Founded in 1901, California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo. is a Public college. Located in California, which is a city setting in California, the campus itself is Suburban. The campus is home to 20,426 full time undergraduate students, and 880 full time graduate students.
The California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo Academic calendar runs on a Quarter basis. In the school year the student to faculty ratio was 21:1. There are 842 full time instructional teachers. Degrees awarded at California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo include: Bachelor's Degree, Masters Degree, Post-master's certificate, Doctor's degree.
Admissions at CAL POLY are considered More Selective, with ,115% of all applicants being admitted.
In the school year, of the students who applied to the school, only 9 of those who were admitted eventually ended up enrolling.
98% of incoming freshmen are in the top half of their high school class. 83% were in the top quarter, and 50% were in the top tenth. You can apply online.
We asked, and students answered these important questions about student life at California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo.
226 Students rated on-campus housing 3.5 stars. 10 % gave the school a 5.0.
204 Students rated off-campus housing 3.4 stars. 0 % gave the school a 5.0.
246 Students rated campus food 2.8 stars. 4 % gave the school a 5.0.
249 Students rated campus facilities 4.1 stars. 32 % gave the school a 5.0.
249 Students rated class size 4.2 stars. 44 % gave the school a 5.0.
249 Students rated school activities 4.3 stars. 46 % gave the school a 5.0.
250 Students rated local services 4.2 stars. 45 % gave the school a 5.0.
251 Students rated academics 4.4 stars. 58 % gave the school a 5.0.
97 Students rated California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo
Cal Poly is an amazing, creative, and lively campus with a beautiful downtown and a thrilling nightlife experience! There is so much to do, being at the beach or shopping in the thrift stores and cute boutiques, that you could never get bored! I absolutely love it here!
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California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo has a great location as it is 10 minutes from several different beaches and a couple hours from San Francisco and Los Angeles. Cal Poly also has great people and was ranked #! for happiest places to live. The school makes classes harder than they have to be though.
Great
The fall 2020 acceptance rate for California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo is 29%. That means, out of _____ applications received in 2020 , _____ students were offered admission. The number of males who applied was _____ vs the number of females which was _____.
Cal Poly has been a huge blessing to me. I have learned to learn. In high school, it was about grades and simply getting homework done. Now, school has become an avenue for pursuing knowledge about the world around me. I look at the world through a new lense with every class I take. From stopping after geology class to wonder how that mountain might have formed to getting out of design class and admiring the beauty of a building, college causes me to appreciate the world around me that much more. I look forward to continuing my education and hope to use it to give others an appreciation for the world in which they live.
Upbeat, enthusiastic, knowledgable.
... Can't think of anything. I feel like I was thoroughly prepared.
This school has a great value for the education you get. For example, an engineering major that gets an engineering job can pay off loans very quickly. Also, if a student decides to pursue another path, they aren't left with loads of debt and a burden to go for a high-paying job. Money shouldn't be that important, and it's nice that Cal Poly allows students to live that way.
Cal Poly pushes students to do their best, succeede, help others, and learn by doing hands-on projects and assignments.
I wish more ethnic minorities would attend, but unless changes happen, I find it hard to attract minorities to Cal Poly. I think they should attend this school, but it can be hard because they most likely won't be comfortable.
My School is best known for its "learn by doing" motto. There are many in school projects and assignments that allow students to receive experience in their classes. It is a fun school, that provides a lot of learning experiences that allow the students to have fun and learn at the same time. Cal Poly has a gread agricultural school, and has many classes that help students learn more about agiculture, as well as the environment. It also has a nice clean campus. and a comfortable learning environment. Also it is located in a beautiful place.
Personally, Cal Poly offered me a chance at an education that rivals renowned engineering schools, such as MIT, for less than half of the price. I'm getting a top tier, hands-on academic experience that will prepare me for a career directly out of college. In addition, San Luis Obispo is known as "The Happiest Place in America" according to Oprah. It is a beautiful, nurturing environment that allows students to experience a college town in a location that has so much to offer outside of the classroom.
How far away from home it is because I live amost 12 hours away from school and only have the money to make it home twice a year.
