Cuesta College - Community College Profile

Academic Overview

Cuesta College is a 2-4 years, public school located in San Luis Obispo, California.

For the academic year 2023-2024, the tuition & fees are $1,350 for California residents and $11,010 for other students on average. It offers 148 degree programs through 69 Certificate, 79 Associate's programs. Of that, the distance learning opportunity is given to 3 programs (2 Certificate, 1 Associate's programs).

Directory Information and Key Academic Statistics
Type	2-4 years, public
Address	Highway 1, San Luis Obispo, CA
Phone	805-546-3100
Tuition & Fees (2023-2024) »	In-State$1,350 Out-of-State$11,010
Student Population »	11,283 Total Enrollment
Graduation Rate »	48%
Transfer-out Rate	10%
Retention Rate	73% (Full-time) 39% (Part-time)
Average Financial Aid »	$3,700
Students to Faculty	27:1 (3.70%)
Average Earning After 10 years of graduation	$42,100

2024 Tuition & Fees

The 2024 tuition & fees are $1,350 for California residents and $11,010 for out-of-state students at Cuesta College. Its tuition & fees are cheaper than the average tuition ($10,350) over public community colleges in California.

The following table shows the 2023-2024 tuition & fees, books & supplies, and living costs at Cuesta College. Then, we compare its costs to California community colleges and all U.S. community colleges. In addition, the chart shows the changes in tuition over the last 5 years.

Each cost is an average amount over the offered programs at the school. You can check more comprehensive tuition information on the cost of attendance page.

2024 Tuition & Fees

2024 Cost Of Attendance
	California Residents	Out-of-State
Tuition & Fees	$1,350	$11,010
Books & Supplies	$1,152
Off-Campus Living Costs	$25,470
Average Financial Aid	$3,700
Cost of Attendance	$27,972	$37,632
After Financial Aid	$24,272	$33,932
Average Earning After 10 years of graduation	$42,100

Cost per Credit Hour

2024 Tuition & Fees and Comparison
	California Residents	Out-of-State Students
Cuesta College	$1,350	$11,010
Public Community Colleges in California	$1,672	$10,350
Public Community Colleges in U.S.	$5,207	$8,749

Offered Degrees/Programs By Area of Study

Cuesta College offers Certificate and Associate's programs. Of that, 3 programs can be conferred by distance learning - 2 Certificate, 1 Associate's. The following table summarizes the number of offered programs by degree types.

Total Number of Programs
	Certificate	Associate's	Bachelor's
Online Programs	2	1	NOT OFFERED
Total Programs	69	79	NOT OFFERED

The next tables list major programs with offered degrees and online availability. The number on each column denotes the conferred degree of the program.

The numbers include completers through on-campus classes and partially online classes as well as only online classes. Only in Classroom means that the program is offered only on-site classes and not offered denotes that the school does not offer the program.

You may want to see all schools offering a major program by following the link on the title of the program.

Agriculture

what is Agriculture program?

	Certificate	Associates	Bachelors
Agribusiness/Agricultural Business Operations	NOT OFFERED	20 completers ONLY IN CLASSROOM	NOT OFFERED
Animal/Livestock Husbandry and Production	NOT OFFERED	NOT OFFERED	NOT OFFERED
Crop Production	NOT OFFERED	7 completers ONLY IN CLASSROOM	NOT OFFERED
Agriculture, Agriculture Operations and Related Sciences (other)	NOT OFFERED	NOT OFFERED	NOT OFFERED

Natural Resources and Conservation

what is Natural Resources and Conservation program?

	Certificate	Associates	Bachelors
Environmental Science	NOT OFFERED	4 completers ONLY IN CLASSROOM	NOT OFFERED

Architecture

what is Architecture program?

	Certificate	Associates	Bachelors
Architectural Technology/Technician	NOT OFFERED	17 completers ONLY IN CLASSROOM	NOT OFFERED

Area, Ethnic, Cultural, Gender, and Group Studies

what is Area, Ethnic, Cultural, Gender, and Group Studies program?

