Cuesta vs East Los Angeles College (ELAC)

Cuesta College and East Los Angeles College, both esteemed community colleges in California, offer unique educational experiences tailored to diverse student populations. Cuesta College, nestled in San Luis Obispo County, boasts a higher acceptance rate, allowing more students to pursue their academic aspirations. East Los Angeles College, situated in the heart of Los Angeles County, stands out with its larger student body, providing a vibrant and multicultural learning environment. While both institutions offer a wide range of programs, Cuesta College is renowned for its strong liberal arts and sciences curriculum, while East Los Angeles College excels in career-oriented programs, preparing students for immediate entry into the workforce. Explore our comprehensive comparison table to discover further distinctions between these two exceptional colleges and make an informed decision that aligns with your academic goals and personal preferences.

	Cuesta College	East Los Angeles College
Overview
Location	San Luis Obispo, California	Monterey Park, 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: $24,377 Out of state: $32,151
Average net price	$14,586	$12,028
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	80.0% Average amount $6,600
Students receiving federal student loan	2.0% Average amount $6,557
Students taking out private loans	0.0% Average amount $0

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	9,661 Men 47.9% Women 52.1%	29,506 Men 47.1% Women 52.9%
Graduate students	N/A	N/A
Racial/ethnic diversity	Moderate	Low
Out-of-state students	4.0%	2.1%
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 Law Enforcement and Firefighting Business Multidisciplinary Studies
Students to faculty ratio	25:1	29:1
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%	29.9%
Dropout rate	39.6%	45.2%
Transferred out	8.5%	5.9%
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	Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $38,934 Year 2: $60,161 Year 3: $70,691 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $60,575 Year 2: $38,289 Year 3: $49,655 Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities (Undergraduate Certificates or Diplomas) Year 1: $25,942 Year 2: $40,485 Year 3: $32,682 Criminal Justice and Corrections (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $26,151 Year 2: $22,824 Year 3: $28,792 Psychology, General (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $27,439 Year 3: N/A Social Sciences, General (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $24,257 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A

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