Statement · San Luis Obispo, CA
Cuesta College
Public2-year · Certificate degreesCompare with other schools →
Families earning under $30k paid $10,414 a year after grants and aid, against a published cost of $20,192.
Students who received federal aid earned a median $46,047 ten years after entering, the 90th percentile among public 2-years.
48% of students finish within 150% of normal time.
- Enrollment, 2023
- 14,378
What it costs
The published sticker cost is $20,192 a year; after grants, families who received aid paid between $10,414 and $18,448 a year depending on income at Cuesta College.
Statement of cost · Cuesta College
- Sticker costPublished yearly cost of attendance, all students
- $20,192
- What families earning under $30k paidYearly net price after grants, for students receiving federal aid
- $10,414
- Average net price, all incomesAided students, all family incomes
- $12,124
- In-state tuition & feesLatest reported, 2024
- $1,350
Each figure is reported separately; none is computed from another.
Net price by family income
Pick an income bracket above; the marked point follows. Dollars are what aided families paid each year after grants.
Yearly net price by family income, in dollars
- Shaded: the middle half of public 2-years (all incomes), $5,297 to $10,706. Dotted line: the median, $7,702.
Table of the same numbers
| Family income | Paid per year |
|---|---|
| Under $30k | $10,414 |
| $30k–$48k | $10,905 |
| $48k–$75k | $15,150 |
| $75k–$110k | $16,620 |
| Over $110k | $18,448 |
College Scorecard, 2023–24 aid cohort (students who received federal aid)
What graduates earn and owe
Ten years after entry, the median federally aided student here earns $46,047; the median graduate who borrowed owes $13,750.
Statement, continued
- Earnings, 6 years after entryFederally aided (Title IV) students only. Median.
- $38,541
- Earnings, 8 years after entryFederally aided (Title IV) students only. Median.
- $42,739
- Median earnings 10 years after entryFederally aided (Title IV) students only. Median.
90th percentile among public 2-years - $46,047
- Median debt, graduatesStudents who finished and borrowed federal loans.
89th percentile among public 2-years - $13,750
- Median debt, all who borrowedEveryone who borrowed, whether or not they finished.
- $9,500
Earnings and debt come from federal aid records, so students who never received federal aid are not counted.
Earnings after entry
The shaded band is the middle half of public 2-years at 10 years: $35,069 to $42,382.
- Shaded: middle half of public 2-years, 10 years out ($35,069 to $42,382); dotted line is the median.
- Dashed: median graduate debt, $13,750.
Earnings cover federally aided (Title IV) students only. Hollow marks are rungs with no reported value, not zero.
Table of the same numbers
| Measure | Dollars |
|---|---|
| Median earnings, 6 yrs after entry | $38,541 |
| Median earnings, 8 yrs after entry | $42,739 |
| Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry | $46,047 |
| Median graduate debt | $13,750 |
College Scorecard, federal tax and aid records
What programs pay
Median earnings five years after completing, by field of study. Small programs are privacy-suppressed and shown as not reported, never zero.
| Program | Credential | Graduates | Earnings, 5 yrs | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities | Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma | 1,060 | $43,886 | not reported |
| Business/Commerce, General | Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma | 705 | not reported | not reported |
| Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities | Associate's Degree | 692 | $35,374 | not reported |
| Business Administration, Management and Operations | Associate's Degree | 167 | $56,729 | not reported |
| Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions | Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma | 166 | not reported | not reported |
| Health Services/Allied Health/Health Sciences, General | Associate's Degree | 144 | not reported | not reported |
| Business Administration, Management and Operations | Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma | 141 | not reported | not reported |
| Human Development, Family Studies, and Related Services | Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma | 100 | not reported | not reported |
| Psychology, General | Associate's Degree | 99 | $41,854 | not reported |
| Mental and Social Health Services and Allied Professions | Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma | 82 | not reported | not reported |
| Economics | Associate's Degree | 68 | not reported | not reported |
| Library and Archives Assisting | Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma | 63 | not reported | not reported |
Show all 20 programs
| Program | Credential | Graduates | Earnings, 5 yrs | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Culinary Arts and Related Services | Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma | 59 | not reported | not reported |
| Sociology | Associate's Degree | 44 | not reported | not reported |
| Education, General | Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma | 43 | not reported | not reported |
| Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing | Associate's Degree | 43 | $97,289 | $18,958 |
| Human Development, Family Studies, and Related Services | Associate's Degree | 40 | not reported | not reported |
| Communication and Media Studies | Associate's Degree | 34 | not reported | not reported |
| Criminal Justice and Corrections | Associate's Degree | 32 | not reported | not reported |
| Health Services/Allied Health/Health Sciences, General | Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma | 32 | not reported | not reported |
Source: College Scorecard field-of-study data.
