How much does Cuesta College cost?

At Cuesta College, the average net price (after aid) is about $12,124 per year. Actual cost varies with financial aid and residency.

How many undergraduates attend Cuesta College?

Cuesta College enrolls approximately 7,180 undergraduate students.

Where is Cuesta College located?

Cuesta College is located in San Luis Obispo, CA.

Cuesta College: Acceptance Rate, SAT & Cost — QuantAdmit

← All schools

Cuesta College

San Luis Obispo, CApubliccuesta.edu

Avg net price

$12,124

Earnings (10 yr)

$46,047

Acceptance & SAT from Common Data Set / IPEDS; net price, earnings & graduation from the U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard. Figures lag ~1–2 years — verify with the school.

Cuesta College is a Central Coast gem—a scrappy, open-access community college in San Luis Obispo that punches above its weight with strong transfer pathways to four-year universities and a surprisingly vibrant campus life. With a 100% acceptance rate and the Cuesta Promise scholarship covering fees for local grads, it’s a launchpad for first-gen students and career-changers alike.

More details

Undergrad enrollment: 7,180
In-state tuition: $1,350
Out-of-state tuition: $11,010
Top Major: Liberal Arts and Humanities (48% of graduates)
No-Loan Policy: No
Acceptance Rate: 100%
Graduation Rate: 43%
Demonstrated Interest: Not considered
Median Earnings (1yr): $36,427
Median Earnings (6yr): $38,541
Average Financial Aid Award: $4,143

Outcomes & value

Median earnings (10 yr): $46,047
Value (earnings ÷ net price): 3.8×
Median debt at graduation: $13,750
Reducing loan balance (3 yr): 55%
Pell (lower-income) share: 92%
First-generation share: 43%
Endowment / student: $5,792

Earnings = median of students working ~10 years after entry; debt = median of graduates. Value divides 10-yr earnings by one year’s net price — read it as earnings per dollar of annual cost, not a full lifetime ROI; it favors lower-cost schools. Source: U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard. Figures lag ~2 years and reflect all students, not your intended major.

Campus & location

Campus safety

On-campus violent crimes (2024): 0
Per 1,000 students: 0.00

On-campus criminal offenses classed as violent (murder/non-negligent manslaughter, rape, robbery, aggravated assault) for the most recent reported year. Source: U.S. Dept. of Education Campus Safety and Security (Clery Act). Counts reflect what’s reported to the school, and urban campuses often report more partly due to non-student incidents nearby — read alongside campus size and setting, not as a standalone safety verdict.

Climate

Pleasant days / yr: 213
Summer high: 76°F
Winter low: 44°F
Annual rain: 23.4"
Natural-hazard risk: Relatively High

Pleasant days counts days per year with a mean temperature of 55–75°F, a high at or below 90°F, a low at or above 45°F, and little precipitation — a transparent comfort measure, not a weighting we invented. Computed from Open-Meteo ERA5 daily history (2019–2023). Natural-hazard risk is the county’s composite rating from the FEMA National Risk Index.

Deep dive — research, future-scholar output & economic mobility

Research output

Institutional h-index: 22
Scholarly works: 322

Institutional research volume and impact from OpenAlex. The h-index reflects large research universities and will be low for teaching-focused liberal-arts colleges — not a measure of undergraduate quality.

Economic mobility

Mobility rate: 1.8%
Bottom → top quintile: 17%
From bottom quintile: 11%

Mobility rate = the share of students who both start in the bottom household-income quintile and reach the top quintile; bottom → top is that chance conditional on starting at the bottom. Source: Opportunity Insights Mobility Report Cards (Chetty, Friedman, Saez, Turner & Yagan). Reflects 1980–82 birth cohorts, so it’s directional, not current.

Quick answers

How much does Cuesta College cost?: At Cuesta College, the average net price (after aid) is about $12,124 per year. Actual cost varies with financial aid and residency.
How many undergraduates attend Cuesta College?: Cuesta College enrolls approximately 7,180 undergraduate students.
Where is Cuesta College located?: Cuesta College is located in San Luis Obispo, CA.

Admissions

Cuesta operates on an open-door policy—no SAT/ACT requirements, no essays, and a 100% acceptance rate for applicants with a high school diploma or equivalent. The barrier to entry is deliberately low, with 11,283 students enrolled (many part-time) across its credit and non-credit programs. Notably, the college doesn’t track or consider demonstrated interest—what matters here is readiness, not résumé padding.

academicjobs.com petersons.com niche.com thecollegecurators.com

Academics

Cuesta’s academic offerings tilt heavily toward practical, transfer-ready programs: Liberal Arts and Humanities dominates (1,991 graduates), followed by Business (686) and Psychology (134). The college shines in career-technical education, with certificates like Accounting Clerk and Child Care Provider. Unique among community colleges, it partners with four-year universities to offer bachelor’s degree pathways locally—a boon for Central Coast students priced out of UC/CSU housing costs.