California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo: Statistics
Updated:
| Position | Category |
|---|---|
| #718 of 14,131 | In the World |
| #236 of 2,597 | In North America |
| #209 of 2,496 | In the United States |
| #18 of 249 | In California |
| #108 of 1,031 | For Firefighting and Fire Science |
| Top50% | For 136 other topics |
Quick Review
- Acceptance rate
- 31%
- Undergraduates
- 22,033
- Graduates
- 1,036
- 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 31% and is among the top 8% 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 | 31% | 27% | 36% |
| Applicants | 68,371 | 33,952 | 34,419 |
| Admissions | 21,416 | 9,124 | 12,292 |
| Freshmen enrolled full time | 5,260 | 2,427 | 2,833 |
| Freshmen enrolled part time | 11 | 5 | 6 |
7,947 students enrolled in some distance education courses.
127 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 | 11027 (48%) |
|---|---|
| Hispanic | 5773 (25%) |
| Asian | 3187 (14%) |
| Two or more races | 1851 (8%) |
| Race or Ethnicity unknown | 762 (3%) |
| Nonresident Alien | 218 (0.9%) |
| Black or African American | 173 (0.8%) |
| Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander | 50 (0.2%) |
| American Indian or Alaska Native | 16 (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
- $14,338
- Students receiving aid
- 62%
Tuition and fees
| Undergraduates | Graduates | |
|---|---|---|
| Tuition in-district | $6,084 | $7,608 |
| Tuition in-state | $6,084 | $7,608 |
| Tuition out-of-state | $18,684 | $17,688 |
| Fee in-district | $7,512 | $6,077 |
| Fee in-state | $7,512 | $6,077 |
| Fee out-of-state | $15,981 | $6,077 |
Room and board costs
| Dormitory capacity | 8,769 |
|---|---|
| Combined charge for room and board | $19,412 |
| Room charge | $11,589 |
| Meal charge | $7,823 |
California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo majors
California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo has granted 4,985 bachelor's degrees across 67 programs and 544 master's across 34 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 | 747 | 29 |
| Mechanical Engineering | 288 | 21 |
| Computer Science | 219 | 28 |
| Animal Sciences, General | 189 | |
| Architectural and Building Sciences & Technology | 172 | |
| Biology & Biological Sciences, General | 153 | 17 |
| Psychology, General | 152 | 12 |
| Environmental & Natural Resources Management and Policy, Other | 136 | |
| Civil Engineering, General | 126 | |
| Construction Management, General | 126 | |
| Agribusiness & Agricultural Business Operations | 117 | |
| Aerospace, Aeronautical, and Astronautical & Space Engineering, General | 95 | 12 |
| Bioengineering and Biomedical Engineering | 84 | 23 |
| Political Science and Government, General | 97 | |
| Parks, Recreation, and Leisure Studies | 93 | |
| Electrical and Electronics Engineering | 76 | 10 |
| Speech Communication and Rhetoric | 86 | |
| Journalism | 85 | |
| Liberal Arts and Sciences & Liberal Studies | 82 | |
| Computer Engineering, General | 80 | |
| Graphic Communications, General | 80 | |
| Mathematics, General | 66 | 12 |
| Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education & Fitness, General | 76 | |
| Industrial Engineering | 68 | 4 |
| History, General | 61 | 8 |
| Nutrition Sciences | 63 | 3 |
| Viticulture and Enology | 65 | |
| Fine & Studio Arts, General | 61 | |
| Agricultural Teacher Education | 60 | |
| Materials Engineering | 59 | |
| English Language and Literature, General | 52 | 6 |
| Sociology, General | 58 | |
| Architectural Engineering | 44 | 13 |
| Economics, General | 57 | |
| Public Health, General | 52 | |
| Management Science | 51 | |
| Early Childhood Education and Teaching | 50 | |
| Agriculture, General | 36 | 12 |
| Agronomy and Crop Science | 48 | |
| Industrial Technology & Technician | 47 | |
| Statistics, General | 46 | 1 |
| Food Science | 42 | 2 |
| Landscape Architecture | 42 | |
| Multi- & Interdisciplinary Studies, Other | 41 | |
| City & Urban, Community, and Regional Planning | 30 | 9 |
