by our College Data Analytics TeamHere is what you can expect to pay at Cuesta College, from sticker cost of attendance and projected degree cost to net price, debt at graduation, and aid breakdowns.
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Published attendance costs at Cuesta College came in between $20,561.00 through $30,221.00 across residency tiers.
In-state students paid the lower published figure, while out-of-state students faced the higher one: near $20,561.00 in-state, rising to $30,221.00 for non-residents.
Cost is shown below as the full sticker price, the average net price after aid, and the low-income net price.
| Tuition and fees | $1,350.00 |
| + Room, board & other expenses | $19,211.00 |
| Total cost | $20,561.00 |
| That is 7% above the national average net price. |
| Total cost | $20,561.00 |
| − Grants and scholarships | −$8,068.00 |
| Net price | $12,493.00 |
| That is 35% below the national average net price. |
| Total cost | $20,561.00 |
| − Grants and scholarships | −$9,778.00 |
| Net price | $10,783.00 |
| That is 44% below the national average net price. |
| Tuition and fees | $11,010.00 |
| + Room, board & other expenses | $19,211.00 |
| Total cost | $30,221.00 |
| That is 57% above the national average net price. |
| Total cost | $30,221.00 |
| − Grants and scholarships | −$8,068.00 |
| Net price | $22,153.00 |
| That is 15% above the national average net price. |
| Total cost | $30,221.00 |
| − Grants and scholarships | −$9,778.00 |
| Net price | $20,443.00 |
| That is 6% above the national average net price. | |
| Want the line-by-line detail? Dig into tuition and fees plus room and board. |
Published costs have climbed year over year by around 8.4% per year, so the four-year total runs well above today’s cost. These tables carry the cost across a degree for three cases: low-income w/ aid, average aid, and no aid. Loan math assumes ten-year repayment at 6.8% interest.
| Projected 4-year net costs | Low Income w/ Aid | w/ Average Aid | No Aid |
|---|---|---|---|
| Annual growth rate | 8.4% | 8.4% | 8.4% |
| Freshman year | $11,688.00 | $13,542.00 | $22,287.00 |
| Senior year | $14,886.00 | $17,247.00 | $28,385.00 |
| Total 4-year net price | $52,977.00 | $61,379.00 | $101,017.00 |
| 10-year loan interest @ 6.8% | $20,182.00 | $23,383.00 | $38,484.00 |
| Total monthly payment | $610.00 | $706.00 | $1,163.00 |
| Total amount paid | $73,160.00 | $84,762.00 | $139,501.00 |
| Projected 2-year net costs | Low Income w/ Aid | w/ Average Aid | No Aid |
|---|---|---|---|
| Annual growth rate | 8.4% | 8.4% | 8.4% |
| Freshman year | $11,688.00 | $13,542.00 | $22,287.00 |
| Senior year | $12,670.00 | $14,679.00 | $24,158.00 |
| Total 2-year net price | $24,358.00 | $28,221.00 | $46,446.00 |
| 10-year loan interest @ 6.8% | $9,279.00 | $10,751.00 | $17,694.00 |
| Total monthly payment | $280.00 | $325.00 | $534.00 |
| Total amount paid | $33,637.00 | $38,972.00 | $64,140.00 |
| Projected 4-year net costs | Low Income w/ Aid | w/ Average Aid | No Aid |
|---|---|---|---|
| Annual growth rate | 8.4% | 8.4% | 8.4% |
| Freshman year | $22,159.00 | $24,013.00 | $32,758.00 |
| Senior year | $28,222.00 | $30,583.00 | $41,721.00 |
| Total 4-year net price | $100,438.00 | $108,839.00 | $148,477.00 |
| 10-year loan interest @ 6.8% | $38,263.00 | $41,464.00 | $56,565.00 |
| Total monthly payment | $1,156.00 | $1,253.00 | $1,709.00 |
| Total amount paid | $138,701.00 | $150,303.00 | $205,042.00 |
| Projected 2-year net costs | Low Income w/ Aid | w/ Average Aid | No Aid |
|---|---|---|---|
| Annual growth rate | 8.4% | 8.4% | 8.4% |
| Freshman year | $22,159.00 | $24,013.00 | $32,758.00 |
| Senior year | $24,020.00 | $26,029.00 | $35,508.00 |
| Total 2-year net price | $46,179.00 | $50,042.00 | $68,267.00 |
| 10-year loan interest @ 6.8% | $17,593.00 | $19,064.00 | $26,007.00 |
| Total monthly payment | $531.00 | $576.00 | $786.00 |
| Total amount paid | $63,772.00 | $69,106.00 | $94,274.00 |
Read more in the net-price section.
Net price reflects the true cost to attend after grant and scholarship aid is deducted. It is usually a better planning number than the sticker cost above.
| Average net price (on-campus) | $12,124.00 |
| Average net price (off-campus) | $12,898.00 |
The real cost varies by income because need-based aid scales with financial need. Here is the average net price for each family-income range:
| Family income | Average net price |
|---|---|
| Under $30,000 | $11,156.00 |
| $30,000 to $48,000 | $12,451.00 |
| $48,001 to $75,000 | $14,399.00 |
| $75,001 to $110,000 | $17,301.00 |
| Over $110,000 | $19,283.00 |
For a personalized estimate, try the Cuesta College Net Price Calculator, or check with the financial aid office.
Dig into how aid is awarded on the grants & scholarships detail.
The median amount borrowed by graduates of Cuesta College is $9,500.00, landing it in the Very Low (<$10k) debt-burden bucket.
The full distribution of debt at graduation looks like this:
| Percentile | Debt at graduation |
|---|---|
| 10th | $2,000.00 |
| 25th | $3,500.00 |
| Median (50th) | $9,500.00 |
| 75th | $11,250.00 |
| 90th | $19,417.00 |
The spread between the 10th and 90th percentiles reflects how variable debt outcomes are at this school.
Read the complete debt breakdown on the student loan debt detail.
Median debt at graduation differs meaningfully across income brackets. Below, debt is broken out by low, middle, and high family income:
| Family income | Median debt at graduation |
|---|---|
| Low income | $10,250.00 |
| Middle income | $9,500.00 |
| High income | $6,500.00 |
On average, low-income graduates leave with $3,750.00 in extra median debt compared with high-income peers.
First-generation college students often carry different debt loads than their continuing-generation peers.
| Student group | Median debt at graduation |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $9,500.00 |
| Continuing-generation students | $7,686.00 |
First-gen students at Cuesta College graduate with $1,814.00 more median debt than continuing-generation peers.
The Pell Grant is the largest federal grant for undergraduates from low-income families. Contrasting Pell and non-Pell borrowers shows how need shapes debt.
The Pell vs non-Pell debt gap at Cuesta College is $2,452.00. The Department of Education flags this school for a Pell-debt-inequity pattern.
The default-rate category at Cuesta College is Low (<5%).
| Window | Cohort default rate |
|---|---|
| 2-year | 7.2% |
For scale, federal Stafford loan disbursements at Cuesta College add up to $48,873,557.00 covering 5,139 borrowers.
The data above is a foundation; round it out by asking yourself about Cuesta College, consider the following:
Dig further into the cost picture with the related pages below:
Data sources. Figures on this page draw from the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS), and MediaFactual editorial review. Net-price calculator and financial-aid office links are taken from the institution’s own published data.