Cuesta College

Highway 1
San Luis Obispo, CA 93403-8106
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Tel: (805) 546-3100
SAVE SCHOOL
  • Cuesta College is a premier community college providing accessible, high quality education that focuses on student success, lifelong learning, and community vitality.
School Highlights
  • Cuesta College serves 9,221 students (40% of students are full-time).
  • The college's student:teacher ratio of 36:1 is lower than the state community college average of 44:1.
  • Minority enrollment is 33% of the student body (majority Hispanic), which is less than the state average of 68%.
  • Cuesta College is the only community colleges within San Luis Obispo County, CA.
  • The nearest community college to Cuesta College is Allan Hancock College (27.7 miles away).

School Overview

  • The teacher population of 259 teachers has stayed relatively flat over five years.
Cuesta College(CA) Community College Avg.
Carnegie ClassificationBaccalaureate / Associates CollegesBaccalaureate / Associates Colleges
Institution LevelLess than 2 yrsAt least 2 but less than 4 years
Institution ControlPublicPublic
Total Faculty259 staff97 staff
This chart display total faculty of Cuesta College and community college average number of faculty in CA by year, with the latest 2015-16 school year data.

Student Body

  • The student population of Cuesta College has stayed relatively flat over five years.
  • The student:teacher ratio of 36:1 has stayed the same over five years.
  • The Cuesta College diversity score of 0.51 is less than the state average of 0.73. The school's diversity has stayed relatively flat over five years.
Total Enrollment9,221 students7,516 students
This chart display the total enrollment of Cuesta College and community college average number of enrollment of CA by year, with the latest 2015-16 school year data.
Student : Teacher Ratio36:144:1
This chart display the student staff ratio of Cuesta College and community college average student staff ratio of CA by year, with the latest 2015-16 school year data.
# Full-Time Students3,723 students1,613 students
This chart display the total number of Full-Time students enrollment of Cuesta College and average number of community college Full-Time students enrollment of CA by year, with the latest 2015-16 school year data.
# Part-Time Students5,498 students5,903 students
This chart display the total number of Part-Time students enrollment of Cuesta College and average number of community college Part-Time students enrollment of CA by year, with the latest 2015-16 school year data.
This chart display the Full-Time students and Part-Time students enrollment breakdown of Cuesta College.This chart display community college average Full-Time students and Part-Time students enrollment breakdown of CA.
% American Indian/Alaskan
1%
-
This chart display the percentage of American Indian/Alaskan students in Cuesta College and the percentage of American Indian/Alaskan community college students in CA by year, with the latest 2012-13 school year data.
% Asian
3%
13%
This chart display the percentage of Asian students in Cuesta College and the percentage of Asian community college students in CA by year, with the latest 2015-16 school year data.
% Hispanic
20%
37%
This chart display the percentage of Hispanic students in Cuesta College and the percentage of Hispanic community college students in CA by year, with the latest 2015-16 school year data.
% Black
2%
7%
This chart display the percentage of Black students in Cuesta College and the percentage of Black community college students in CA by year, with the latest 2015-16 school year data.
% White
67%
32%
This chart display the percentage of White students in Cuesta College and the percentage of White community college students in CA by year, with the latest 2015-16 school year data.
% Two or more races
4%
3%
This chart display the percentage of Two or more races students in Cuesta College and the percentage of Two or more races community college students in CA by year, with the latest 2015-16 school year data.
% Non Resident races
1%
3%
This chart display the percentage of Non Resident students in Cuesta College and the percentage of Non Resident community college students in CA by year, with the latest 2015-16 school year data.
% Unknown races
2%
5%
This chart display the percentage breakdown of students of all ethnic groups in Cuesta College.This chart display the percentage breakdown of students of all ethnic groups in CA.
Diversity Score0.510.73
This chart display the diversity score of Cuesta College and the community college average diversity score of CA by year, with the latest 2015-16 school year data.
College Completion Rate
28%
29%
This chart display completion rates for First-Time of Full-Time students of Cuesta College and community college average completion rates for First-Time of Full-Time students of CA by year, with the latest 2014-15 school year data.
Average Graduate Earnings (10 Years)$38,700$34,600
This chart display average graduate earnings (10 Years) of Cuesta College and community college average graduate earnings (10 Years) of CA by year, disaggregated by student subgroups with the latest 2012-13 school year data.