| Forestry, General | 39 | |
| Computer Software Engineering | 37 | |
| Agricultural Communication & Journalism | 35 | |
| Social Sciences, Other | 33 | |
| Agricultural Engineering | 32 | |
| Physics, General | 32 | |
| Environmental & Environmental Health Engineering | 31 | |
| Agricultural Mechanization, General | 30 | |
| Geological and Earth Sciences & Geosciences, Other | 30 | |
| Philosophy | 30 | |
| Biochemistry | 29 | |
| Manufacturing Engineering | 28 | |
| Chemistry, General | 27 | |
| Civil Engineering, Other | 25 | |
| Marine Sciences | 24 | |
| Econometrics and Quantitative Economics | 20 | |
| Educational Leadership and Administration, General | 20 | |
| Engineering & Industrial Management | 20 | |
| Microbiology, General | 20 | |
| Environmental Science | 19 | |
| Dairy Science | 18 | |
| Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities, Other | 18 | |
| College Student Counseling and Personnel Services | 17 | |
| Curriculum and Instruction | 15 | |
| Taxation | 14 | |
| Packaging Science | 13 | |
| Engineering Science | 12 | |
| Special Education and Teaching, General | 12 | |
| Fire Protection, Other | 11 | |
| Public Policy Analysis, General | 10 | |
| Drama and Dramatics & Theatre Arts, General | 9 | |
| Music, General | 9 | |
| Polymer Chemistry | 9 | |
| Spanish Language and Literature | 8 | |
| Architecture | 6 | |
| Ethnic, Cultural Minority, Gender, and Group Studies, Other | 5 | |
| Ecology | 1 | |
| Foreign Languages and Literatures, General | 1 | |
| Grand Total | 4,985 | 544 |
California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo has a graduation rate of 86%, which is among the 7% highest for universities in the US.
| Total | Men | Women | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Graduation rate | 86% | 84% | 88% |
| |||
Publications & Citations
California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo is a world-class research university with 17,506 scientific papers published and 354,799 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 |
|---|---|---|
| 1993 | 112 | 504 |
| 1994 | 104 | 638 |
| 1995 | 102 | 778 |
| 1996 | 82 | 707 |
| 1997 | 106 | 816 |
| 1998 | 127 | 834 |
| 1999 | 131 | 991 |
| 2000 | 140 | 1209 |
| 2001 | 141 | 1337 |
| 2002 | 253 | 1725 |
| 2003 | 223 | 2361 |
| 2004 | 222 | 2570 |
| 2005 | 249 | 3239 |
| 2006 | 317 | 3965 |
| 2007 | 332 | 4543 |
| 2008 | 451 | 5439 |
| 2009 | 625 | 6551 |
| 2010 | 656 | 7563 |
| 2011 | 752 | 9740 |
| 2012 | 701 | 11026 |
| 2013 | 714 | 12624 |
| 2014 | 696 | 13622 |
| 2015 | 808 | 14473 |
| 2016 | 841 | 15439 |
| 2017 | 751 | 16207 |
| 2018 | 847 | 17756 |
| 2019 | 843 | 20458 |
| 2020 | 1258 | 26796 |
| 2021 | 932 | 32043 |
| 2022 | 784 | 28930 |
| 2023 | 755 | 31065 |
| 2024 | 805 | 30413 |
| 2025 | 515 | 26262 |
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
- actorcomediansinger-songwriter
- 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 popular songs, most of which feature his trademark accordion. Since having one of his comedy songs aired on The Dr. Demento Radio Show in 1976 at age 16, Yankovic has sold more than 12 million albums (as of 2025), recorded more than 150 parodies and original songs, and performed more than 2,000 live shows.
-
Chuck Liddell
- Occupations
- athleteamateur wrestlerkickboxerkaratekamixed martial arts fighter
- 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
- farmerbusinesspersonpolitician
- 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.
-
Taylor Tomlinson
- Occupations
- stand-up comediantelevision presenter
- Biography
-
Taylor Elyse Tomlinson is an American stand-up comedian. She has released three Netflix stand-up specials: Quarter-Life Crisis (2020), Look At You (2022) and Have It All (2024). She hosted the CBS late-night show After Midnight, which ran from January 2024 through June 2025.
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 | 2,804 |
| 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 |