Due to budget cuts there are not enough classes being offered, so many people find that they can't graduate on time, or they cannot create a schedule that works well for their lives.
Any kind of person could attend Cal Poly because of the large variety of clubs, activites, and jobs on campus that match each personility type.
No need to brag; it's already known that Cal Poly is a great school.
Cal Poly's definitely a college town - students make up about 1/2 of the city population. There's a lot of school pride, especially at sporting events, and you can't go a day without seeing someone in a Cal Poly shirt/hat/sweatshirt, etc. We've got a few quirks on campus, for one: never expect to be able to drive anywhere on campus at the top of the hour. It's impossible. Classes get out at either 30 past the hour, or at the top of it, so that's when foot traffic is at it's highest. Another to do with driving parking: finding a spot to park in on campus is virtually impossible as well; permits are expensive, and spots are limited and generally not close to where you'd like to be anyway - it's really much easier to bike or walk anywhere you need to go.
The professors are generally good people who all try and at least know your face, if not your name. One professor this quarter has a bet about knowing all our names by a specific date, and if he loses he'll get us a pizza party, so they're definitely human too. I've taken a lot of scattered classes from having switched my major, so Intro to Interactive Gaming was pretty unique, Equine Management, and a bunch of sport classes (soccer, flag football, aquatics, bowling etc.) are offered every quarter, and know there are a ton more out there.
College is not like high school with a bunch of cliques and stereotypes. Much of your friend base is from your freshman dorm and what clubs you're involved with. If you're willing to meet new people and be friendly, you're guaranteed to make friends as everyone is welcoming.
I am at Cal Poly Pomona, as I told the site.
I chose Cal Poly because it was the perfect school for what I was searching for. I wanted something that wasn't too close to home, but not far away. I am not 2.5 hours from home and that's perfect. I also wanted a school near the coast. Coming from a small town, I also wanted a small town type of school. I believe Cal Poly and SLO offer that. I also wanted a school that allowed me to excel in my major. I can complete my history degree in four years and then one year of grad school and I can teach high school. Also, who can beat SLO's view?
Four types of dorms. One is called The Towers and it's typical dorm living-mixed floor of boys and girls with a common area on each floor. The floors are rectangular and any and every kind of major lives in these. More fun and party oriented. Two is the red bricks, which is living specified by major. Good for studying and getting study groups. Meet a lot of people in major but not as social. Third is north mountain-bigger rooms but not as social. Kind of removed from the towers and red bricks. Last is cerro vista which is apartment style. Not social and harder to meet people. But nicest rooms and area to live.
There are a lot of intramurals at Cal Poly. One of our most popular is ultimate frisbee which is incredibly fun. We tend not to have too much school spirit when it comes down to the real teams except for the UCSB rivalry soccer game. I have not gone to one yet but I hear it's a lot of fun.
How hard it can be to get classes! You are given a rotation number (1-12) for registering for classes. If you have a later rotation it can be very difficult to get the classes you want. This is especially hard for freshman because you can't use any of your 3 priority registrations until your sophomore year.
47%
female
53%
male
Total Undergrad Enrollment
Total Grad Students
Out-Of-State
In-State
International
Student Organizations
Fraternities
Sororities
On-Campus Housing
of students living on campus
All students must apply yearly for financial aid. This process starts with the FAFSA. Though financial aid deadlines vary by school, it is a good idea to apply as soon as possible. For the upcoming school year, you can apply as early as October 1 for the FAFSA. Additional school aid will be dependent on the FAFSA results.
46% of students attending California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo receive some sort of financial aid. 11% were awarded federal grants. While 24% received federal loans. Many students do also need to apply for additional private student loans.
Tuition and fees(Out of state)
Books and Supplies
Room and Board
Total On Campus
We use student reviews and the most current publicly available data on our school pages. As such, we don't typically remove or edit college information. Sources for school statistics and data include the U.S. Department of Education's National Center for Education Statistics and the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System. Portions of college data include copyrighted material, which is reproduced on this website by permission of Wintergreen Orchard House, a division of Carnegie Communications. © 2009-2016 by Wintergreen Orchard House. All rights reserved.
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