California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo
San Luis Obispo, California | Admissions Phone: 805-756-2311
E-mail: admissions@calpoly.edu | Website: www.calpoly.edu
ADMISSION
Admission Rate: 30%
Admission Rate - Men: 26%
Admission Rate - Women: 35%
EA Admission Rate: Not Offered
ED Admission Rate: Not Offered
Admission Rate (5-Year Trend): -4%
ED Admission Rate (5-Year Trend): Not Offered
% of Admits Attending (Yield): 27%
Transfer Admission Rate: 16%
# Offered Wait List: 6,643
# Accepted Wait List: N/A
# Admitted Wait List: 2,436
SAT Reading/Writing (Middle 50%): 620-700
SAT Math (Middle 50%): 620-730
ACT Composite (Middle 50%): 26-32
Testing Policy: ACT/SAT Required
SAT Superscore: Yes
ACT Superscore: Yes
% Graduated in Top 10% of HS Class: 59%
% Graduated in Top 25% of HS Class: 89%
% Graduated in Top 50% of HS Class: 99%
ENROLLMENT
Total Undergraduate Enrollment: 21,037
% Part-Time: 4%
% Male: 52%
% Female: 48%
% Out-of-State: 14%
% Fraternity: 7%
% Sorority: 11%
% On-Campus (Freshman): 91%
% On-Campus (All Undergraduate): 32%
% African-American: 1%
% Asian: 13%
% Hispanic: 17%
% White: 54%
% Other: 8%
% Race or Ethnicity Unknown: 4%
% International: 2%
% Low-Income: 19%
ACADEMICS
Student-to-Faculty Ratio: 19:1
% of Classes Under 20: 15%
% of Classes Under 40: 74%
% Full-Time Faculty: 64%
% Full-Time Faculty w/ Terminal Degree: 75%
Top Programs
Agricultural Business
Biological Sciences
Civil Engineering
Computer Science
Electrical Engineering
Industrial Engineering
Mechanical Engineering
Retention Rate: 94%
4-Year Graduation Rate: 48%
6-Year Graduation Rate: 82%
Curricular Flexibility: Less Flexible
Academic Rating: 
FINANCIAL
Institutional Type: Public
In-State Tuition: $5,742
Out-of-State Tuition: $17,622
Room & Board: $13,796
Required Fees: $4,074
Books & Supplies: $1,941
Avg. Need-Based Aid: $3,442
Avg. % of Need Met: 56%
Avg. Merit-Based Aid: $1,561
% Receiving Merit-Based Aid: 26%
Avg. Cumulative Debt: $22,298
% of Students Borrowing: 42%
CAREER
Who Recruits
1. Lockheed Martin
2. NBCUniversal
3. Greystar
4. The Raymond Group
5. Cushman & Wakefield
Notable Internships
1. Nike
2. EY
3. Oracle
Top Industries
1. Business
2. Engineering
3. Operations
4. Education
5. Sales
Top Employers
1. Apple
2. Google
3. Cisco
4. Oracle
5. Amazon
Where Alumni Work
1. San Francisco
2. San Luis Obispo, CA
3. Los Angeles
4. San Diego
5. Orange County, CA
Median Earnings
College Scorecard (Early Career): $66,900
EOP (Early Career): $55,100
PayScale (Mid-Career): $119,500
RANKINGS
Forbes: 115
Money: 75
U.S. News: 4, Regional West
Wall Street Journal/THE: 193 (T)
Washington Monthly: N/A
Inside the Classroom
Nestled between San Francisco and Los Angeles, California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo is the more competitive of the state’s two public polytechnic schools, Pomona being the less selective branch. Home to more than 21,000 undergraduate students, Cal Poly churns out a jaw-dropping number of engineers each year, but it is far from a unidimensional university.
Cal Poly is comprised of six undergraduate schools: the College of Agriculture, Food & Environmental Sciences, College of Architecture & Environmental Design, College of Engineering, College of Liberal Arts, College of Science & Mathematics, and the Orfalea College of Business. Across all divisions there are sixty-three majors and eighty-four minors offered. While academic requirements vary by college and program, there are a number of general graduation must-haves that apply to all Mustangs. They include seventy-two units of general education, demonstration of writing competency, and the completion of a senior project.
You won’t find many small, liberal-arts-style learning spaces—only 3 percent of classes have a single-digit enrollment. Yet you also won’t find many classes that enroll one hundred or more students; only 4 percent do. The majority of courses, 59 percent, fall between twenty and forty students. Cal Poly’s student-to-faculty ratio is a high 19:1, but such is the cost of an uber-affordable STEM degree from an excellent institution. Still, faculty receive extremely favorable reviews for their accessibility, and opportunities to work intimately with professors are built into the curriculum in many programs. For example, all students in the College of Science & Mathematics are required to participate in faculty-directed research and complete a senior project in order to graduate. More than 20 percent of students take advantage of the school’s robust study abroad program that offers learning opportunities in over seventy-five countries.
The School of Engineering is the university’s crown jewel. Over one-quarter of all degrees conferred (27 percent) are in engineering, and Cal Poly gets recognition in many specialty areas of the field including industrial engineering, mechanical engineering, aerospace engineering, computer engineering, and civil engineering. The Orfalea College of Business also receives strong national recognition and is recognized as one of the better ROI business degrees one can find; 13 percent of undergrads earn a business degree. Other popular majors include agriculture (12 percent), biology (6 percent), architecture (5 percent), and the social sciences (5 percent).
