Allan Hancock College vs. Cuesta College

Should I go to Allan Hancock College or Cuesta College? Compare 50+ facts and figures about the colleges to help you determine if Allan Hancock College or Cuesta College is the better college for you. The CollegeSimply comparison tool allows side-by-side comparison of 50+ statistics and facts for over 2,500 colleges and universities.
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Allan Hancock College vs. Cuesta College comparison
Allan Hancock College Cuesta College College 3 College 4
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Overview

 Allan Hancock College Cuesta College
Location Santa Maria, CA San Luis Obispo, CA
Setting Small City Rural Fringe
Enrollment 10,329 9,908
Type Public 2 Year Public 2 Year
National Ranking
Religious Affiliation - - - -
Status Non-profit Non-profit
Website hancockcollege.edu cuesta.edu
Team Colors                    

Costs

 Allan Hancock College Cuesta College
Tuition (In State) $1,104 $1,288
Tuition (Out of State) $8,952 $9,296
Room & Board $17,784 $17,784
Avg Net Price $6,119 $14,507
Avg Grant Aid $4,381 $4,559
% Receiving Grant Aid 96% 86%

Admission

 Allan Hancock College Cuesta College
Admission Chances Calculate Calculate
Applied - -
Admitted - -
Acceptance Rate Open Open
Enrolled % Open Open
Avg High School GPA - -
Typical High School Grades - -
Admissions Standards Unavailable Unavailable
Applicant Competition
ACT Range
SAT Range
Submit Test Scores
Application Deadline Aug 13, 2025

Academics

 Allan Hancock College Cuesta College
Student to Faculty Ratio 22:1 27:1
Popular Majors
  • Liberal Arts and Humanities (45%)
  • Health Professions (10%)
  • Personal and Culinary Services (8%)
  • Homeland Security, Law Enforcement, Firefighting (7%)
  • General Studies (7%)
  • Liberal Arts and Humanities (56%)
  • Health Professions (12%)
  • General Studies (8%)
  • Business (6%)
  • Mechanic and Repair Technologies (2%)

Outcomes

 Allan Hancock College Cuesta College
Graduation Rate - -
Median Earnings (After 10 years) $34,000 $40,800
Making Student Loan Payments 28% 51%
Median Student Loan Debt $10,500 $11,250
Median Loan Payment $108 $116

Diversity

 Allan Hancock College Cuesta College
% Men 46% 49%
% Women 54% 51%
Racial Diversity High Medium
HBCU No No
% White 34% 62%
% Black 3% 2%
% Hispanic 54% 27%
% Native American 1% 1%
% Pacific Islander 0% 0%
% Two or More Races 3% 5%
% International 0% 0%
% Unknown Race 0% 1%

Students

 Allan Hancock College Cuesta College
% In-State 96% 95%
% Out-of-State 3% 0%

Campus

 Allan Hancock College Cuesta College
Campus Housing No No
Freshman Dorm Required No No
Meal Plan No No
Weekend/Evening Classes Yes Yes
Daycare Facility Yes Yes
Learn More Details Details

Comparable Facts

  • Allan Hancock College is larger than than Cuesta College based on total student enrollment (10,329 students vs. 9,908 students)

Allan Hancock College vs. Cuesta College Cost Comparison

Which college is more expensive, Allan Hancock College or Cuesta College?

  • Cuesta College is 16.7% more expensive to attend than Allan Hancock College for in-state tuition ($1,288.00 vs. $1,104.00)
  • Out of state tuition is 3.8% higher at Cuesta College than Allan Hancock College ($9,296.00 vs. $8,952.00)
  • The typical actual cost that students pay to attend (average net price) is less at Allan Hancock College than Cuesta College ($6,119 vs. $14,507)
  • Living costs (room and board or off-campus housing budget) at Cuesta College are 0% lower than costs at Allan Hancock College ($17,784 vs. $17,784)
  • More students receive financial grant aid at Allan Hancock College than Cuesta College (96% vs. 86%)
  • The average total grant financial aid received by Cuesta College students is 4.1% larger than aid received Allan Hancock College ($4,559 vs. $4,381)

Which college is harder to get into, Allan Hancock College or Cuesta College? Average SAT and ACT scores plus acceptance rates offer good insight into the difficulty of admission between Cuesta College or Allan Hancock College .

Allan Hancock College vs. Cuesta College Graduation Outcomes Comparison

Which is better, Allan Hancock College or Cuesta College? Graduation rate, salary and amount of student loan debt are indicators of a college which offers better outcomes for its graduates. Compare the following outcomes facts between Cuesta College and Allan Hancock College.

  • Graduates from Cuesta College earn on average $6,800 more per year than Allan Hancock College graduates after ten years. ($40,800 vs. $34,000)
  • Allan Hancock College students graduate with a $750 lower median federal student loan debt than Cuesta College graduates. ($10,500 vs. $11,250)
  • Allan Hancock College graduates are paying $8 less per month on federal student loans than Cuesta College graduates. ($108 vs. $116)
  • More Cuesta College graduates are actively paying back their federal student loan debt than former Allan Hancock College students, three years after graduation. (51% vs. 28%)

Sources: U.S. Department of Education https://nces.ed.gov IPEDS and College Scorecard https://collegescorecard.ed.gov/