	Certificate	Associates	Bachelors
Area Studies (other)	NOT OFFERED	4 completers ONLY IN CLASSROOM	NOT OFFERED
Women's Studies	NOT OFFERED	4 completers ONLY IN CLASSROOM	NOT OFFERED

Communication and Journalism

what is Communication and Journalism program?

	Certificate	Associates	Bachelors
Speech Communication and Rhetoric	NOT OFFERED	34 completers ONLY IN CLASSROOM	NOT OFFERED
Journalism	NOT OFFERED	5 completers ONLY IN CLASSROOM	NOT OFFERED
Radio and Television	NOT OFFERED	21 completers ONLY IN CLASSROOM	NOT OFFERED

Computer and Information Sciences

what is Computer and Information Sciences program?

	Certificate	Associates	Bachelors
Information Technology	NOT OFFERED	10 completers ONLY IN CLASSROOM	NOT OFFERED
Computer Science	NOT OFFERED	NOT OFFERED	NOT OFFERED
Computer and Information Systems Security/Information Assurance	NOT OFFERED	4 completers ONLY IN CLASSROOM	NOT OFFERED

Personal and Culinary Services

what is Personal and Culinary Services program?

	Certificate	Associates	Bachelors
Cooking and Related Culinary Arts	NOT OFFERED	3 completers ONLY IN CLASSROOM	NOT OFFERED

Education

what is Education program?

	Certificate	Associates	Bachelors
Education	NOT OFFERED	4 completers ONLY IN CLASSROOM	NOT OFFERED
Education/Teaching of Individuals in Early Childhood Special Education Programs	NOT OFFERED	25 completers ONLY IN CLASSROOM	NOT OFFERED

Engineering

what is Engineering program?

	Certificate	Associates	Bachelors
Pre-Engineering	NOT OFFERED	7 completers ONLY IN CLASSROOM	NOT OFFERED

Engineering Technology

what is Engineering Technology program?

	Certificate	Associates	Bachelors
Electromechanical and Instrumentation and Maintenance Technologies/Technicians (other)	NOT OFFERED	NOT OFFERED	NOT OFFERED
Manufacturing Engineering Technology/Technician	NOT OFFERED	1 completers ONLY IN CLASSROOM	NOT OFFERED
Mechanical Engineering/Mechanical Technology/Technician	NOT OFFERED	NOT OFFERED	NOT OFFERED

Foreign Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics

what is Foreign Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics program?

	Certificate	Associates	Bachelors
Spanish Language and Literature	NOT OFFERED	4 completers ONLY IN CLASSROOM	NOT OFFERED

Work and Family Studies

what is Work and Family Studies program?

	Certificate	Associates	Bachelors
Foods, Nutrition, and Wellness Studies	NOT OFFERED	4 completers ONLY IN CLASSROOM	NOT OFFERED
Human Development and Family Studies	NOT OFFERED	17 completers ONLY IN CLASSROOM	NOT OFFERED
Child Care and Support Services Management	1 completers ONLY IN CLASSROOM	NOT OFFERED	NOT OFFERED
Child Care Provider/Assistant	8 completers ONLY IN CLASSROOM	23 completers ONLY IN CLASSROOM	NOT OFFERED
Apparel and Textile Marketing Management	NOT OFFERED	NOT OFFERED	NOT OFFERED

Legal Studies

what is Legal Studies program?

	Certificate	Associates	Bachelors
Legal Assistant/Paralegal	7 completers ONLY IN CLASSROOM	8 completers ONLY IN CLASSROOM	NOT OFFERED

English Language and Literature

what is English Language and Literature program?

	Certificate	Associates	Bachelors
English Language and Literature	NOT OFFERED	16 completers ONLY IN CLASSROOM	NOT OFFERED

Liberal Arts and Sciences, Humanities

what is Liberal Arts and Sciences, Humanities program?

	Certificate	Associates	Bachelors
Liberal Arts and Sciences/Liberal Studies	1,060 completers ONLY IN CLASSROOM	484 completers ONLY IN CLASSROOM	NOT OFFERED
Humanities/Humanistic Studies	NOT OFFERED	208 completers ONLY IN CLASSROOM	NOT OFFERED

Library Science

what is Library Science program?

