Palomar vs Cuesta

Palomar College and Cuesta 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. Palomar College boasts a higher acceptance rate, making it a more accessible option for students with varying academic backgrounds. Cuesta College, on the other hand, offers a wider range of popular majors, including engineering, computer science, and nursing, attracting students seeking specialized programs. Explore the comprehensive comparison table below to delve into further details regarding acceptance rates, popular majors, student body demographics, graduation rates, and more, empowering you to make an informed decision that aligns with your academic goals and aspirations.

	Cuesta College	Palomar College
Overview
Location	San Luis Obispo, California	San Marcos, 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%	66.0%
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: $29,408 Out of state: $38,004
Average net price	$14,586	$6,659
Tuition	In state: $1,288 Out of state: $8,652	In state: $1,288 Out of state: $9,884
Room & board
Available payment plans

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	77.0% Average amount $4,087	79.0% Average amount $4,544
Students receiving federal student loan	2.0% Average amount $6,557	0.0% Average amount $2,598
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%	17,566 Men 51.0% Women 49.0%
Graduate students	N/A	N/A
Racial/ethnic diversity	Moderate	Moderate
Out-of-state students	4.0%	6.7%
International students	0.2%	0.6%
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 Social Sciences Health Professions Business Law Enforcement and Firefighting
Students to faculty ratio	25:1	22:1
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%	29.1%
Dropout rate	39.6%	46.1%
Transferred out	8.5%	10.8%
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	Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $77,544 Year 2: $69,338 Year 3: $68,079 Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $52,107 Year 3: $44,438 Social Sciences, General (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $24,035 Year 3: $29,028 Electrical and Power Transmission Installers (Undergraduate Certificates or Diplomas) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $84,691 Year 3: N/A

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