Finances and Admission

  • The public in-state tuition of $1,234 is less than the state average of $1,636. The in-state tuition has grown by 27% over four years.
  • The public out-state tuition of $6,408 is less than the state average of $6,797. The out-state tuition has grown by 8% over four years.
In-State Tuition Fees$1,234$1,636
This chart display tuition fees for an in-state student of Cuesta College and the public community college average tuition fees for an in-state student of CA by year, with the latest 2015-16 school year data.
Out-State Tuition Fees$6,408$6,797
This chart display tuition fees for an out-of-state student of Cuesta College and the public community college average tuition fees for an out-of-state student of CA by year, with the latest 2015-16 school year data.
% Students Receiving Some Financial Aid53%78%
This chart display the percent of students who is receiving some financial aid in Cuesta College and the percent of community college students who is receiving some financial aid in CA by year, with the latest 2014-15 school year data.
Median Debt for Graduates$10,146$9,500
This chart display median debt for students who have completed a certificate or degree in Cuesta College and average median debt for community college students who have completed a certificate or degree in CA by year, with the latest 2014-15 school year data.
Median Debt for Dropouts$5,869$5,500
This chart display median debt for students who have not completed a certificate or degree in Cuesta College and average median debt for community college students who have not completed a certificate or degree in CA by year, with the latest 2014-15 school year data.
Source: 2016 (or latest year available) IPEDS

School Notes

  • Cuesta College makes lifelong learning happen. We enable students to achieve their academic, transfer, workforce preparation, career advancement, and personal goals. Building on our tradition of excellence, we serve our community by providing programs and services that produce students who can succeed in a diverse and rapidly changing society, participate effectively in their local communities, and live responsible and rewarding lives. As a learning college, we provide a supportive environment for students and employees, assess student and institutional outcomes, improve performance, forge strategic partnerships, and maximize opportunities for learning. Cuesta College is located at the heart of scenic San Luis Obispo County, and is highly regarded throughout the state for its excellent educational programs, responsive student services and exceptional faculty and staff. In 1996 the college received a Silver Medal Eureka Award for Quality and Service Excellence. Most courses offered through Cuesta College's Distance Education program are fully accredited and transfer to other four year institutions. All courses are equivalent to the classroom-based version in course content, textbooks, required assignments and study time. The only difference is that the delivery method in a distance education course is different. The Cuesta College Foundation was incorporated in 1973 for the purpose of providing essential financial support for Cuesta College programs, services, scholarships, and capital needs.

Nearby Schools

  • College Location Mi. Students
  • Allan Hancock College
    Public
    11,047 students | 27.70 Mi800 South College Drive
    Santa Maria,  CA  93454
    (805) 922-6966     27.7011,047
  • Santa Barbara Business College-Santa Maria
    Private, for profit
    204 students | 27.70 Mi303 E Plaza Dr Ste 1
    Santa Maria,  CA  93454
    (805) 922-8256     27.70204
  • West Hills College-Coalinga
    Public
    2,650 students | 61.70 Mi300 Cherry Lane
    Coalinga,  CA  93210
    (559) 934-2000     61.702,650
  • Santa Barbara City College
    Public
    17,927 students | 82.20 Mi721 Cliff Drive
    Santa Barbara,  CA  93109
    (805) 965-0581     82.2017,927
  • West Hills College-Lemoore
    Public
    3,976 students | 83.90 Mi555 College Avenue
    Lemoore,  CA  93245
    (559) 925-3000     83.903,976
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Quick Stats (2020-21)
  • Students: 9,221 students
  • In-state tuition: $1,234
  • Out-state tuition: $6,408
  • Student:teacher ratio: 36:1
  • Minority enrollment: 33%
Related School Videos
2019 Cuesta College Athlete of the Year Awards 21:46

2019 Cuesta College Athlete of the Year Awards

Cuesta College Artist Talk: Tributaries 56:57

Cuesta College Artist Talk: Tributaries

Cuesta College Fall 2018 Opening Day 42:46

Cuesta College Fall 2018 Opening Day

2018 Cuesta College Athlete of the Year Awards 26:54

2018 Cuesta College Athlete of the Year Awards

View more school videos

Related School News

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Did You Know?
For California public community colleges, the average tuition is approximately $1,636 per year for in-state students and $6,797 for out-of-state students. For private community colleges, the average yearly tuition is approximately $19,157 per year. Read more about average community college tuition costs across the country.

The average community college acceptance rate in California is 86%. Read more about national community college acceptance rates.

California community colleges have a diversity score of 0.73, which is higher than the national average of 0.65. The most diverse community college in California is Coastline Community College. Read more about community college diversity statistics in the USA.
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