	Certificate	Associates	Bachelors
Library and Archives Assisting	NOT OFFERED	15 completers ^{ONLINE / CLASSROOM}	NOT OFFERED

Biological and Biomedical Sciences

what is Biological and Biomedical Sciences program?

	Certificate	Associates	Bachelors
Biology/Biological Sciences	NOT OFFERED	15 completers ONLY IN CLASSROOM	NOT OFFERED

Mathematics and Statistics

what is Mathematics and Statistics program?

	Certificate	Associates	Bachelors
Mathematics	NOT OFFERED	21 completers ONLY IN CLASSROOM	NOT OFFERED

Multi-/Interdisciplinary Studies

what is Multi-/Interdisciplinary Studies program?

	Certificate	Associates	Bachelors
Biological and Physical Sciences	NOT OFFERED	NOT OFFERED	NOT OFFERED

Parks, Recreation, Leisure, and Fitness Studies

what is Parks, Recreation, Leisure, and Fitness Studies program?

	Certificate	Associates	Bachelors
Parks, Recreation and Leisure Studies	NOT OFFERED	1 completers ONLY IN CLASSROOM	NOT OFFERED
Health and Physical Education/Fitness	NOT OFFERED	NOT OFFERED	NOT OFFERED
Kinesiology and Exercise Science	NOT OFFERED	14 completers ONLY IN CLASSROOM	NOT OFFERED

Philosophy and Religious Studies

what is Philosophy and Religious Studies program?

	Certificate	Associates	Bachelors
Philosophy	NOT OFFERED	6 completers ONLY IN CLASSROOM	NOT OFFERED

Physical Sciences

what is Physical Sciences program?

	Certificate	Associates	Bachelors
Chemistry	NOT OFFERED	4 completers ONLY IN CLASSROOM	NOT OFFERED
Geology/Earth Science	NOT OFFERED	2 completers ONLY IN CLASSROOM	NOT OFFERED
Physics	NOT OFFERED	10 completers ONLY IN CLASSROOM	NOT OFFERED

Psychology

what is Psychology program?

	Certificate	Associates	Bachelors
Psychology	NOT OFFERED	99 completers ONLY IN CLASSROOM	NOT OFFERED

Homeland Security, Law Enforcement, and Firefighting

what is Homeland Security, Law Enforcement, and Firefighting program?

	Certificate	Associates	Bachelors
Criminal Justice/Law Enforcement Administration	NOT OFFERED	32 completers ONLY IN CLASSROOM	NOT OFFERED
Criminal Justice/Police Science	NOT OFFERED	NOT OFFERED	NOT OFFERED

Human Services

what is Human Services program?

	Certificate	Associates	Bachelors

Social Sciences

what is Social Sciences program?

	Certificate	Associates	Bachelors
Social Sciences	NOT OFFERED	20 completers ONLY IN CLASSROOM	NOT OFFERED
Anthropology	NOT OFFERED	4 completers ONLY IN CLASSROOM	NOT OFFERED
Economics	NOT OFFERED	68 completers ONLY IN CLASSROOM	NOT OFFERED
International Relations and Affairs	NOT OFFERED	NOT OFFERED	NOT OFFERED
Political Science and Government	NOT OFFERED	12 completers ONLY IN CLASSROOM	NOT OFFERED
Sociology	NOT OFFERED	44 completers ONLY IN CLASSROOM	NOT OFFERED

Construction Trades

what is Construction Trades program?

	Certificate	Associates	Bachelors
Electrician	16 completers ONLY IN CLASSROOM	6 completers ONLY IN CLASSROOM	NOT OFFERED
Building Construction Technology	2 completers ONLY IN CLASSROOM	3 completers ONLY IN CLASSROOM	NOT OFFERED

Mechanics and Repairers

what is Mechanics and Repairers program?

