SLO Reporter

San Luis Obispo County's five universities admitted an estimated 30% of applicants for fall 2022, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. Of those who were admitted, 29% enrolled.

Of the five institutions in the county, California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo was the only one that provided detailed enrollment data at the time.

At least 58,774 people applied to San Luis Obispo County colleges in the 2022-23 school year.

NCES data shows that among them, around 32,674 students enrolled in the universities, including 31,700 in undergraduate and 974 in graduate programs. In total 5% of undergraduates transferred from another college or university.

The reported undergraduate student body is comprised mostly of white (49.7%) and Hispanic (25.3%) students.

Among the institutions that provided disclosed enrollment data, California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo stood out with the largest enrollment at the time, welcoming 22,000 students.

U.S. college enrollment has been in a downward trend since peaking at around 18.1 million students in 2010. Recent increases offered some relief, but experts project a steeper decline in 2025.

This decline is likely due to two main factors. First, the pool of young adults is shrinking as birth rates have fallen nearly 23% between 2007 and 2022. Second, the rising cost of higher education, including skyrocketing student loan debt. A 2023 Wall Street Journal report shows that more than half of Americans think a four-year degree is not worth the cost.

Some educational data is based on estimates. Shifting demographics among student populations can sometimes result in gender totals which do not equal 100%.

Institution	# of Applicants	# of Admitted Students	Total Enrollment
Central California School of Continuing Education	--	--	82
Cuesta College	--	--	9,908
Design's School of Cosmetology	--	--	43
California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo	58,774	17,632	22,000
Laurus College	--	--	641