$46,047
median earnings, 10 years after starting
Cuesta College is a public 2-year college in San Luis Obispo, California with 7,180 undergraduates. Its average net price after grants is $12,124 a year (tuition and fees $1,350 in-state, $11,010 out-of-state). 48% of students finish within 3 years. Former students earn a median $46,047 a year 10 years after they started, and graduates leave with a median $13,750 in federal student loans.
Updated Oct 10, 2026 · June 2026 data
Net price
$12,124
US median $17,138
Tuition in-state
$1,350
Out-of-state $11,010
Admission rate
Open
Completion rate
48%
Within 3 years, US 58%
Median debt
$13,750
About $146 a month
Earnings at 10 years
$46,047
Rank 1,870 of 5,094 in the US
Cost
What a year costs: posted prices and the average after grants
Net price by family income
Average yearly cost after grants, for students who get aid
- Net price
- $12,124
- Tuition in-state
- $1,350
- Tuition out-of-state
- $11,010
- Cost of attendance
- $20,192
- Students with a need-based grant
- 18%
- Students with federal loans
- 1.9%
- Net price, family income under $30K
- $10,414
- Net price, family income $30K to $48K
- $10,905
- Net price, family income $48K to $75K
- $15,150
- Net price, family income $75K to $110K
- $16,620
- Net price, family income over $110K
- $18,448
Net price is what students who get aid pay on average after grants.
Tuition and net price by year
School years 2015-16 to 2024-25. The year on the chart is the year the school year starts.
Yearly cost
Tuition and fees went from $1,234 in 2015-16 to $1,350 in 2024-25.
Admission, completion and retention
Share of applicants admitted, of students who finish and of first-year students who come back
Admission and students
- Admission rate
- Open admission
- Undergraduates
- 7,180
- Part-time students
- 60%
- Women
- 53%
- Students per teacher
- 27
- Completion rate
- 48%
- Retention rate
- 73%
- Highest degree
- Associate's degree
- Programs
- 113
- Endowment
- $41.6M
- Other
- Open admission
Earnings and debt
Compared with the medians of the colleges of its state, of colleges of the same kind and of all US colleges
Median earnings 10 years after starting rank 1,870 of 5,094 US colleges and 195 of 494 in California (1 = highest).
| Measure | College | CA median | Same kind | US median |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Net price | $12,124 | $20,161 | $7,702 | $17,138 |
| Tuition in-state | $1,350 | $8,086 | $4,656 | $11,837 |
| Admission rate | - | 76% | 79% | 78% |
| Completion rate | 48% | 64% | 38% | 58% |
| Retention rate | 73% | 80% | 64% | 75% |
| Median debt | $13,750 | $11,537 | $10,417 | $13,271 |
| Earnings after 6 years | $38,541 | $36,048 | $33,563 | $35,656 |
| Earnings after 10 years | $46,047 | $41,472 | $38,555 | $40,813 |
Best-paid programs
Median earnings 1 year after graduation
Same kind: US public 2-year colleges. Earnings and debt are medians of former students who received federal student aid. 55% of borrowers lowered their balance within 3 years. 62% earn more than a typical high school graduate 6 years after starting.
Programs
113 fields of study and credentials, with graduates, debt and earnings
| Field of study | Graduates | Median debt | Earnings 1 yr | Earnings 4 yr | US median 4 yr | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and HumanitiesCertificate | Certificate | 1,060 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $44,906 |
| Business/Commerce, GeneralCertificate | Certificate | 705 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | - |
| Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and HumanitiesAssociate's | Associate's | 692 | Withheld | Withheld | $39,218 | $44,125 |
| Business Administration, Management and OperationsAssociate's | Associate's | 167 | Withheld | $29,983 | $55,527 | $48,733 |
| Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment ProfessionsCertificate | Certificate | 166 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | - |
| Health Services/Allied Health/Health Sciences, GeneralAssociate's | Associate's | 144 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | - |
| Business Administration, Management and OperationsCertificate | Certificate | 141 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | - |
| Human Development, Family Studies, and Related ServicesCertificate | Certificate | 100 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | - |
| Psychology, GeneralAssociate's | Associate's | 99 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $39,288 |
| Mental and Social Health Services and Allied ProfessionsCertificate | Certificate | 82 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | - |
| EconomicsAssociate's | Associate's | 68 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $53,068 |
| Library and Archives AssistingOnlineCertificate | Certificate | 63 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | - |
| Culinary Arts and Related ServicesCertificate | Certificate | 59 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | - |
| SociologyAssociate's | Associate's | 44 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $44,144 |
| Education, GeneralCertificate | Certificate | 43 | - | Withheld | Withheld | - |
| Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical NursingAssociate's | Associate's | 43 | Withheld | $99,000 | $112,730 | $80,813 |
| Human Development, Family Studies, and Related ServicesAssociate's | Associate's | 40 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $34,184 |
| Communication and Media StudiesAssociate's | Associate's | 34 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $43,243 |
| Criminal Justice and CorrectionsAssociate's | Associate's | 32 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $46,706 |
| Health Services/Allied Health/Health Sciences, GeneralCertificate | Certificate | 32 | - | Withheld | Withheld | - |
| Precision Metal WorkingCertificate | Certificate | 30 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | - |
| Fine and Studio ArtsAssociate's | Associate's | 28 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | - |
| Special Education and TeachingAssociate's | Associate's | 25 | - | Withheld | Withheld | - |
| Computer/Information Technology Administration and ManagementCertificate | Certificate | 24 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | - |
| Clinical/Medical Laboratory Science/Research and Allied ProfessionsCertificate | Certificate | 24 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | - |
In the area
- Jobs, pay and new homes: California on Local Economy
- More colleges: All colleges in California
- Homes: Homes for sale in California
Questions and answers
How much does Cuesta College cost?
$12,124 a year is the average net price at Cuesta College after grants and scholarships. Tuition and fees are $1,350 for in-state students and $11,010 for out-of-state students, and the full cost of attendance with housing, food and books is $20,192. Families earning under $30,000 pay $10,414 on average.
What is the acceptance rate at Cuesta College?
Cuesta College has open admission: it accepts students who meet its basic requirements, such as a high school diploma.
How much do Cuesta College graduates earn?
$46,047 a year is the median pay of former Cuesta College students who work, 10 years after they started ($38,541 after 6 years). That ranks 1,870 of 5,094 US colleges and 195 of 494 in California. Its best-paid program one year after graduation is Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Associate's) at $99,000.
How much student debt do Cuesta College graduates have?
$13,750 is the median federal student loan debt of Cuesta College graduates, about $146 a month over 10 years. The median across US colleges is $13,271. 1.9% of undergraduates take out federal loans.
What is the graduation rate at Cuesta College?
48% of first-time, full-time students at Cuesta College finish within 3 years. 73% of first-year students come back for a second year. The median of public 2-year colleges is 38%.
What are the most popular majors at Cuesta College?
Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities (1,060 certificate graduates), Business/Commerce, General (705 certificate graduates), Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities (692 associate's graduates) had the most graduates in the newest year, out of 113 programs.
Official public data, June 2026 release. Net price is for first-time, full-time students who get aid. Completion counts first-time, full-time students who finish within 150% of the normal time. Debt and earnings are medians of students who received federal student aid, measured a few years after they left, in the dollars of the year measured; earnings count former students who work and are not enrolled, including those who did not finish.