---
filename: cuesta-cost.png
title: Cuesta — Tuition & Cost of Attendance
cluster: Cost
college: Cuesta College — San Luis Obispo, CA
model: gemini-3-pro-image (Nano Banana Pro)
aspect_ratio: 4:5
resolution_target: 4K
generated_at: 2026-04-28
generated_by: Media skill via Generate.ts CLI
status: v1
---

## Cluster
Cost (Cuesta College — San Luis Obispo, CA)

## Data points (edit these to change rendered content; re-run `bun generate-all.ts cuesta-cost.png` to regenerate)
- AB 19 (CA College Promise): Y1 enrollment fees waived — Aoife qualifies as first-time CA student
- Cuesta Promise (donor-funded): Y2 fees free for SLO County HS grads only — Aoife NOT eligible (Aptos)
- CCPG (CA College Promise Grant, means-tested): waives fees if family income-eligible
- 2025-26 published COA off-campus (Cuesta financial aid): $32,247/yr
- Y1 line items: Room/Board $22,752 + Misc $5,067 + Transport $1,989 + Books $1,089 + Health $62
- Aoife Y1 net: $30,959 (AB 19 waives the $1,288 enrollment fee)
- Aoife Y2 net: $32,247 (no AB 19; full $1,288 enrollment fee resumes)
- Room + Board alone = 73% of Y1 cost — tuition is noise; SLO rents drive everything
- 2-yr Cuesta total for Aoife: ~$63,206
- Cal Poly transfer = #1 pipeline; 2+2 path Cuesta + Cal Poly Y3-4 ≈ $80–100K total

## Style hints (edit to shift visual treatment)
- Palette: paper #F4ECDC base + ink #2A1810 body + Pacific blue #1B5E7A primary accent + muted sandstone #B8975A secondary
- Aesthetic: editorial / hand-printed California Country
- Typography: elegant serif headline + clean geometric sans-serif data labels
- Iconography: stacked bar chart with Room/Board dominant slice, Cuesta cougar silhouette, AB 19 ribbon over Y1, transfer arrow Cuesta→Cal Poly
- Forbidden: photorealism, stock photos, neon, holographic, gradient mesh, generic AI aesthetic

## Prompt sent to Nano Banana Pro

```
EDITORIAL INFOGRAPHIC POSTER, hand-printed magazine spread aesthetic, 4:5 portrait orientation, 4K print quality.

HEADER (top of poster): Bold elegant serif title "CUESTA — TUITION & COST OF ATTENDANCE". A small badge in the top-right corner reads "CUESTA COLLEGE — SAN LUIS OBISPO, CA" inside a circle filled with Pacific blue (#1B5E7A).

BACKGROUND: Warm cream paper texture #F4ECDC throughout, with subtle hand-printed grain. NO white background.

PALETTE (use ONLY these colors, no others):
- Paper background: #F4ECDC
- Body typography (deep coffee ink): #2A1810
- Primary accent for icons + key numbers: Pacific blue #1B5E7A
- Secondary accent: muted sandstone #B8975A

BODY (vertical editorial layout, generous whitespace, with iconography paired to each data point). Render these EXACT data points verbatim, in this order:

   1. AB 19 (CA College Promise): Y1 enrollment fees waived — Aoife qualifies as first-time CA student
   2. Cuesta Promise (donor-funded): Y2 fees free for SLO County HS grads only — Aoife NOT eligible (Aptos)
   3. CCPG (CA College Promise Grant, means-tested): waives fees if family income-eligible
   4. 2025-26 published COA off-campus (Cuesta financial aid): $32,247/yr
   5. Y1 line items: Room/Board $22,752 + Misc $5,067 + Transport $1,989 + Books $1,089 + Health $62
   6. Aoife Y1 net: $30,959 (AB 19 waives the $1,288 enrollment fee)
   7. Aoife Y2 net: $32,247 (no AB 19; full $1,288 enrollment fee resumes)
   8. Room + Board alone = 73% of Y1 cost — tuition is noise; SLO rents drive everything
   9. 2-yr Cuesta total for Aoife: ~$63,206
   10. Cal Poly transfer = #1 pipeline; 2+2 path Cuesta + Cal Poly Y3-4 ≈ $80–100K total

The big numbers (like "249", "$1,200", "1,250 miles") should be BIG and prominent in #1B5E7A, with smaller ink labels next to them. Use a clean geometric sans-serif for data labels and an elegant serif for the headline.

ICONOGRAPHY (hand-drawn, minimalist line illustrations only — no photographs): stacked bar chart with Room/Board dominant slice, Cuesta cougar silhouette, AB 19 ribbon over Y1, transfer arrow Cuesta→Cal Poly

FOOTER (bottom): A small italic line in muted #2A1810 reads "compiled 2026-04-28".

ABSOLUTELY DO NOT include: photorealistic photography, stock-photo people, neon colors, holographic effects, gradient mesh, generic AI aesthetic, any colors outside the specified palette, additional logos, watermarks, or text beyond what is specified.

Hand-printed editorial restraint. Strong serif typography. Numbers prominent. Aspect ratio 4:5 portrait. 4K resolution print quality.
```

## Adjustment hints
- **To re-render at higher resolution**: this script already requests 4K; if rendering quality is off, increase resolution by editing the `--size 4K` flag in generate-all.ts to a future tier
- **To adjust color temperature**: change `accent` and `secondary` hex codes in the SPECS entry for cuesta-cost.png; re-run `bun generate-all.ts cuesta-cost.png`
- **To add/remove data points**: edit the `data` array in SPECS for cuesta-cost.png; the prompt rebuilds automatically
- **To shift layout (vertical vs grid)**: append a layout directive after the BODY paragraph in buildPrompt(); re-run
- **To swap iconography**: edit the `iconography` array in SPECS

## Citations
- https://www.cuesta.edu/student/financialaid/cost-of-attendance.html
- https://www.cuesta.edu/admissions/registration/registration-fees-and-refunds.html