Community CollegePublicHSI

Cuyamaca College

El Cajon, California·Public, 2-year·Far West·cuyamaca.edu
Acceptance
Open admission
6-yr Graduation
41%
Total enrollment
8,905
peer median 6,620
Avg net price
$6,618
-$1.9k vs Community College
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About

Cuyamaca College is a public community college in Rancho San Diego, California. It is part of the Grossmont–Cuyamaca Community College District and the California Community Colleges system. Along with Grossmont College, it serves the eastern suburbs in San Diego County. Cuyamaca College opened in 1978 and now offers 81 associate's degree programs and 66 training certification programs to approximately 8,500 students. Many of the college's students transfer to the University of California, San Diego or San Diego State University to complete their bachelor's degrees. Cuyamaca's mascot is the coyote.

Graduation rate & outcomes

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

Overall completion
41%
Full-time retention
72%

Pell equity

1.3pp gap
Pell recipients
41%90 of 219
Non-Pell (all)
40%60 of 151
No Federal Aid
40%60 of 151

Pell and non-Pell students graduate at nearly identical rates, a notably small equity gap.

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.

Of 148 Title IV programs, 0 pass the federal Gainful Employment test and 0 fail. 148 have graduate earnings too small to publish, so they carry no pass/fail verdict.

Total programs
148
Passing
0
0.0% of portfolio
Failing (GE)
0
0.0% of portfolio
Fail rate
0.0%
-0.6pp vs 0.6% national

Pass / fail distribution

148programs
  • Passing0 · 0.0%
  • No Data148 · 100.0%
  • Failing0 · 0.0%

Severity spectrum

Critical
0
Severe
0
Recoverable
0
At Risk
0
Watch
0
Safe
0
No data
148

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.

Accreditation status & history

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

AccreditedInstitutional accreditor

Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges

Accredited since 1980Next review Oct 2026

Action history · 3

  1. Jun 2021Renewal of Accreditation
    Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges
  2. Jan 2020Renewal of Accreditation
    Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges
  3. Feb 2014Renewal 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.

Net price by family income

Aid exceeds costFamily pays
$0–30k$6,183
$30–48k$5,219
$48–75k$9,270
$75–110k$12,665
$110k+$11,961

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

Avg net price
$6,618
-$1,944vs Community College median $8,562
Federal loans
2.4%
In-state tuition
$1,346
Out-of-state
$11,314

Federal aid volume & trends

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

In AY 2024–25, 3,154 students received $16.3M in Pell grants, alongside $1.5M in federal Direct Loans.

Pell recipients
3,154
AY 2024–25
Pell disbursed
$16.3M
$16,252,117 total
Direct Loans
$1.5M
387 loan awards

Pell recipients · 5-year trend

2k
20
2k
21
2k
22
3k
23
3k
24

Loan volume by type · AY 2024–25

Subsidized$802K
210 loan awards
Unsubsidized · UG$653K
177 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.

Of 62 borrowers who entered repayment, 1 (1.6%) defaulted within three years below the 2.3% national rate.

Default rate
1.6%
-0.7pp vs 2.3% national
Borrowers in repayment
62
Defaulted
1
Measurement window
3 years
Federal CDR standard

Default rate vs national, by cohort

2016
12.7%
2017
9.8%
2018
10.1%
2019
1.6%
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 Cuyamaca College

Top program areas ranked by completions.

Distinct CIP programs62
UndergraduateOffered

Top program families by completions

880 total completions
01Liberal Arts
25629.1%
02Multi/Interdisciplinary
15417.5%
03Business
14316.3%
04Social Sciences
697.8%
05Mathematics
647.3%
06Psychology
505.7%
07Biological Sciences
465.2%
08Engineering Tech
343.9%
09Visual/Performing Arts
333.8%
10Computer Sciences
313.5%

Enrollment trends & demographics

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

Fall total
8,905
12-mo unduplicated
14,341
Undergraduate
14,341
Graduate
0

Gender split

Men
44%6,329
Women
56%8,012

Race / ethnicity composition

White
50.6%
Hispanic
32.2%
Asian
4.7%
Black
4.0%
Two or more
4.0%
Unknown
3.8%
American Indian / Alaska Native
0.3%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander
0.2%
Non-resident
0.2%

Athletics & Title IX gender equity

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

Athletes
164
96 M · 68 W
Women athletes
41.5%
Athletic aid
$0
Total student aid
Budget
$711K
Total expenses

