San Luis Obispo, CA · Public
31.3%
Acceptance rate
$15,624
Avg net price
21,521
Enrollment
| All fields, 2024-25Bachelor’s 5,236Master’s 624 |
| Bachelor’s 1,191Master’s 158 |
| Bachelor’s 906Master’s 53 |
| Bachelor’s 563Master’s 17 |
| Bachelor’s 282Master’s 39 |
| Bachelor’s 242Master’s 10 |
| Bachelor’s 235Master’s 20 |
| Bachelor’s 228Master’s 24 |
| Bachelor’s 186Master’s None reported |
| Bachelor’s 182Master’s 0 |
| Bachelor’s 166Master’s 27 |
| Bachelor’s 156Master’s 68 |
| Bachelor’s 145Master’s 16 |
| Bachelor’s 111Master’s 21 |
| Bachelor’s 105Master’s 5 |
| Bachelor’s 96Master’s None reported |
| Bachelor’s 81Master’s 0 |
| Bachelor’s 66Master’s 89 |
| Bachelor’s 62Master’s None reported |
| Bachelor’s 55Master’s 0 |
| Bachelor’s 50Master’s 38 |
| Bachelor’s 49Master’s 9 |
| Bachelor’s 37Master’s 6 |
| Bachelor’s 29Master’s None reported |
| Bachelor’s 7Master’s None reported |
| Bachelor’s 6Master’s None reported |
| Bachelor’s 0Master’s None reported |
| Bachelor’s None reportedMaster’s 15 |
| Bachelor’s None reportedMaster’s 9 |
NCAA program details
NCAA program
California Polytechnic State University
- Primary division
- Division I
- Primary conference
- Big West Conference
Projected sponsored sports20
Athletic participation
677 unique student-athletes · 18 varsity teams
Application Filing Period
· Apply with Cal State Apply
Published on-campus price, 2024–25
- Tuition
- $6,084
- Required fees
- $7,512
- Food and housing
- $18,792
- Books and supplies
- $1,119
- Other expenses
- $3,069
- Total
- $36,576
- $28,9272019–2019–20
- $28,8432020–2120–21
- $29,6802021–2221–22
- $29,9182022–2322–23
- $32,3212023–2423–24
- $36,5762024–2524–25
Net price by family income, 2022–23
Students of all incomes paid $15,624 on average. Grants and scholarships covered the rest of the cost.
Net price covers first-time, full-time students who received federal aid and paid in-state tuition.
Need-based aid, 2025–26
- First-years with need-based aid
- 35%
- Average share of need met
- 78.9%
- Average need-based grant
- $21,935
- Required forms
- FAFSA
Sources
- IPEDS Institutional Characteristics · National Center for Education Statistics · 2025–26
- IPEDS Admissions · National Center for Education Statistics · 2024–25
- College Scorecard · U.S. Department of Education · 2025-10-03
- Application process · College websites · 2026–27
- NCAA Projected Sports Sponsorship by School · National Collegiate Athletic Association · 2025–26
- Equity in Athletics Disclosure Act · U.S. Department of Education · 2024–25
- Common Data Set · Reporting institutions · 2021–22, 2022–23, 2023–24, 2024–25, 2025–26
- IPEDS Completions · National Center for Education Statistics · 2024–25
- IPEDS Student Charges · National Center for Education Statistics · 2019–20, 2020–21, 2021–22, 2022–23, 2023–24, 2024–25
Every figure below is read directly from California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo’s own reported data, with no scores, ratings, or estimates added. Derived from 5 Common Data Set filings (2021–22 to 2025–26).
California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo admitted of applicants, a admit rate. Of those, enrolled, a yield, across 5 years of Common Data Set filings.
No early admission plans appear in California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo's Common Data Set filing.
The enrolled class is roughly international, and about of its domestic students come from out of state. California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo admits in-state applicants at 26.4%, out-of-state applicants at 62.1%, and international applicants at 31%.
Enrolled first-years by geography
5,456 first-years
Admit odds by pool
Test scores are not used in admission. SAT or ACT scores must arrive by Dec 1. Of enrolled first-years, submitted an SAT, down from 30% in 2021–22, and an ACT, down from 13%.
Some students submit both an SAT and an ACT, so the two shares overlap. They don’t add up to a single “submitted a test” rate.
SAT composite
18.2% of the class submitted an SAT
Middle 50%
Shape smoothed from reported percentiles and score bands
ACT composite
4.6% of the class submitted an ACT
Middle 50%
Shape smoothed from reported percentiles and score bands
ranked in the top tenth of their high-school class, among the 9.2% who submitted class rank.
High-school GPA
shares of all enrolled first-years
High-school class rank
Among the 9.2% of first-years who submitted class rank. Shares are cumulative — students in the top tenth also count in the top quarter and top half.
California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo rates 2 factors "very important." Each column reads strongest first.
Academic
- Rigor of secondary school record
- Very important
- Academic GPA
- Very important
- Class rank
- Not considered
- Standardized test scores
- Not considered
- Application essay
- Not considered
- Recommendation(s)
- Not considered
Nonacademic
- Extracurricular activities
- Considered
- Talent / ability
- Considered
- First generation
- Considered
- Geographical residence
- Considered
- Volunteer work
- Considered
- Work experience
- Considered
- Interview
- Not considered
- Character / personal qualities
- Not considered
- Alumni/ae relation
- Not considered
- State residency
- Not considered
- Religious affiliation/commitment
- Not considered
- Level of applicant's interest
- Not considered
California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo's net price after grant aid, by family income. of first-years received need-based aid. The school meets of demonstrated need, split into .
What aid recipients pay, by income
net price
Each figure averages only families who received federal aid in that income band (College Scorecard); $15,624 across all aid recipients. Aid share: 1,857 of 5,326 first-years in the 2025–26 Common Data Set.
How need-based aid is determined
Cost of attendance − expected family contribution = demonstrated need
Forms a family files to be considered
Merit aid reached of the class, or of enrolled first-years. For international applicants, California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo offers merit aid only: nonresidents received aid, averaging .
California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo admitted students off the waitlist, about of the class.
Accepted a place
Not disclosed95.2% of California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo’s first-years return for a second year and 85.2% graduate within six. Median earnings ten years out are against of median federal debt, roughly a earnings-to-debt ratio.
Sources
- Common Data Set · Reporting institutions · 2021–22, 2022–23, 2023–24, 2024–25, 2025–26
- College Scorecard · U.S. Department of Education · 2025-10-03