Cuesta College

Public, 2-4 Years School Located in San Luis Obispo, CA

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How much is the Cuesta tuition? For the academic year 2023-2024, Cuesta's tuition & fees is $1,340 for California residents and $11,000 for out-of-state students.
With indirect costs not billed by school, such as room & boards and personal living expenses, the total cost of attendance for one academic year is $26,128 for California residents and $35,788 for out-of-state students when a student lives off-campus.

Cuesta Tuition & Expenses

2022-2023 Rate
California Residents Tuition & Fees$1,340
Out-of-State Tuition & Fees$11,000
Books & Supplies Costs$1,152
Off-campus Room & Board$17,784
Off-campus Expenses$5,852
2023-2024 Estimates
California Residents Tuition & Fees$1,342
Out-of-State Tuition & Fees$13,905

Average Tuition By School Type and Comparison

Compared to 2-4 years schools nationwide, Cuesta' tuition is slightly lower than the average tuition of $12,960. Compared to public, 2-4 years colleges in California, its tuition is slightly lower than the average tuition of $13,259.
In-StateOut-of-State
Cuesta College$1,340$11,000
U.S. 2-4 Years Colleges$18,672
Public Schools$7,199$12,960
Private Schools$20,937
California 2-4 Years Colleges$20,867
Public Schools$4,034$13,259
Private Schools$23,111

Compare Similar School's Tuition

The next table compares the tuition & fees between Cuesta and similar schools. The similar colleges are selected by school type & level (public, 2-4 years), ranking, and comparison frequency by our users. The comparison is based on 2022-2023 tuition rate.
LocationIn-StateOut-of-State
Cuesta CollegeSan Luis Obispo, CA$1,340$11,000
Allan Hancock CollegeSanta Maria, CA$1,156$9,436
College of the CanyonsSanta Clarita, CA$1,176$11,232
Contra Costa CollegeSan Pablo, CA$1,312$9,012
Cuyamaca CollegeEl Cajon, CA$1,340$10,636
East Los Angeles CollegeMonterey Park, CA$1,238$10,130
Evergreen Valley CollegeSan Jose, CA$1,366$8,718
Golden West CollegeHuntington Beach, CA$1,196$11,084
Irvine Valley CollegeIrvine, CA$1,156$10,996
Lassen Community CollegeSusanville, CA$1,144$8,224
Los Angeles Harbor CollegeWilmington, CA$1,238$10,050

Financial Aid and COA

At Cuesta College, 5,358 students (55%) received grant or scholarship from the federal government, state or local government, the institution, and other sources. The average amount of grant/scholarship received is $3,834.
After receiving financial aid, the cost of attendance (COA) at Cuesta is $31,954 for students living off-campus.
For beginning students (i.e. first-time freshmen), 433 students received any type of financial aid including grants/scholarship and student loans. The average amount of grant/scholarship for the first-time students is $4,559 and the average amount of student loans is $4,192.
The financial aid data is based on 2021-2022 statistics from IPEDS.
California ResidentsOut-of-State
COA (off-campus)$26,128$35,788
Tuition & Fees$1,340$11,000
Indirect Costs (off-campus)$24,788$24,788
COA (off-campus) after Receiving Aid$22,294$31,954
Average Financial Aid$3,834$3,834
Type of AidNumber Receiving AidPercent Receiving AidAverage Amount of Aid Received
Grant or Scholarship5,35855%$3,834
Pell Grants1,72618%$3,357
Federal Student Loan1792%$6,907
Type of AidNumber Receiving AidPercent Receiving AidAverage Amount of Aid Received
Any Financial Aid43387%-
Grants or Scholarships42986%$4,559
Federal Grants30661%$4,064
Pell Grants13728%$4,461
Other Federal Grants28657%$2,212
State/Local Grants35772%$1,855
Institutional Grants17736%$281
Student Loan Aid153%$4,192
Federal Student Loans153%$4,192
Other Student Loans0--
Income LevelNumber of StudentsNumber of Students AwardedAverage Amount Aid Awarded
All level137136$7,425
0-30,0006565$8,139
30,001-48,0003333$9,457
48,001-75,0002525$5,714
75,001-110,00088$3,409
110,001 or more65$989

Student Population

Cuesta College has a total of 9,908 students (all undergraduate). By gender, there are 4,632 male students and 5,029 female students attending Cuesta. The school offers online degree programs and 3,285 students enrolled online exclusively (33.16% of all students).
TotalMaleFemale
Undergraduate9,661 4,6325,029

Directory & Academic Information

Directory Information
AddressHighway 1, San Luis Obispo, CA
Phone805-546-3100
WEBwww.cuesta.edu
Degree & Programs
DegreeUndergraduate
Program Offered143 Programs
Online Program Offered3 Online Programs
Academic Stats
Student Population9,908
Graduation Rate43%
Transfer-out Rate9%
Retention Rate68% (Full-time), 41% (Part-time)
Students to Faculty Ratio Rate27 to 1
Faculty & Staffs
Number of Faculties143 (Full-time), 277 (Part-time)
Number of Staffs393 (Full-time), 294 (Part-time)
Average Faculty Salary$94,329
Average Staff Salary$70,359