Who goes here
Cuesta College: 7,180 undergraduates; 18% of students receive Pell grants; no admission rate is reported (common at open-admission schools).
Admission rate
No admission rate reported (common at open-admission schools)
Undergraduates
7,180
85th percentile among public 2-years
Pell share
18%
of undergraduates receive Pell grants
12th percentile among public 2-years
Completion
48%
finish within 150% of normal time
76th percentile among public 2-years
First-generation
43%
parents did not attend college
Median family income
$19,229
31st percentile among public 2-years
Students by family income
Share of students in each family-income bracket, for students who received federal aid.
- Under $30k53%
- $30k–$48k21%
- $48k–$75k15%
- $75k–$110knot reported
- Over $110knot reported
Show as a table
| Family income | Share of students |
|---|---|
| Under $30k | 53% |
| $30k–$48k | 21% |
| $48k–$75k | 15% |
| $75k–$110k | not reported |
| Over $110k | not reported |
How it has changed
Average net price rose from $8,764 in 2009 to $12,124 in 2024.
Four measures, year by year
A break in a line is a year the measure was not collected. It is not zero.
Admission rate
not reported in any year
Price per year
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
7 years not reported; the line breaks there
Undergraduates
1 year not reported; the line breaks there
Table of the same numbers
| Year | Admit rate | Sticker price | Net price | Earnings, 10 yrs | Undergrads |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1996 | not reported | not reported | not reported | not reported | 6,865 |
| 1997 | not reported | not reported | not reported | not reported | 6,459 |
| 1998 | not reported | not reported | not reported | not reported | 6,644 |
| 1999 | not reported | not reported | not reported | not reported | 7,240 |
| 2000 | not reported | not reported | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| 2001 | not reported | not reported | not reported | not reported | 5,907 |
| 2002 | not reported | not reported | not reported | not reported | 6,632 |
| 2003 | not reported | not reported | not reported | not reported | 6,413 |
| 2004 | not reported | not reported | not reported | not reported | 6,675 |
| 2005 | not reported | not reported | not reported | not reported | 6,899 |
| 2006 | not reported | not reported | not reported | not reported | 7,117 |
| 2007 | not reported | not reported | not reported | $35,200 | 7,096 |
| 2008 | not reported | not reported | not reported | not reported | 9,620 |
| 2009 | not reported | $12,796 | $8,764 | $34,500 | 10,250 |
| 2010 | not reported | $13,212 | $8,545 | not reported | 9,810 |
| 2011 | not reported | $13,137 | $8,645 | $32,900 | 9,331 |
| 2012 | not reported | $13,758 | $8,734 | $32,000 | 8,537 |
| 2013 | not reported | $15,169 | $9,566 | $35,000 | 7,964 |
| 2014 | not reported | $16,075 | $10,855 | $35,600 | 7,864 |
| 2015 | not reported | $14,774 | $9,233 | not reported | 7,835 |
| 2016 | not reported | $15,316 | $9,642 | not reported | 7,755 |
| 2017 | not reported | $14,167 | $8,211 | not reported | 7,858 |
| 2018 | not reported | $15,922 | $8,974 | not reported | 7,853 |
| 2019 | not reported | $14,882 | $7,790 | not reported | 7,951 |
| 2020 | not reported | $18,498 | $11,063 | $46,047 | 8,005 |
| 2021 | not reported | $19,119 | $11,004 | not reported | 6,961 |
| 2022 | not reported | $17,574 | $10,149 | not reported | 7,009 |
| 2023 | not reported | $20,561 | $12,898 | not reported | 6,879 |
| 2024 | not reported | $20,192 | $12,124 | not reported | 7,180 |
College Scorecard annual institution files, 1996 to 2026
Similar schools
These are the nearest neighbors in the same sector. The list is not an ordering.
Sources & caveats
Figures come from the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard. Built 2026-07-17.
- not reported
- Not reported: suppressed for privacy or never collected. It is not zero, and nothing has been filled in.
- Percentiles
- A percentile compares this school with others in its own sector (for example, public 4-year schools). It describes position, not quality.
- Earnings
- Earnings cover students who received federal (Title IV) aid, measured from the year they entered. Students who never received federal aid are not included.
Provenance notes
- U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard, 2026-06 release. Earnings cover federally aided (Title IV) students only. Suppressed values are null, never imputed.
- Annual Scorecard files 1996-2026. A null in early years usually means the measure was not yet collected, not zero.
- Coordinates and locale describe the campus address, not where students live.