California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo
San Luis Obispo, California · Also known as Cal Poly · Website
$90,768
median earnings, 10 years after starting
$90,768
median earnings, 10 years after starting
California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo is a public 4-year college in San Luis Obispo, California with 21,996 undergraduates and 1,036 graduate students. Its average net price after grants is $16,665 a year (tuition and fees $13,596 in-state, $34,665 out-of-state). It admits 31% of applicants and 86% of students finish within 6 years. Former students earn a median $90,768 a year 10 years after they started, and graduates leave with a median $18,500 in federal student loans.
Updated Oct 10, 2026 · June 2026 data
Net price
$16,665
US median $17,138
Tuition in-state
$13,596
Out-of-state $34,665
Admission rate
31%
US median 78%
Completion rate
86%
Within 6 years, US 58%
Median debt
$18,500
About $196 a month
Earnings at 10 years
$90,768
Rank 97 of 5,094 in the US
Cost
What a year costs: posted prices and the average after grants
Net price by family income
Average yearly cost after grants, for students who get aid
- Net price
- $16,665
- Tuition in-state
- $13,596
- Tuition out-of-state
- $34,665
- Cost of attendance
- $32,265
- Students with a need-based grant
- 19%
- Students with federal loans
- 25%
- Net price, family income under $30K
- $7,529
- Net price, family income $30K to $48K
- $7,253
- Net price, family income $48K to $75K
- $9,896
- Net price, family income $75K to $110K
- $15,786
- Net price, family income over $110K
- $27,772
Net price is what students who get aid pay on average after grants.
Tuition and net price by year
School years 2015-16 to 2024-25. The year on the chart is the year the school year starts.
Yearly cost
Tuition and fees went from $9,001 in 2015-16 to $13,596 in 2024-25.
Admission, completion and retention
Share of applicants admitted, of students who finish and of first-year students who come back
Admission and students
- Admission rate
- 31%
- Undergraduates
- 21,996
- Graduate students
- 1,036
- Part-time students
- 3.5%
- Women
- 51%
- Students per teacher
- 19
- Completion rate
- 86%
- Retention rate
- 96%
- Highest degree
- Graduate degree
- Programs
- 125
- Endowment
- $296.4M
- Other
- Hispanic-serving
Earnings and debt
Compared with the medians of the colleges of its state, of colleges of the same kind and of all US colleges
Median earnings 10 years after starting rank 97 of 5,094 US colleges and 21 of 494 in California (1 = highest).
| Measure | College | CA median | Same kind | US median |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Net price | $16,665 | $20,161 | $12,792 | $17,138 |
| Tuition in-state | $13,596 | $8,086 | $8,626 | $11,837 |
| Admission rate | 31% | 76% | 83% | 78% |
| Completion rate | 86% | 64% | 46% | 58% |
| Retention rate | 96% | 80% | 76% | 75% |
| Median debt | $18,500 | $11,537 | $19,500 | $13,271 |
| Earnings after 6 years | $72,358 | $36,048 | $43,105 | $35,656 |
| Earnings after 10 years | $90,768 | $41,472 | $50,314 | $40,813 |
Best-paid programs
Median earnings 1 year after graduation
Same kind: US public 4-year colleges. Earnings and debt are medians of former students who received federal student aid. 87% of borrowers lowered their balance within 3 years. 87% earn more than a typical high school graduate 6 years after starting.
