Cuesta vs Diablo Valley

Cuesta College and Diablo Valley College, both esteemed community colleges in California, offer diverse educational opportunities to students seeking higher education. While they share similarities, each institution possesses unique characteristics that cater to different academic aspirations and preferences. Cuesta College, located in San Luis Obispo County, boasts a higher acceptance rate, making it a more accessible option for students. Diablo Valley College, situated in Contra Costa County, excels in graduation rates, ensuring a higher likelihood of students completing their studies successfully. Explore the comprehensive comparison table below to delve into further details regarding acceptance rates, popular majors, student body demographics, and graduation rates. Discover which college aligns best with your academic goals and personal preferences, setting you on the path to a fulfilling educational journey.

	Cuesta College	Diablo Valley College
Overview
Location	San Luis Obispo, California	Pleasant Hill, California
Campus setting	Suburb: Small	Suburb: Large
College type	2 year	2 year
Control/business model	Public	Public
Calendar system	Semester	Semester
Degrees offered	Undergraduate	Undergraduate
Students retention rate	66.0%	74.0%
Common app member	No	No
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	Open Admission	Open Admission
Application fees
SAT range	N/A	N/A
ACT range	N/A	N/A
Students submitting SAT score
Students submitting ACT score
Total number of applicants
Total number of admissions given out
Admitted students who chose to enroll
Yield rate
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	Not required	Not required
High school GPA	N/A	N/A
Recommendation letters	N/A	N/A
High school transcript	N/A	N/A
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL)	N/A	N/A

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	In state: $25,602 Out of state: $32,966	In state: $26,782 Out of state: $34,482
Average net price	$14,586	$8,878
Tuition	In state: $1,288 Out of state: $8,652	In state: $1,288 Out of state: $8,988
Room & board
Available payment plans

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	77.0% Average amount $4,087	68.0% Average amount $3,427
Students receiving federal student loan	2.0% Average amount $6,557	0.0% Average amount $5,252
Students taking out private loans	0.0% Average amount $0	0.0% Average amount $0

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	9,661 Men 47.9% Women 52.1%	17,123 Men 47.3% Women 52.7%
Graduate students	N/A	N/A
Racial/ethnic diversity	Moderate	Moderate
Out-of-state students	4.0%	7.2%
International students	0.2%	2.4%
Campus local/setting	Suburb: Small	Suburb: Large
Dormitory capacity	N/A	N/A
First year students are required to live on campus?	N/A	N/A
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	California Oregon Connecticut Illinois Kansas	California

Academics
Popular study areas	Liberal Arts Business Health Professions Education Family and Consumer Sciences	Liberal Arts Health Professions Business Computer and Information Science Social Sciences
Students to faculty ratio	25:1	24:1
Institutional accreditation	Western Association of Schools and Colleges Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges	Western Association of Schools and Colleges Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges

Outcome
Graduation rate	43.2%	46.6%
Dropout rate	39.6%	30.9%
Transferred out	8.5%	9.8%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $79,884 Year 3: $85,944 Mental and Social Health Services and Allied Professions (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $64,744 Year 2: $61,516 Year 3: $61,763 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $24,267 Year 3: $44,025 Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $31,966 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A	N/A

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