Men vs women · spending splits

Athletic student aid
$0
$0
Recruiting expense
$0
$0
Head-coach salaries
$48K
$38K
Men Women

Sport-by-sport · 6

Soccer
35 M · 21 W
$103K
Track and Field (Outdoor)
31 M · 15 W
$101K
Basketball
14 M · 12 W
$200K
Golf
11 M · 6 W
$77K
Cross Country
16 M · 1 W
$74K
Volleyball
· 14 W
$108K

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Campus safety & crime statistics

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

Criminal offenses · per 1,000 students
0.24
2 offenses · 8,437 students

3-year trend

0.262 yrs ago0.001 yr ago0.24Latest
Offenses · 3-yr
4
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

Robbery
1
Burglary
1

By location

2total
  • On 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
Drugs00
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.

Student-to-faculty
28.0:1
Instructional staff (full-time equivalent)
84

Cuyamaca College vs Peer comparison

The peer institutions Cuyamaca College selected for federal comparison reporting.

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
SubjectCuyamaca College
41%Open admission8,905$6,618Community College
Open admission8,964$8,983Community College
Open admission6,232$6,389Community College
Open admission3,914$10,810Community College
Open admission4,904$10,528Community College
Open admission5,053$4,714Community College
Open admission4,332$12,266Community College
Open admission6,121$7,397Community College
Open admission9,901$536Community College
Open admission5,062$9,204Community College
Open admission6,538$9,490Community College
Open admission6,131$8,895Community College
Open admission6,606$10,065Community College
Open admission10,109$12,254Community College
Open admission9,336$12,414Community College
Open admission8,544$5,541Community College
Open admission6,334$2,979Community College
Open admission4,358$7,606Community College
Open admission9,463$13,250Community College
Open admission9,374$2,624Community College
Open admission6,909$5,080Community College
Open admission7,173$11,373Community College
Open admission11,920$6,483Community College
Open admission4,585$10,575Community College
Open admission9,355$5,029Community College
Open admission8,412$7,196Community College
Open admission8,537$8,562Community College
Open admission6,620$5,344Community College
Open admission4,871$9,132Community College
Open admission5,327$8,940Community College
Open admission7,655$3,423Community College
Peer group median41%6,620$8,562

Institutions like Cuyamaca College

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

Cuyamaca College Institutional Research office

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

Office
Office of Institutional Research
Reports to Institutional Effectiveness, Success, and Equity Office
Phone
619-660-4046
Address
900 Rancho San Diego Parkway, El Cajon, California 92019, Office: E-109

The research team within the Institutional Effectiveness, Success, and Equity (IESE) Office provides information to enable data-driven decisions that support student success and equity. This transparent availability of information helps decision-makers at all levels identify practices and processes that effectively enhance the holistic student experience for our diverse student community.

Visit IR office page
Team
1 member
  • Bri Hays
    Senior Dean of Institutional Effectiveness, Success, and Equity

Reports & documents (2)

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

Grants & funding (3)

Federal grant awards and open funding opportunities awarded to this institution.

Frequently asked questions about Cuyamaca College

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

What is the acceptance rate at Cuyamaca College?

Cuyamaca 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 Cuyamaca College?

Cuyamaca College reports a 6-year graduation rate of 41% per the latest IPEDS.

How many students attend Cuyamaca College?

Cuyamaca College reports a total enrollment of 8,905 students per the latest IPEDS.

What is the average net price at Cuyamaca College?

The average net price at Cuyamaca College is $6,618 per the latest College Scorecard. Net price is the published cost of attendance minus grant aid.

Where is Cuyamaca College located?

Cuyamaca College is located in El Cajon, California 92019.

Who runs Institutional Research at Cuyamaca College?

Cuyamaca College's IR work is done by the Office of Institutional Research, which reports to Institutional Effectiveness, Success, and Equity Office.

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.
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.
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.
DAPIP accreditationContinuously refreshed
Accreditation status for institutions and programs, reported by recognized accrediting agencies.
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.
Cohort Default RatesFY 2022 official rates
Institution-level federal student loan default rates, measuring borrowers who default within three years of entering repayment.
Equity in Athletics (EADA)Academic year 2024–25
Athletics participation, coaching, revenues, and expenses by sport and gender for Title IV institutions.
Campus Safety & SecurityData through reporting year 2024
Criminal offenses, arrests, disciplinary actions, VAWA offenses, and fire statistics reported by campus under the Clery Act.

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