California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo: Statistics
Updated:
| Position | Category |
|---|---|
| #731 of 14,131 | In the World |
| #239 of 2,597 | In North America |
| #212 of 2,496 | In the United States |
| #19 of 249 | In California |
| #105 of 1,010 | For Firefighting and Fire Science |
| Top50% | For 135 other topics |
Quick Review
- Acceptance rate
- 30%
- Undergraduates
- 21,559
- Graduates
- 926
- Male:Female Ratio
- 49:51
- Control
- Public
- Highest Degree
- Master's degree
- Website
- www.calpoly.edu
California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo Acceptance rate and admissions statistics
California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo has an acceptance rate of 30% and is among the top 7% of the most difficult universities to gain admission to in the United States. The university reports the admission statistics without distinguishing between local and international students.
| Total | Men | Women | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Acceptance Rate | 30% | 24% | 35% |
| Applicants | 63,736 | 31,722 | 32,014 |
| Admissions | 18,964 | 7,723 | 11,241 |
| Freshmen enrolled full time | 5,258 | 2,374 | 2,884 |
| Freshmen enrolled part time | 20 | 12 | 8 |
8,603 students enrolled in some distance education courses.
109 enrolled exclusively in distance education.
Admissions requirements
| College-preparatory program | Required |
|---|---|
| Secondary school GPA | Required |
| Secondary school record | Required |
| TOEFL | Required |
| Formal demonstration of competencies | Neither required nor recommended |
| Other Tests | Neither required nor recommended |
| Recommendations | Neither required nor recommended |
| SAT/ACT | Neither required nor recommended |
| Secondary school rank | Neither required nor recommended |
Enrollment demographics by race or ethnicity
| White | 11179 (50%) |
|---|---|
| Hispanic | 5156 (23%) |
| Asian | 3202 (14%) |
| Two or more races | 1754 (8%) |
| Race or Ethnicity unknown | 695 (3%) |
| Nonresident Alien | 261 (1%) |
| Black or African American | 154 (0.7%) |
| Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander | 57 (0.3%) |
| American Indian or Alaska Native | 12 (0.1%) |
Costs per year: Tuition, Housing, Fees
The final cost of attendance varies for each student based on household income, residency, program, and other factors.
- Average aid awarded
- $12,707
- Students receiving aid
- 60%
Tuition and fees
| Undergraduates | Graduates | |
|---|---|---|
| Tuition in-district | $5,742 | $7,176 |
| Tuition in-state | $5,742 | $7,176 |
| Tuition out-of-state | $17,622 | $16,680 |
| Fee in-district | $5,333 | $5,333 |
| Fee in-state | $5,333 | $5,333 |
| Fee out-of-state | $13,373 | $5,333 |
Room and board costs
| Dormitory capacity | 8,820 |
|---|---|
| Combined charge for room and board | $18,494 |
| Room charge | $11,094 |
| Meal charge | $7,400 |
California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo majors
California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo has granted 4,850 bachelor's degrees across 66 programs and 591 master's across 32 programs. Below is a table with majors that lead to degrees at California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo.