Outside the Classroom
While more students are living on campus than ever—the university has added 5,600 beds since 2003—only 32 percent of undergraduates presently reside on campus. Eleven percent of men and 8 percent of women sign up for Greek life. However, thirty-six of the school’s sororities and fraternities were suspended in the spring of 2018 for racial insensitivity, leaving the future of Cal Poly Greek life in question. With twenty-one NCAA Division I sports on tap, there is always an opportunity to cheer on the Mustangs. Across all men’s and women’s sports, Cal Poly squads have captured fifty Big West Conference championships. Twenty-seven club sports, from rodeo to surfing, are available, and massive intramural program attracts 10,000 participants each year. There are an additional 300 student-run clubs, including a heavy dose of pre-professional organizations. San Luis Obispo is known as “The Happiest City in America” for a reason. Located on the coast, students have access to the beach and the natural beauty of Big Falls Trail. Outdoor concerts, an art museum, and the Thursday night farmer’s market offer a taste of the effervescence of the surrounding town known as SLO Cal.
Career Services
The Cal Poly Career Services Office has eighteen full-time professional staff members working on career counseling, employer relations, and employer recruiting. That includes two counselors—the Freshman Focus Team—who are dedicated solely to first-year students. Overall, the school’s 1,184:1 student-to-advisor ratio does not fare well against other colleges featured in this guide. In spite of the high student-to-counselor ratio, the office does accomplish impressive things on behalf of students. Each year Cal Poly hosts ten major career fairs, including three large, non-major-specific events in the fall, winter, and spring that draw 150+ employers each. Additional fairs cover fields that include teaching, architecture and environmental design, computing, and construction management.
A survey of recent graduates revealed that among those already employed, 43 percent attributed obtaining employment directly to the Career Services Office. An additional 22 percent cited MustangJOBS, the office’s online database of employment opportunities, and 9 percent were offered employment after an internship experience while in undergrad. An impressive 97 percent of graduates ended up in jobs related to their major. Such success is not merely a byproduct of producing highly employable STEM graduates. Amazingly, the Freshman Focus Team engaged 100 percent of the 4,451 first-year students in over 6,000 counseling sessions. Further, the office has forged official employer/university partnerships with 334 companies, creating excellent networks for current undergrads to lean on while pursuing employment.
Professional Outcomes
Within nine months of graduating, 99 percent of job-seeking Cal Poly grads have secured employment; 72 percent already have a job offer by the time they complete their degrees. Top employers of Cal Poly grads include many of the top tech/consulting/engineering/financial firms in the country such as Google, Deloitte, KPMG, Microsoft, Northrup Grumman, Adobe, EY, and Apple. Overall, grads enjoy an average starting salary of $62,000. Engineering majors lead the way at $72,000 while liberal arts grads bring in a median income of only $44,000. Given that the in-state tuition is under $10K per year, this makes the university one of the best ROI schools in the country. An overwhelming majority, 88 percent, remain in California upon graduation. Washington, Colorado, and Texas are next three most popular destinations.
Of the 15 percent of alumni who directly enter graduate school, the six most commonly attended schools are all in California. By far the greatest number continue their studies at Cal Poly. UC Davis, USC, UC San Diego, San Jose State, and Berkeley also draw more than a handful of graduates each year. Many graduates of the Orfalea College of Business pursue master’s degrees in accounting. The highest number of engineering students pursued MBAs or master’s degrees in specific branches of engineering. Pursuing a legal education is a frequent choice of liberal arts graduates, and the University of San Diego, USC, and UCLA are the most commonly attended law schools.
Admission
Cal Poly accepted 30 percent of the nearly 55,000 freshmen applicants and 16 percent of the almost 11,000 transfer students who applied in 2018. Like many California public universities, Cal Poly has become more competitive in recent years. While acceptance rates have remained steady, other indicators strongly suggest this trend. A startling 10,000 students with 4.0 GPAs (or higher) were denied entry to the Class of 2022. Mid-50 percent standardized test scores were 1240-1430 on the SAT and 26-32 on the ACT. Fifty-nine percent of freshmen entering in 2018-19 claimed a spot in the top 10 percent of their high school class, and 89 percent were in the top quartile. Five years ago, those numbers were all significantly lower.
Freshman applicants apply to one of six colleges within the university, and some are more competitive than others. For example, the acceptance rate into the College of Engineering is 23 percent, and the average SAT of an admitted student is 1481. Those aiming for the School of Agriculture, Food & Environmental Sciences enjoy a 44 percent acceptance rate and average a significantly lower 1325 on the SAT. No matter the college to which you apply, Cal Poly is mainly interested in three factors when making admissions decisions: the rigor of your secondary curriculum, GPA, and standardized test scores. Things like extracurricular activities, work experience, and first-generation status also carry a small amount of weight. Getting into Cal Poly is a straightforward, albeit increasingly challenging proposition. Candidates with a sparkling transcript and SATs north of 1350 should fare well. Those aiming to study engineering, business, or science and mathematics will need stronger credentials than those applying to other colleges.
Worth Your Money?
Annual in-state tuition and fees to attend Cal Poly remain below five figures, an astounding value in today’s higher education marketplace. Including room, board, and all other expenses, the cost of attendance for California residents sits at $28,988. Out-of-staters pay an annual COA of under $43,000, not at all an unreasonable sum for the quality of education one will receive at this university. The school does not award large sums of need-based or merit-based aid; however, the net price most students pay still remains relatively low given the school’s modest sticker price.