Programs
125 fields of study and credentials, with graduates, debt and earnings
| Field of study | Graduates | Median debt | Earnings 1 yr | Earnings 4 yr | US median 4 yr | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Business Administration, Management and OperationsBachelor's | Bachelor's | 689 | $16,633 | $71,876 | $110,902 | $68,257 |
| Mechanical EngineeringBachelor's | Bachelor's | 278 | $20,500 | $83,011 | $106,750 | $92,135 |
| Computer ScienceBachelor's | Bachelor's | 202 | $19,500 | $111,141 | $154,784 | $107,009 |
| Biology, GeneralBachelor's | Bachelor's | 163 | $23,000 | $35,638 | $69,854 | $57,214 |
| Animal SciencesBachelor's | Bachelor's | 159 | $20,500 | $33,879 | $54,805 | $49,634 |
| Electrical, Electronics, and Communications EngineeringBachelor's | Bachelor's | 159 | $23,475 | $90,576 | $125,240 | $100,647 |
| Construction ManagementBachelor's | Bachelor's | 150 | $18,500 | $92,785 | $118,331 | $95,124 |
| Civil EngineeringBachelor's | Bachelor's | 148 | $20,424 | $80,673 | $101,072 | $86,517 |
| Psychology, GeneralBachelor's | Bachelor's | 135 | $18,916 | $23,744 | $60,466 | $50,706 |
| Environmental/Natural Resources Management and PolicyBachelor's | Bachelor's | 129 | $19,500 | $37,126 | $68,965 | $56,185 |
| Computer EngineeringBachelor's | Bachelor's | 129 | $20,556 | $111,560 | $148,950 | $109,015 |
| Agricultural Business and ManagementBachelor's | Bachelor's | 126 | $16,000 | $52,778 | $88,396 | $66,647 |
| Architectural Sciences and TechnologyBachelor's | Bachelor's | 126 | $23,500 | $58,653 | Withheld | - |
| Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and HumanitiesBachelor's | Bachelor's | 116 | $17,500 | $35,056 | $68,171 | $53,072 |
| Aerospace, Aeronautical, and Astronautical/Space EngineeringBachelor's | Bachelor's | 110 | $22,500 | $85,509 | $107,498 | $98,207 |
| Parks, Recreation, and Leisure StudiesBachelor's | Bachelor's | 102 | $15,400 | $39,157 | $75,181 | $50,983 |
| Political Science and GovernmentBachelor's | Bachelor's | 85 | $17,831 | $37,003 | $81,843 | $63,293 |
| Food Science and TechnologyBachelor's | Bachelor's | 81 | $19,500 | $52,240 | $75,466 | $70,873 |
| Industrial EngineeringBachelor's | Bachelor's | 76 | $19,691 | $87,226 | $112,797 | $98,442 |
| Graphic CommunicationsBachelor's | Bachelor's | 75 | $17,961 | $49,029 | $79,432 | $43,283 |
| Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/FitnessBachelor's | Bachelor's | 75 | $15,000 | $30,472 | $64,579 | $54,562 |
| Nutrition SciencesBachelor's | Bachelor's | 74 | $17,166 | $22,675 | $68,930 | $60,053 |
| Communication and Media StudiesBachelor's | Bachelor's | 71 | $14,857 | $62,183 | $75,223 | $56,359 |
| Biomedical/Medical EngineeringBachelor's | Bachelor's | 71 | $20,500 | $81,186 | $109,232 | $93,451 |
| SociologyBachelor's | Bachelor's | 66 | $16,500 | $30,401 | $69,883 | $52,657 |
In the area
- Jobs, pay and new homes: California on Local Economy
- More colleges: All colleges in California
- Homes: Homes for sale in California
Questions and answers
How much does California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo cost?
$16,665 a year is the average net price at California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo after grants and scholarships. Tuition and fees are $13,596 for in-state students and $34,665 for out-of-state students, and the full cost of attendance with housing, food and books is $32,265. Families earning under $30,000 pay $7,529 on average.
What is the acceptance rate at California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo?
31% of applicants are admitted to California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo. The median admission rate of colleges in California is 76%.
How much do California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo graduates earn?
$90,768 a year is the median pay of former California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo students who work, 10 years after they started ($72,358 after 6 years). That ranks 97 of 5,094 US colleges and 21 of 494 in California. Its best-paid program one year after graduation is Computer Engineering (Bachelor's) at $111,560.
How much student debt do California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo graduates have?
$18,500 is the median federal student loan debt of California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo graduates, about $196 a month over 10 years. The median across US colleges is $13,271. 25% of undergraduates take out federal loans.
What is the graduation rate at California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo?
86% of first-time, full-time students at California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo finish within 6 years. 96% of first-year students come back for a second year. The median of public 4-year colleges is 46%.
What are the most popular majors at California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo?
Business Administration, Management and Operations (689 bachelor's graduates), Mechanical Engineering (278 bachelor's graduates), Computer Science (202 bachelor's graduates) had the most graduates in the newest year, out of 125 programs.
Official public data, June 2026 release. Net price is for first-time, full-time students who get aid. Completion counts first-time, full-time students who finish within 150% of the normal time. Debt and earnings are medians of students who received federal student aid, measured a few years after they left, in the dollars of the year measured; earnings count former students who work and are not enrolled, including those who did not finish.