| Major | Bachelor | Master |
|---|---|---|
| Business Administration and Management, General | 689 | 27 |
| Mechanical Engineering | 278 | 40 |
| Computer Science | 201 | 32 |
| Electrical and Electronics Engineering | 159 | 26 |
| Biology & Biological Sciences, General | 161 | 13 |
| Psychology, General | 131 | 18 |
| Civil Engineering, General | 148 | |
| Construction Management, General | 148 | |
| Animal Sciences, General | 146 | |
| Aerospace, Aeronautical, and Astronautical & Space Engineering, General | 109 | 24 |
| Agribusiness & Agricultural Business Operations | 126 | |
| Architectural and Building Sciences & Technology | 126 | |
| Environmental & Natural Resources Management and Policy, Other | 123 | |
| Parks, Recreation, and Leisure Studies | 102 | |
| Bioengineering and Biomedical Engineering | 71 | 21 |
| Liberal Arts and Sciences & Liberal Studies | 86 | |
| Political Science and Government, General | 84 | |
| Computer Engineering, General | 83 | |
| Nutrition Sciences | 74 | 6 |
| Industrial Engineering | 76 | 1 |
| Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education & Fitness, General | 75 | 1 |
| Graphic Communications, General | 73 | |
| Speech Communication and Rhetoric | 71 | |
| Sociology, General | 66 | |
| English Language and Literature, General | 48 | 14 |
| Public Health, General | 61 | |
| Mathematics, General | 49 | 11 |
| Economics, General | 58 | |
| Fine & Studio Arts, General | 58 | |
| History, General | 53 | 4 |
| Agronomy and Crop Science | 55 | |
| Early Childhood Education and Teaching | 52 | |
| Journalism | 51 | |
| Agriculture, General | 31 | 19 |
| Management Science | 49 | |
| Viticulture and Enology | 49 | |
| Landscape Architecture | 48 | |
| Computer Software Engineering | 46 | |
| Materials Engineering | 46 | |
| Agricultural Teacher Education | 43 | |
| Forestry, General | 43 | |
| Civil Engineering, Other | 41 | |
| Statistics, General | 41 | |
| Environmental & Environmental Health Engineering | 39 | |
| City & Urban, Community, and Regional Planning | 36 | 2 |
| Agricultural Engineering | 37 | |
| Biochemistry | 37 | |
| Food Science | 32 | 5 |
| Geological and Earth Sciences & Geosciences, Other | 37 | |
| Industrial Technology & Technician | 36 | |
| Social Sciences, Other | 35 | |
| Agricultural Mechanization, General | 31 | |
| Multi- & Interdisciplinary Studies, Other | 30 | |
| Physics, General | 30 | |
| Agricultural Communication & Journalism | 29 | |
| Chemistry, General | 29 | |
| Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities, Other | 29 | |
| Philosophy | 28 | |
| Fire Protection, Other | 27 | |
| Architectural Engineering | 26 | |
| Engineering & Industrial Management | 26 | |
| Marine Sciences | 25 | |
| Microbiology, General | 23 | |
| Econometrics and Quantitative Economics | 22 | |
| College Student Counseling and Personnel Services | 20 | |
| Polymer Chemistry | 18 | |
| Public Policy Analysis, General | 18 | |
| Environmental Science | 17 | |
| Manufacturing Engineering | 17 | |
| Drama and Dramatics & Theatre Arts, General | 16 | |
| Taxation | 16 | |
| Music, General | 14 | |
| Dairy Science | 13 | |
| Engineering Science | 13 | |
| Curriculum and Instruction | 11 | |
| Educational Leadership and Administration, General | 9 | |
| Ethnic, Cultural Minority, Gender, and Group Studies, Other | 8 | |
| Packaging Science | 6 | |
| Spanish Language and Literature | 4 | |
| Special Education and Teaching, General | 4 | |
| Foreign Languages and Literatures, General | 1 | |
| Grand Total | 4,850 | 591 |
California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo has a graduation rate of 85%, which is among the 7% highest for universities in the US.
| Total | Men | Women | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Graduation rate | 85% | 82% | 88% |
| |||
Publications & Citations
California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo is a world-class research university with 17,047 scientific papers published and 333,856 citations received. The research profile covers a range of fields, including Engineering, Liberal Arts & Social Sciences, Environmental Science, Physics, Biology, Computer Science, Chemistry, Geography and Cartography, Quantum and Particle physics, and Political Science.
