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San Luis Obispo, CA · Public · 21,996 undergraduates · suburban

Cal Poly San Luis Obispo

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Cal Poly organizes undergraduate education around discipline-specific, hands-on training rather than broad pre-major exploration.

Institutional profile

Top tier Exceptional in career outcomes, and strong in affordability.
Academic Strong Affordability Strong Career Exceptional Mobility Solid Experience Steady
Academic standing Strong
Affordability Strong
Career outcomes Exceptional
Mobility Solid
Student experience Steady
Admission
29.8% admitted

63,736 applicants in the reported year

Price by income
Resident and nonresident prices differ

Compare recent average annual costs by household income

Completion
87.1%

$90,768 median earnings 10 years after enrollment

What sets California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo apart

Academic design

Engineering, architecture, agriculture, business, and applied sciences emphasize laboratories, design, production, and project-based learning from early coursework.

Campus pattern

San Luis Obispo offers a residential Central Coast college town surrounded by hills and agricultural land.

Career & value signal

Applied curricula create strong alignment with engineering, design, agriculture, construction, and technology employers.

Can I get in?

29.8% admitted

Applicants apply directly to a specific major, and later major changes can be constrained.

Recent applicant pool

63,736

About 30 in every 100 applicants were admitted.

Admission rate 29.8%
Entering class

Record over scores

No score range is published for the entering class, so the transcript, the course rigor, and the required materials carry the file.

Testingnot considered
Return for a second year95.4%
Finish the degree87.1%

Admission by residency

Harder for residents

Degree-seeking, first-time, first-year students · Fall 2025

Cal Poly San Luis Obispo admitted 26.4% of California applicants and 62.1% of applicants from other states. Out-of-state applicants were admitted at 2.4 times the resident rate. California students took 80% of the seats in the entering class.

In-state26.4% admitted

16,743 admitted from 63,520 applicants

Out-of-state62.1% admitted

4,413 admitted from 7,109 applicants

International31% admitted

211 admitted from 680 applicants

In the season card

Where your GPA sits in the entering class

The full entering-class GPA distribution for California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo, in nine bands from 4.0 down, with your own record marked on it.

See where I land

In the season card

What California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo weighs when it reads a file

See how this college describes the role of grades, testing, essays, recommendations, activities, and demonstrated interest.

  • Course rigor  
  • GPA  
  • Test scores  
  • Essay  
  • Recommendations  
  • Extracurriculars  
  • Demonstrated interest  
See what counts here

What moves the application

The evidence that separates a strong file

01

Show preparation for this curriculum

Engineering, architecture, agriculture, business, and applied sciences emphasize laboratories, design, production, and project-based learning from early coursework.

02

Make institutional fit specific

Cal Poly organizes undergraduate education around discipline-specific, hands-on training rather than broad pre-major exploration.

03

Use the application route carefully

Applicants apply directly to a specific major, and later major changes can be constrained.

How to apply

Rounds, route, and required materials

Applicants apply directly to a specific major, and later major changes can be constrained.

Regular DecisionNov 30
Application routeCal State Apply

$70 application fee

Major and program admission

Some fields have their own entry path.

The college admit rate above covers the university as a whole. These requirements apply only to the named program.

Agriculture and natural resourcesAdmits separately

What this program asks for, and when it closes.

ArchitectureAdmits separately

What this program asks for, and when it closes.

BusinessAdmits separately

What this program asks for, and when it closes.

Communication and journalismAdmits separately

What this program asks for, and when it closes.

Computer scienceAdmits separately

What this program asks for, and when it closes.

Teacher preparationAdmits separately

What this program asks for, and when it closes.

EngineeringAdmits separately

What this program asks for, and when it closes.

Health professionsAdmits separately

What this program asks for, and when it closes.

Can I afford it?

Compare annual cost by household income.

Start with the average net price for your income range, then set that estimate beside your other realistic options.

Published annual cost$40,304
Average annual cost after aid, in-state$17,000
Affordability profileStrong

College funding

Scholarships and financial aid

Review available aid, application requirements, and renewal terms.

Cal Poly San Luis Obispo publishes two merit awards, the largest reaching $10,000 to $20,000 a year. No separate scholarship application is required; the college uses the admission application. one renew past the first year.

Automatic consideration Merit scholarship

Open across the university · Merit · Renews each year

Automatic consideration An award reaching $10,000 to $20,000 a year

Open across the university · Merit · Competitive

In the season card

These two awards, by name

What each one is called, what it pays, the grades and scores it asks for, and what to send.

  • The name of each award 
  • What it pays 
  • The grades and scores it asks for 
  • How to be considered 
  • What to send, and where 
See the full read
Plan with your figuresOpen this college’s net price calculator
Open financial aid plan

In the season card

Average annual cost by household income at California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo

Compare recent average net prices across five federal income ranges and estimate a 4-year cost for yours.

  • $0–30k 
  • $30–48k 
  • $48–75k 
  • $75–110k 
  • $110k+ 
Open the price by income

Is it worth it?

Completion, debt, and earnings

Read completion, borrowing, field mix, and earnings together. One university-wide earnings figure does not describe every student path.

Complete within 8 years87.1%

Degree completion across the reported entering cohort

Return after year one95.4%

First-year students who return for year two

Median federal debtWhat students owe on the way out

And what that comes to against what they earn.

Median earnings$90,768

Reported 10 years after enrollment

Academic portfolio

Largest bachelor’s fields

How many students finish in each field, and median earnings four years after completing the program.

Computer Science

Recent graduates202
Median earnings$154,784

Admits separately

Biology, General

Recent graduates163
Median earnings$69,854

Animal Sciences

Recent graduates159
Median earnings$54,805

Admits separately

What is campus life like?

California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo beyond the classroom

San Luis Obispo offers a residential Central Coast college town surrounded by hills and agricultural land.

Academics

A defining academic feature

Engineering, architecture, agriculture, business, and applied sciences emphasize laboratories, design, production, and project-based learning from early coursework.

Campus setting

What shapes an ordinary week

San Luis Obispo offers a residential Central Coast college town surrounded by hills and agricultural land.

Career & value

Where the degree can lead

Applied curricula create strong alignment with engineering, design, agriculture, construction, and technology employers.

21,996 undergraduatesPacificsuburban setting98.5% of first-year students live on campus