	Certificate	Associates	Bachelors
Electrical/Electronics Equipment Installation and Repair	NOT OFFERED	1 completers ONLY IN CLASSROOM	NOT OFFERED
Autobody/Collision and Repair Technology/Technician	NOT OFFERED	NOT OFFERED	NOT OFFERED
Automobile/Automotive Mechanics Technology/Technician	5 completers ONLY IN CLASSROOM	7 completers ONLY IN CLASSROOM	NOT OFFERED

Precision Production Trades

what is Precision Production Trades program?

	Certificate	Associates	Bachelors
Welding Technology/Welder	NOT OFFERED	3 completers ONLY IN CLASSROOM	NOT OFFERED

Visual and Performing Arts

what is Visual and Performing Arts program?

	Certificate	Associates	Bachelors
Visual and Performing Arts	NOT OFFERED	4 completers ONLY IN CLASSROOM	NOT OFFERED
Fashion/Apparel Design	NOT OFFERED	NOT OFFERED	NOT OFFERED
Interior Design	NOT OFFERED	NOT OFFERED	NOT OFFERED
Drama and Dramatics/Theatre Arts	NOT OFFERED	6 completers ONLY IN CLASSROOM	NOT OFFERED
Art/Art Studies	NOT OFFERED	28 completers ONLY IN CLASSROOM	NOT OFFERED
Drawing	NOT OFFERED	NOT OFFERED	NOT OFFERED
Sculpture	NOT OFFERED	NOT OFFERED	NOT OFFERED
Music	3 completers ONLY IN CLASSROOM	8 completers ONLY IN CLASSROOM	NOT OFFERED

Health Services/Allied Health/Health Sciences

what is Health Services/Allied Health/Health Sciences program?

	Certificate	Associates	Bachelors
Medical/Clinical Assistant	NOT OFFERED	2 completers ONLY IN CLASSROOM	NOT OFFERED
Emergency Medical Technology/Technician (EMT Paramedic)	NOT OFFERED	1 completers ONLY IN CLASSROOM	NOT OFFERED
Health/Medical Preparatory Programs (other)	NOT OFFERED	NOT OFFERED	NOT OFFERED
Substance Abuse/Addiction Counseling	NOT OFFERED	3 completers ONLY IN CLASSROOM	NOT OFFERED
Psychiatric/Mental Health Services Technician	66 completers ONLY IN CLASSROOM	8 completers ONLY IN CLASSROOM	NOT OFFERED
Registered Nursing/Registered Nurse	1 completers ONLY IN CLASSROOM	43 completers ONLY IN CLASSROOM	NOT OFFERED
Licensed Practical/Vocational Nurse Training	5 completers ONLY IN CLASSROOM	17 completers ONLY IN CLASSROOM	NOT OFFERED

Business

what is Business program?

	Certificate	Associates	Bachelors
Business Administration and Management	NOT OFFERED	167 completers ONLY IN CLASSROOM	NOT OFFERED
Administrative Assistant and Secretarial Science	NOT OFFERED	2 completers ONLY IN CLASSROOM	NOT OFFERED
Hospitality Administration/Management	NOT OFFERED	9 completers ONLY IN CLASSROOM	NOT OFFERED
Sales, Distribution, and Marketing Operations	NOT OFFERED	NOT OFFERED	NOT OFFERED

History

what is History program?

	Certificate	Associates	Bachelors
History	NOT OFFERED	19 completers ONLY IN CLASSROOM	NOT OFFERED

Student Population

There are 11,283 students at Cuesta College including both full-time and part-time students. By gender, 4,632 male students and 5,029 female students are attending the school.

The following table shows the total number of students by gender and attending status at the school. You can check more enrollment information of the school.

Student Population
	Total	Full-Time	Part-time
Total	9,661	2,613	7,048
Male Students	4,632	1,259	3,373
Female Students	5,029	1,354	3,675

Distance Learning (Online Degree/Program) Student Population

At Cuesta College, there are 9,908 students including in both full-time and part-time status. Of that, 6,285 students were attending classes through distance learning (3,285 students are enrolled exclusively and 3,000 are enrolled in some online courses) .

Distance Learning Enrollment Distribution
Total Enrollment	9,908
Enrolled Exclusively in Online Courses	3,285
Enrolled in Some But Not All Online Courses	3,000
Not Enrolled In Any Online Courses	3,623