Publication / Citation count by topic
Annual publication & citation counts
| Year | Publications | Citations |
|---|---|---|
| 1992 | 106 | 455 |
| 1993 | 112 | 503 |
| 1994 | 103 | 634 |
| 1995 | 100 | 772 |
| 1996 | 82 | 701 |
| 1997 | 106 | 814 |
| 1998 | 127 | 832 |
| 1999 | 131 | 989 |
| 2000 | 140 | 1207 |
| 2001 | 141 | 1333 |
| 2002 | 252 | 1721 |
| 2003 | 223 | 2355 |
| 2004 | 222 | 2559 |
| 2005 | 249 | 3236 |
| 2006 | 317 | 3963 |
| 2007 | 332 | 4545 |
| 2008 | 451 | 5439 |
| 2009 | 626 | 6544 |
| 2010 | 655 | 7559 |
| 2011 | 752 | 9736 |
| 2012 | 701 | 11025 |
| 2013 | 712 | 12628 |
| 2014 | 691 | 13604 |
| 2015 | 807 | 14429 |
| 2016 | 840 | 15379 |
| 2017 | 750 | 16154 |
| 2018 | 847 | 17711 |
| 2019 | 842 | 20422 |
| 2020 | 1255 | 26732 |
| 2021 | 932 | 32016 |
| 2022 | 782 | 28919 |
| 2023 | 753 | 31021 |
| 2024 | 780 | 30041 |
California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo alumni
-
"Weird Al" Yankovic
- Enrolled in California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo
- Graduated with Bachelor of Architecture
- Occupations
- singer-songwriteractorcomedian
- Biography
-
Alfred Matthew "Weird Al" Yankovic is an American comedy musician, writer, and actor. He is best known for writing and performing comedy songs that often parody specific songs by contemporary musicians. He also performs original songs that are style pastiches of the work of other acts, as well as polka medleys of several popular songs, most of which feature his trademark accordion.
-
Chuck Liddell
- Occupations
- mixed martial arts fighteractorathleteamateur wrestlerkickboxer
- Biography
-
Charles David Liddell is an American former professional mixed martial artist. A professional competitor from 1998 to 2018, Liddell is a former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion (from 2005 to 2007) and is widely credited, along with fellow UFC fighter Randy Couture, with helping bring MMA into the mainstream of American sports and entertainment. Known as "The Iceman", Liddell achieved a 16–7 MMA record in the UFC, and an overall MMA record of 21–9, with 13 of his wins coming by way of knockout. He also achieved a 20-2 record in kickboxing, with 16 of his wins coming by way of knockout, and won two national amateur championships. He retired in late 2010, then came out of retirement for one bout in 2018, in a loss to rival Tito Ortiz. On July 10, 2009, Liddell was inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame.
-
Devin Nunes
- Enrolled in California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo
- In 1995 graduated with Bachelor of Science
- In 1996 graduated with Master of Science
- Occupations
- businesspersonpoliticianfarmer
- Biography
-
Devin Gerald Nunes GOIH is an American businessman and politician who serves as the Chair of the President's Intelligence Advisory Board since January 20, 2025, and as chief executive officer of the Trump Media & Technology Group (TMTG). Before resigning from the House of Representatives and joining TMTG, Nunes was first the U.S. representative for California's 21st congressional district from 2003 to 2013, and then California's 22nd congressional district from 2013 to 2022.
-
Chad Mendes
- Occupations
- mixed martial arts fightercollegiate wrestler
- Biography
-
Chad Eduardo Mendes is an American professional bare-knuckle boxer, and former mixed martial artist and collegiate wrestler who is currently signed to Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship (BKFC). Mendes gained notoriety competing in the featherweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), where he was a three-time UFC championship challenger. Competing as a Cal Poly Mustang, he was a two-time NCAA Division I All-American and a Pac-10 Conference champion in folkstyle wrestling.
General info
| Alternative names | Cal Poly |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1901 |
| Motto | Discere Faciendo |
| Colors | green, gold |
| Academic calendar | September to June (September - December; January-March; March-June). Also Summer Quarter (June-August) |
| Total FTE staff | 2,658 |
| Carnegie classification | Master's Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs |
Location and contacts
| Address | 1 Grand Ave. San Luis Obispo, California, 93407 United States |
|---|---|
| City population | 47,000 |
| Phone | 8057561111 |