California Polytechnic State University – San Luis Obispo: Statistics
Updated:
EliteDegrees
| 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 1 | In San Luis Obispo |
| # 108 of 14,131 | For Firefighting and Fire Science |
| Top 1-3 | For 12 other topics |
Quick Review
Acceptance rate
31%
Enrollment
27,636
Average SAT
1,175
Average ACT
23
Aid receiving
62%
Undergraduates
22,033
Graduates
1,036
Male:Female Ratio
49:51
Type
Public
not-for-profit
not-for-profit
Highest Degree
Master's degree
Website
Acceptance rate & Admissions
California Polytechnic State University – San Luis Obispo has an acceptance rate of 31% and is among the top 1% 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% | 31% | 31% |
| Applicants | 68,371 | 33,952 | 34,419 |
| Admissions | 21,416 | 9,124 | 12,292 |
| Freshmen enrolled full time | 5,260 | 2,427 | 2,833 |
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
| â– White | 48% |
|---|---|
| â– Asian | 14% |
| â– Hispanic | 25% |
| â– Two or more races | 8% |
| â– Unknown | 3% |
Tuition
Below is the standard credit pricing for the various degree levels offered at California Polytechnic State University – San Luis Obispo.
| Degree Level | Cost Per Credit |
|---|---|
| Associate Degree | 1,749 CR |
| Bachelor Program | 1,950 CR |
| Master Program | 2,149 CR |
| Ph.D. / Doctoral | 2,850 CR |
Final tuition fees may vary based on specific department requirements, residency status, and selected elective courses. Please contact the admissions office for a detailed financial breakdown.
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 |
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
| Engineering |
9,795
/ 192,411
|
|---|---|
| Liberal Arts & Social Sciences |
9,063
/ 160,789
|
| Environmental Science |
8,872
/ 166,119
|
| Physics |
8,020
/ 161,213
|
| Biology |
7,759
/ 163,064
|
| Computer Science |
7,478
/ 154,250
|
| Chemistry |
6,218
/ 135,908
|
| Geography and Cartography |
5,236
/ 85,674
|
| Quantum and Particle physics |
5,201
/ 110,553
|
| Political Science |
4,946
/ 83,092
|
| Medicine |
4,781
/ 112,972
|
| Law |
4,659
/ 80,077
|
| Geology |
4,627
/ 100,117
|
| Ecology |
4,378
/ 91,775
|
| Business |
4,236
/ 104,311
|
| Sociology |
4,019
/ 68,883
|
| Mathematics |
3,953
/ 99,728
|
| Philosophy |
3,844
/ 66,611
|
| Psychology |
3,616
/ 101,846
|
| History |
3,479
/ 55,381
|
| Materials Science |
3,422
/ 66,836
|
| Archaeology |
3,049
/ 51,626
|
| Artificial Intelligence (AI) |
3,028
/ 49,567
|
| Economics |
2,822
/ 50,953
|
| Organic chemistry |
2,728
/ 64,994
|
| Paleontology |
2,691
/ 66,610
|
| Statistics |
2,612
/ 86,528
|
| Genetics |
2,527
/ 63,860
|
| Biochemistry |
2,339
/ 59,002
|
| Mechanical Engineering |
2,300
/ 25,549
|
| Art & Design |
2,199
/ 29,900
|
| Electrical Engineering |
2,031
/ 23,723
|
| Management |
1,962
/ 42,086
|
| Optics |
1,928
/ 43,003
|
| Aerospace Engineering |
1,779
/ 25,932
|
| Linguistics |
1,750
/ 23,451
|
| Botany |
1,617
/ 35,764
|
| Pathology |
1,592
/ 29,331
|
| Astrophysics and Astronomy |
1,498
/ 35,435
|
| Development Studies |
1,379
/ 22,394
|
Annual publication & citation counts
83 Notable alumni
1. Benjamin F. Montoya
1935-2015 (aged 80)
civil engineer
military officer
Benjamin Franklin Montoya was a United States Navy rear admiral. He served as commanding officer of Naval Facilities Engineering Command from 1987 to 1989. Montoya was the first Hispanic chief of naval civil engineers.
+ show more
2. Warren Nelson
1950-. (aged 76)
businessperson
Warren James Nelson III is an American businessman, and the president of Nelcal Private Equity Investments LP.
3. Alyssa Giannetti
1994-. (aged 32)
association football player
Alyssa Rose Giannetti is an American professional soccer player. She plays the goalkeeper position.
4. Terri Schneider
1961-. (aged 65)
triathlete
Terri Schneider is an endurance athlete, motivational speaker, author, coach, and consultant. In 1990, she won the Escape from Alcatraz and took third place at the 1990 Ironman World Championship.
+ show more
All 83 notable alumni
General Info & Contacts
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 staff
2,804
Classification
Master's Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
Address
1 Grand Ave. San Luis Obispo, California, 93407 United States
City Population
47,000
Phone
8057561111
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