California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo: Statistics

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Position Category
#734 of 14,131 In the World
#245 of 2,597 In North America
#218 of 2,496 In the United States
#19 of 249 In California
#89 of 1,034 For Aerospace Engineering
Top50% For 45 other topics
Subject rankings

Quick Review

Acceptance rate
33%
Aid receiving
65%
Undergraduates
21,128
Graduates
1,103
Male:Female Ratio
51:49
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 33% 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 33% 28% 38%
Applicants 54,570 27,380 27,190
Admissions 18,008 7,693 10,315
Freshmen enrolled full time 4,859 2,408 2,451
Freshmen enrolled part time 25 9 16

15,682 students enrolled in some distance education courses.

846 enrolled exclusively in distance education.

Admissions requirements

College-preparatory program Required
Secondary school GPA Required
Secondary school record 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
TOEFL Neither required nor recommended

Enrollment demographics by race or ethnicity

White 11781 (53%)
Hispanic 4303 (19%)
Asian 2996 (13%)
Two or more races 1662 (7%)
Race or Ethnicity unknown 737 (3%)
Nonresident Alien 514 (2%)
Black or African American 160 (0.7%)
Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander 51 (0.2%)
American Indian or Alaska Native 10 (0%)

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
$5,988
Students receiving aid
65%

Tuition and fees

UndergraduatesGraduates
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 $4,453$4,453
Fee in-state $4,453$4,453
Fee out-of-state $10,483$4,453

Room and board costs

Dormitory capacity 8,147
Combined charge for room and board $15,780
Room charge $9,642
Meal charge $6,138

California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo majors

California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo has granted 5,376 bachelor's degrees across 67 programs and 520 master's across 37 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 766 36
Mechanical Engineering 293 28
Biology & Biological Sciences, General 204 19
Computer Science 175 28
Civil Engineering, General 172
Psychology, General 155 14
Animal Sciences, General 168
Electrical and Electronics Engineering 141 20
Architectural and Building Sciences & Technology 154
Agribusiness & Agricultural Business Operations 132 2
Parks, Recreation, and Leisure Studies 119
Construction Management, General 114
Speech Communication and Rhetoric 111
Aerospace, Aeronautical, and Astronautical & Space Engineering, General 93 17
Bioengineering and Biomedical Engineering 80 28
Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education & Fitness, General 106 2
Industrial Engineering 101 3
Environmental & Natural Resources Management and Policy, Other 101
Liberal Arts and Sciences & Liberal Studies 101
Computer Engineering, General 97
Economics, General 97
Graphic Communications, General 94
Political Science and Government, General 94
English Language and Literature, General 79 10
Sociology, General 81
Journalism 79
Nutrition Sciences 73 3
Early Childhood Education and Teaching 70
History, General 59 5
Viticulture and Enology 62
Computer Software Engineering 61
Industrial Technology & Technician 59
Mathematics, General 53 6
Agronomy and Crop Science 54
Agriculture, General 38 14
Agricultural Engineering 51
Architectural Engineering 42 8
Landscape Architecture 50
Fine & Studio Arts, General 49
Food Science 44 3
City & Urban, Community, and Regional Planning 33 13
Social Sciences, Other 44
Agricultural Mechanization, General 42
Civil Engineering, Other 42
Materials Engineering 41
Statistics, General 40
Forestry, General 36 3
Geological and Earth Sciences & Geosciences, Other 39
Philosophy 39
Agricultural Teacher Education 38
Chemistry, General 36
Environmental & Environmental Health Engineering 36
Biochemistry 35
Physics, General 35
Public Health, General 32
Marine Sciences 28
Microbiology, General 27
Agricultural Communication & Journalism 24
Accounting 23
Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities, Other 22
Manufacturing Engineering 20
Management Science 19
Multi- & Interdisciplinary Studies, Other 19
Dairy Science 18
Educational Leadership and Administration, General 17
Engineering Science 16
Fire Protection, Other 16
College Student Counseling and Personnel Services 14
Engineering & Industrial Management 14
Drama and Dramatics & Theatre Arts, General 13
Econometrics and Quantitative Economics 13
Public Policy Analysis, General 12
Taxation 11
Environmental Science 10
Ethnic, Cultural Minority, Gender, and Group Studies, Other 10
Special Education and Teaching, General 9
Music, General 8
Polymer Chemistry 8
Foreign Languages and Literatures, General 6
Packaging Science 6
Engineering, General 4
Spanish Language and Literature 4
Architecture 2
Ornamental Horticulture 1
Grand Total 5,376 520

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% 89%
  • Full-time retention rate - 95%
  • Part-time retention rate - 83%

Publications & Citations

California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo has published 7,281 scientific papers with 242,570 citations received. The research profile covers a range of fields, including Engineering, Liberal Arts & Social Sciences, Physics, Environmental Science, Biology, Business, Chemistry, Computer Science, Medicine, and Psychology.

