Community CollegePublic

Cuesta College

San Luis Obispo, California·Public, 2-year·Far West·cuesta.edu
Acceptance
Open admission
—
6-yr Graduation
48%
—
Total enrollment
11,283
peer median 15,999
Avg net price
$12,124
+$5.9k vs Community College
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AboutOutcomesProgram outcomesAccreditationCostFederal aidLoan defaultsAcademic programsEnrollment trendsAthleticsCampus safetyFacultyPeersIR OfficeDocumentsAlumni

About

Cuesta College is a public community college located in San Luis Obispo County, California. It was founded in 1963 and serves approximately 10,000 students. The college offers a wide range of academic programs, including associate degrees and transfer pathways, with notable focus areas in healthcare and vocational training.

Graduation rate & outcomes

Completion, retention, and the equity gap between Pell and non-Pell students.

IPEDS
Overall completion
48%
Full-time retention
73%

Pell equity

25.1pp gap
Pell recipients
30%42 of 139
Non-Pell (all)
55%205 of 372
Subsidized loan, no Pell
75%3 of 4
No Federal Aid
55%202 of 368

Non-Pell students graduate at a 25.1-point higher rate than Pell recipients.

Source: IPEDS Graduation Rates (GR) — Pell/SSL cohort, 2024 cohort.

Program outcomes

Federal Program Performance Data: how each program's graduate earnings and debt measure up under Financial Value Transparency and Gainful Employment.

FVT/GE

Of 114 Title IV programs, 3 pass the federal Gainful Employment test and 0 fail. 111 have graduate earnings too small to publish, so they carry no pass/fail verdict.

Total programs
114
Passing
3
2.6% of portfolio
Failing (GE)
0
0.0% of portfolio
Fail rate
0.0%
-0.6pp vs 0.6% national

Pass / fail distribution

114programs
  • Passing3 · 2.6%
  • No Data111 · 97.4%
  • Failing0 · 0.0%

Severity spectrum

Critical
0
Severe
0
Recoverable
0
At Risk
1
Watch
0
Safe
2
No data
111

Tiers band programs by how far graduate earnings sit above or below the benchmark, from Critical (below −15%) through Safe (above +25%). No data means earnings were privacy-suppressed.

Earnings premium gap

Graduate earnings versus the federal benchmark, worst gaps first.

3
Liberal Arts and Sciences General Studies and Humanities
Associate Degree · Liberal Arts And Sciences, General Studies And Humanities
+8.7%
$39,218 vs $36,082
Business Administration Management and Operations
Associate Degree · Business, Management, Marketing, And Related Support Services
+53.9%
$55,527 vs $36,082
Registered Nursing Nursing Administration Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing
Associate Degree · Health Professions And Related Clinical Sciences
+212.4%
$112,730 vs $36,082

Accreditation status & history

Who accredits the institution, current standing, and any past actions.

DAPIP
AccreditedInstitutional accreditor

Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges

Accredited since 1968Next review Oct 2027

Action history · 2

  1. Feb 2021Renewal of Accreditation
    Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges
  2. Feb 2015Renewal of Accreditation
    Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Tuition & cost

What families actually pay, broken down by family income.

College Scorecard

Net price by family income

Aid exceeds costFamily pays
$0–30k$10,414
$30–48k$10,905
$48–75k$15,150
$75–110k$16,620
$110k+$18,448

Negative values mean aid exceeds the published cost of attendance for that income band.

Avg net price
$12,124
+$5,946vs Community College median $6,179
Federal loans
1.9%
In-state tuition
$1,350
Out-of-state
$11,010

Federal aid volume & trends

Pell grants and federal Direct Loan volume disbursed to students, and how they've trended.

Federal Student Aid

In AY 2024–25, 2,350 students received $10.1M in Pell grants, alongside $1.5M in federal Direct Loans.

Pell recipients
2,350
AY 2024–25
Pell disbursed
$10.1M
$10,092,294 total
Direct Loans
$1.5M
346 loan awards

Pell recipients · 5-year trend

2k
’20
2k
’21
2k
’22
2k
’23
2k
’24

Loan volume by type · AY 2024–25

Subsidized$530K
159 loan awards
Unsubsidized · UG$772K
171 loan awards
Parent PLUS$232K
16 loan awards

Loan awards count each loan type a student holds, not unique borrowers; one student may carry several (e.g. subsidized and unsubsidized), so the per-type figures are the reliable detail.

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Student loan default rate

The share of student borrowers who default on federal loans within three years, against the national benchmark.

Cohort Default Rate

Of 365 borrowers who entered repayment, 8 (2.1%) defaulted within three years — below the 2.3% national rate.

