Los Angeles Pierce College (LAPC) vs Cuesta

Los Angeles Pierce College and Cuesta College, both esteemed community colleges in California, offer diverse educational opportunities to students seeking higher education. While they share a commitment to academic excellence, these institutions differ in several key aspects. Los Angeles Pierce College boasts a higher acceptance rate, welcoming a broader range of students, while Cuesta College maintains a slightly smaller student body, fostering a more intimate learning environment. In terms of popular majors, Los Angeles Pierce College excels in liberal arts and humanities, while Cuesta College specializes in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields. Additionally, the student body demographics vary, with Los Angeles Pierce College hosting a more ethnically diverse population compared to Cuesta College. To help you make an informed decision about your educational journey, we have compiled a comprehensive comparison table highlighting these differences and more. Explore the table to discover which college aligns best with your academic goals and personal preferences.

	Cuesta College	Los Angeles Pierce College
Overview
Location	San Luis Obispo, California	Woodland Hills, California
Campus setting	Suburb: Small	City: 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: $24,377 Out of state: $32,151
Average net price	$14,586	$12,995
Tuition	In state: $1,288 Out of state: $8,652	In state: $1,196 Out of state: $8,970
Room & board
Available payment plans

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	77.0% Average amount $4,087	63.0% Average amount $6,155
Students receiving federal student loan	2.0% Average amount $6,557	1.0% Average amount $5,901
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%	15,148 Men 42.9% Women 57.1%
Graduate students	N/A	N/A
Racial/ethnic diversity	Moderate	Moderate
Out-of-state students	4.0%	2.2%
International students	0.2%	0.7%
Campus local/setting	Suburb: Small	City: 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 Multidisciplinary Studies Social Sciences Business Family and Consumer 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%	37.3%
Dropout rate	39.6%	37.0%
Transferred out	8.5%	8.5%
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	Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $53,843 Year 2: N/A Year 3: $67,565 Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities (Undergraduate Certificates or Diplomas) Year 1: $16,726 Year 2: $14,627 Year 3: $28,407 Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $32,471 Year 2: $18,315 Year 3: N/A Allied Health and Medical Assisting Services (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $37,787 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A

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