Skip to Main Content
© Mapbox / © OpenStreetMap
College

Cuesta College

#1 in Best Community Colleges in California
  • B
    Overall Grade
  • 2 Year
  • San Luis Obispo, CA
  • 465 reviews
B
Overall Niche Grade
How are grades calculated?
  1. Professors
    B-
  2. Value
    B-
  3. Diversity
    A-
  4. Safety
    A
  5. Student Life
    A
  6. Location
    A
Cuesta is an above-average public college located in California. It is a small institution with an enrollment of 3,506 undergraduate students. The Cuesta acceptance rate is 100%. Popular majors include Liberal Arts and Humanities, Business Administration and Management, and Health Service Preparatory Studies. Graduating 38% of students, Cuesta alumni go on to earn a starting salary of $28,900.
About Cuesta College...
Athletic Division
CCCAA
Athletic Conference
—
Address
Highway 1
San Luis Obispo, CA 93403
Website
cuesta.edu
Work Here? Claim Your College

Cuesta College Rankings

Niche rankings are based on rigorous analysis of key statistics from the U.S. Department of Education and millions of reviews.

Admissions

Acceptance Rate
100%
SAT Range
—
ACT Range
—
Application Fee
$0
SAT/ACT
—
High School GPA
—
Improve Your SAT/ACT Scores with Test Prep

Cost

Net Price
$10,342/ year
National
$15,523
Average cost after financial aid for students receiving grant or scholarship aid, as reported by the college.
Net Price by Household Income
  • <$30k
    $8,538/ year
  • $30-48k
    $9,459/ year
  • $49-75k
    $11,339/ year
  • $76-110k
    $13,530/ year
  • $110k+
    $14,968/ year
Student Loan Options from Lenders
Learn More
  • Compare up to 10 private loan options from our network of lenders
  • Find the best loan for your budget today
Niche may be compensated by the third party lenders and others who place ads on the website. Niche is not a lender and does not endorse the products of these advertisers. Fees that Niche receives for ads do not affect the terms you may be offered by the lender you choose. There are many additional borrowing options available.

Academics

Professors
B-
Based on faculty accomplishments, salary, student reviews, and additional factors.
Student Faculty Ratio
26:1
Evening Degree Programs
Yes
80%
of students agree that professors put a lot of effort into teaching their classes.51 responses
54%
of students agree that it is easy to get the classes they want.46 responses
57%
of students agree that the workload is easy to manage.46 responses
Do You Work at Cuesta College? Claim Your College Today!
Claim your free account to keep your college's data up-to-date and get insights on user activity for your profile.

Majors

Most Popular Majors
  • Liberal Arts and Humanities
    442 Graduates
  • Business Administration and Management
    113 Graduates
  • Health Service Preparatory Studies
    83 Graduates
  • Nursing
    82 Graduates
  • Psychiatric and Mental Health Services
    61 Graduates
  • Psychology
    57 Graduates
  • Biological and Physical Sciences
    52 Graduates
  • Mathematics & Statistics
    43 Graduates
  • Licensed Practical Nurse Training (LPN)
    42 Graduates
  • Child Care Provider
    39 Graduates

Students

Full-Time Enrollment
3,506Undergrads
Undergrads Over 25
17%
Pell Grant
31%
Varsity Athletes
6%
Poll
What one word or phrase best describes the typical student at this school?
  • More opinions are needed to display this poll.Take our surveyto add your opinion.

After College

Median Earnings 6 Years After Graduation
$35,000/ year
National
$33,028
Graduation Rate
38%
National
49%
Employed 2 Years After Graduation
84%
National
83%

More opinions are needed to display this poll.  Take our survey

Colleges like Cuesta College
More

Cuesta College Reviews

465 reviews
All Categories
Overall, I think Cuesta College is the best community college in California. What I disliked was the science faculty, counseling staff, and the people working in admissions. Most, but not all, of the science faculty make their courses unnecessarily difficult and give students busy work. However, they are more lenient and more caring than science faculty at a four-year university. Moving on, the counseling staff is incompetent as they have no pre-professional (like pre-medical or pre-dental) knowledge. Oh, and I believe that the Cuesta Cashier is racist. On that note, Cuesta lacks a diverse population and can be sometimes overtly racist. But, what I liked outweighs what I disliked. What I liked the most were the social science courses and the social science faculty. The courses were really easy yet informative, and the faculty are beyond friendly. I would definitely recommend this college if you are a social sciences major. Another plus is that Cuesta has a small student population.
Start Your Review of Cuesta College
Rate It!
I have enjoyed my experience at Cuesta College. The administrative staff have been extremely helpful every time I have needed assistance from admissions to transferring. The financial aide department is consistent and easily accessible. All of Cuesta's classes are in the middle of the campus with parking all around. There has never been a challenge to park and get to class. The teaching staff has been excellent as well. They are there not only to teach you but to also help you succeed. Struggling in Math? Not a problem, the math lab is open four days a week with excellent tutors. This has been a wonderful college experience so far.
As a first year student I have found that teachers are inviting and helpful! Classrooms have a very open and excepting environment. As well as wonderful campus accommodations and staff! Cuesta college is a wonderful school in which students are welcomed and invited!