Default rate
2.1%
-0.2pp vs 2.3% national
Borrowers in repayment
365
Defaulted
8
Measurement window
3 years
Federal CDR standard

Default rate vs national, by cohort

2016
6.5%
2017
10.1%
2018
8.7%
2019
2.1%
2020*
0.0%
This institutionNational rate

* Cohorts 2020 and later read near 0% because the federal COVID-19 payment pause (CARES Act) suspended defaults nationwide. These years reflect a national policy, not institutional performance; the 2019 cohort is the last measured under normal repayment.

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Academic programs at Cuesta College

Top program areas ranked by completions.

IPEDS
Distinct CIP programs102
UndergraduateOffered

Top program families by completions

1,493 total completions
01Liberal Arts
66144.3%
02Health Professions
20413.7%
03Business
15110.1%
04Social Sciences
1359.0%
05Psychology
976.5%
06Family/Consumer Sci
614.1%
07Communication
533.5%
08Visual/Performing Arts
503.3%
09Mathematics
453.0%
10Education
362.4%

Enrollment trends & demographics

Fall headcount, 12-month unduplicated enrollment, and student body composition.

IPEDS
Fall total
11,283
12-mo unduplicated
15,965
Undergraduate
15,965
Graduate
0

Gender split

Men
49%7,750
Women
51%8,215

Race / ethnicity composition

White
48.3%
Hispanic
35.9%
Two or more
6.9%
Asian
3.1%
Unknown
2.8%
Black
2.1%
American Indian / Alaska Native
0.4%
Non-resident
0.3%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander
0.2%

Athletics & Title IX gender equity

How athletic participation, aid, and spending are split between men and women.

EADA
Athletes
230
124 M · 106 W
Women athletes
46.1%
Athletic aid
$0
Total student aid
Budget
$1.8M
Total expenses

Men vs women · spending splits

Athletic student aid
$0
$0
Recruiting expense
$0
$0
Head-coach salaries
$22K
$19K
Men Women

Sport-by-sport · 11

Water Polo
33 M · 13 W
$139K
Swimming
27 M · 12 W
$101K
Track and Field (Outdoor)
18 M · 16 W
$67K
Baseball
27 M · —
$88K
Basketball
15 M · 10 W
$124K
Wrestling
22 M · —
$68K

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Campus safety & crime statistics

Reported on-campus crimes over the last three years, including violence and hate crimes.

Clery Act
Criminal offenses · per 1,000 students
0.38
4 offenses · 10,437 students

3-year trend

0.212 yrs ago0.001 yr ago0.38Latest
Offenses · 3-yr
6
Last three years
VAWA · 3-yr
0
DV, dating, stalking
Hate crimes · 3-yr
0
Res-hall fires · 3-yr
0

Criminal offenses by type

Burglary
4

By location

4total
  • On campus2
  • Non-campus2

VAWA offenses

0
Domestic violence
0
Dating violence
0
Stalking
0 total under the Violence Against Women Act.

Hate crimes by bias

No hate crimes reported.

Arrests vs disciplinary referrals

CategoryArrestsReferrals
Weapons00
Drugs10
Liquor00

Residence-hall fires

No residence-hall fires reported.

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Student-faculty ratio

Student-to-faculty ratio and instructional staff counts.

IPEDS
Student-to-faculty
27.0:1
Instructional staff (full-time equivalent)
139

Cuesta College vs Peer comparison

The peer institutions Cuesta College selected for federal comparison reporting.

IPEDS
GraduationRetentionSelectivityEnrollmentAffordabilityYield
This institutionPeer median

A larger shape on any axis means this institution outperforms its peers on that dimension. For acceptance rate and net price, lower raw values are inverted so "more selective" and "more affordable" appear larger.

Carnegie
SubjectCuesta College
48%Open admission11,283$12,124Community College
Allan Hancock College
—Open admission11,463$5,383Community College
Central New Mexico Community College
—Open admission19,342$4,621Community College
Central Piedmont Community College
—Open admission20,375$3,345Community College
Chandler-Gilbert Community College
—Open admission15,085$12,726Community College
College of the Canyons
—Open admission18,075$3,702Community College
CUNY Kingsborough Community College
—Open admission18,165$5,606Community College
East Los Angeles College
—Open admission33,677$10,852Community College
Eastern Gateway Community College
—Open admission—$4,181Community College
Elgin Community College
—Open admission10,251$6,026Community College
Folsom Lake College
—Open admission11,098$5,975Community College
Golden West College
—Open admission10,721$4,824Community College
Howard Community College
—Open admission8,643$11,133Community College
Irvine Valley College
—Open admission13,018$2,090Community College
Los Angeles Pierce College
—Open admission16,906$13,270Community College
Los Angeles Valley College
—Open admission15,999$12,152Community College
Mesa Community College
—Open admission17,077$12,132Community College
Middlesex College
—Open admission12,044$2,288Community College
Montgomery College
—Open admission18,835$8,027Community College
Norco College
—Open admission11,351$5,169Community College
Northern Virginia Community College
—Open admission56,457$9,919Community College
Northwest Vista College
—Open admission20,060$4,525Community College
Oakland Community College
—Open admission15,287$5,777Community College
Phoenix College
—Open admission10,660$12,055Community College
Portland Community College
—Open admission20,861$10,405Community College
Prince George's Community College
—Open admission11,473$8,672Community College
Saddleback College
—Open admission20,764$4,152Community College
Salt Lake Community College
—Open admission27,437$9,804Community College
Santa Rosa Junior College
—Open admission17,854$6,331Community College
SUNY Westchester Community College
—Open admission9,359$9,373Community College
Peer group median48%—15,999$6,179