Publications
7,281
Citations
242,570

Publication / Citation count by topic

Engineering
1,745 / 32,749
Liberal Arts & Social Sciences
1,361 / 35,757
Physics
1,084 / 47,239
Environmental Science
1,036 / 33,870
Biology
911 / 34,114
Business
796 / 60,626
Chemistry
782 / 23,340
Computer Science
759 / 48,631
Medicine
619 / 18,063
Psychology
563 / 55,903
Mathematics
442 / 10,323
Materials Science
440 / 8,668
Economics
379 / 15,306
Art & Design
315 / 3,289
Demography
279 / 11,335
Sociology
276 / 7,025
Ecology
241 / 13,432
Geography and Cartography
235 / 5,723
Political Science
224 / 3,740
Social Psychology
205 / 42,230
Artificial Intelligence (AI)
204 / 3,691
Nuclear Physics
195 / 24,349
Astrophysics and Astronomy
194 / 8,000
Environmental Management
189 / 8,278
Structural Engineering
172 / 4,108
Math Teachers
171 / 3,775
Quantum and Particle physics
168 / 19,668
Geology
149 / 4,913
Optical Engineering
143 / 1,339
Aerospace Engineering
142 / 1,711
Communications and Public Relations
135 / 4,884
Nutrition and Food Science
134 / 3,755
Marketing
127 / 6,702
Health Science
125 / 1,377
Education Majors
123 / 3,644
History
110 / 796
Automation and Control engineering
107 / 961
Econometrics and Mathematical Economics
101 / 2,794
Management Information Systems
101 / 36,967
Public Health
98 / 4,451

Annual publication & citation counts

Year Publications Citations
1991 86 432
1992 80 454
1993 80 546
1994 75 758
1995 78 815
1996 56 777
1997 80 985
1998 102 1063
1999 99 1294
2000 96 1490
2001 105 1696
2002 160 2161
2003 167 2849
2004 166 3435
2005 178 4339
2006 233 5278
2007 263 6061
2008 310 7370
2009 320 9080
2010 365 9998
2011 384 12886
2012 382 14381
2013 368 16989
2014 428 18465
2015 469 19042
2016 461 19848
2017 486 19433
2018 484 19441
2019 556 21777
2020 652 27667
2021 599 32792
Academic rankings

California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo alumni

  1. "Weird Al" Yankovic

    "Weird Al" Yankovic
    Born in
    United States Flag United States
    Years
    1959-.. (age 64)
    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 singer, musician, songwriter, record producer, actor and author. He is best known for creating comedy songs that make light of pop culture and 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.

  2. Chuck Liddell

    Chuck Liddell
    Born in
    United States Flag United States
    Years
    1969-.. (age 54)
    Occupations
    kickboxerkaratekamixed martial arts fighteractorathlete
    Biography

    Charles David Liddell is an American retired mixed martial artist (MMA) who held the title of UFC Light Heavyweight Champion. He 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 16-6 UFC record, and an overall record of 21-8, with 16 of his wins coming by way of knockout. He retired in late 2010, then came out of retirement for one match in 2018, a loss, bringing his career record to 21-9. On July 10, 2009, Liddell was inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame.

  3. Devin Nunes

    Devin Nunes
    Born in
    United States Flag United States
    Years
    1973-.. (age 50)
    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 is an American businessman and politician who is 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 and then California's 22nd congressional district from 2003 to 2022.

  4. Chad Mendes

    Chad Mendes
    Born in
    United States Flag United States
    Years
    1985-.. (age 38)
    Occupations
    mixed martial arts fightercollegiate wrestler
    Biography

    Chad Eduardo Mendes is an American former professional bare-knuckle boxer, 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.

All 76 notable alumni

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 2,426
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

California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo in social media