Luis from Pismo Beach, CA
Great College! I would recommend it to anyone. It is a small campus with amazing teachers and students.
Isabel from Shandon, CA
There is a nice, broad spectrum of classes to choose from, especially if you are finishing your general education. The teachers also range from being fairly easy, to assigning a rigorous work load. Regardless, I feel that every class I've taken so far has provided me with the knowledge I needed.
Student from California
I highly recommend Cuesta College as a great school to attend. The faculty and services are run with care and this college really helps their students meet their goals. This school now offers three year attendence and allows you to transfer to more units to local colleges.
Lucinda from Grover Beach, CA