Institutions like Cuesta College

Explore the federal data for institutions in Cuesta College's comparison group.

IPEDS

Cuesta College Institutional Research office

The IR team responsible for the institution's federal reporting.

Office
Office of Institutional Research
Phone
(805) 546-3100
Address
3000 Education Dr., San Luis Obispo, CA 93405

The Office of Institutional Research assists the college in completing its mission through regular evaluative assessment, analysis of empirical data to inform ongoing and integrated institutional planning and policy development, supports internal program review and college accreditation, and contributes appropriate information to state and federal data consortia.

Visit IR office page
Team
1 member
  • Aimee La Rue
    Institutional Research Analyst

Reports & documents (2)

Dashboards, factbooks, data dictionaries, and other reference material published by the IR office.

Notable alumni of Cuesta College (5)

A curated list of alumni recognized for notable achievements across industries.

  • Katcho Achadjian
    Politics
  • Jay Asher
    Literature
  • Carissa Phelps
    Social Activism
  • Jake Shields
    Athletics
  • Gabrielle Union
    Entertainment

Frequently asked questions about Cuesta College

Quick answers to the questions most often asked about Cuesta College.

What is the acceptance rate at Cuesta College?

Cuesta College does not have a reported acceptance rate. This institution has an open admission policy: it admits all applicants who meet basic requirements, so it does not report a selective admit rate.

What is the graduation rate at Cuesta College?

Cuesta College reports a 6-year graduation rate of 48% per the latest IPEDS.

How many students attend Cuesta College?

Cuesta College reports a total enrollment of 11,283 students per the latest IPEDS.

What is the average net price at Cuesta College?

The average net price at Cuesta College is $12,124 per the latest College Scorecard. Net price is the published cost of attendance minus grant aid.

Where is Cuesta College located?

Cuesta College is located in San Luis Obispo, California 93403-8106.

Who runs Institutional Research at Cuesta College?

Cuesta College's IR work is done by the Office of Institutional Research.

About the data on this page

Every figure comes from an official federal or public source. Here is each one and the release it is currently on.

IPEDSFall 2025–26 release, published July 28, 2026
Enrollment, completions, graduation rates, tuition, financial aid, staffing, and finance for every U.S. institution in federal student aid programs.
National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education
College ScorecardJune 10, 2026 release (merged 2025–26 files)
Institution and field-of-study costs, graduate earnings, debt, completion, and admissions outcomes compiled from federal aid records, tax data, and IPEDS.
U.S. Department of Education
FVT/GE program performanceProvisional preview, May 18, 2026 release
Program-level debt-to-earnings and earnings-premium measures behind the FVT/GE and STATS accountability frameworks.
U.S. Department of Education
DAPIP accreditationContinuously refreshed
Accreditation status for institutions and programs, reported by recognized accrediting agencies.
U.S. Department of Education, Office of Postsecondary Education
Federal Pell Grant & loan volumeAY 2025–26 (through Q3), through March 31, 2026
Pell Grant and Direct Loan recipient counts, award amounts, and disbursement volume by institution and award year.
U.S. Department of Education, Federal Student Aid
Cohort Default RatesFY 2022 official rates
Institution-level federal student loan default rates, measuring borrowers who default within three years of entering repayment.
U.S. Department of Education, Federal Student Aid
Equity in Athletics (EADA)Academic year 2024–25
Athletics participation, coaching, revenues, and expenses by sport and gender for Title IV institutions.
U.S. Department of Education, Office of Postsecondary Education
Campus Safety & SecurityData through reporting year 2024
Criminal offenses, arrests, disciplinary actions, VAWA offenses, and fire statistics reported by campus under the Clery Act.
U.S. Department of Education, Office of Postsecondary Education
Last reviewed July 2026All data sources & release dates →

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