After Cuesta College: graduation, pay and debt
San Luis Obispo, California · Public · 10,437 undergrads
The typical student earns $46,047 ten years after starting and graduates leave with $13,750 in federal loans at the median.
The short answers
$46k
median pay 10 years after starting college.
$13.8k
median federal debt at graduation.
55%
of borrowers were paying down their loans three years after leaving.
All the federal numbers
Finishing
Finished a two-year program within three yearsCollege Scorecard
44%
Earned a degree or certificate here within eight yearsIPEDS, full-time students who started in 2015
51%
Still enrolled here after eight yearsIPEDS, full-time students who started in 2015
20%
Students in that eight-year groupIPEDS, full-time students who started in 2015
1,118
Transferred to another collegeCollege Scorecard
15%
Pay after college
Median pay 6 years after starting collegeCollege Scorecard
$38,541
Median pay 8 years after starting collegeCollege Scorecard
$42,739
Median pay 10 years after starting collegeCollege Scorecard
$46,047
Earning more than $25,000 six years after startingCollege Scorecard
57%
Debt and paying it back
Median federal debt, students who graduatedCollege Scorecard
$13,750
Median federal debt, everyone who borrowed (finished or not)College Scorecard
$9,500
Median federal debt, students with a Pell GrantCollege Scorecard
$9,954
Median federal debt, students without a Pell GrantCollege Scorecard
$7,502
Paying down their loans 3 years after leavingCollege Scorecard
55%
Paying down their loans 5 years after leavingCollege Scorecard
57%
Paying down their loans 7 years after leavingCollege Scorecard
63%
Where these numbers come from
- Cost, pay and debt: College Scorecard (checked May 7, 2026)
Updated May 8, 2026Spot a mistake?How we get our numbers