How to Get Into Cal Poly 鈥 San Luis Obispo: Admissions Data and Strategies
October 31, 2025
Cal Poly SLO, aka California Polytechnic State University鈥擲an Luis Obispo, is the most selective of the 23 schools within the massive CSU system that serves nearly half a million students. What’s more, with affordable and well-regarded bachelor鈥檚 degree programs in areas such as mechanical engineering, business administration, computer science, and architecture, it鈥檚 no wonder the number of applicants to Cal Poly has more than tripled since the turn of the millennium. Given the growing popularity of this increasingly selective public university (in a recent year, the acceptance rate was just over 29%), you will want to be aware of the following:
- Cal Poly鈥檚 Class of 2029 acceptance rate (plus how to predict your chances with our free admissions calculator)
- SAT/ACT policy and GPAs of admitted applicants
- Admissions stats by College
- Admissions trends at California Polytechnic State University鈥擲an Luis Obispo
- The demographics of current Cal Poly undergraduates
- Cal Poly鈥檚 yield rate
- How Cal Poly admissions officers evaluate candidates
- Tips for applying to Cal Poly
- How to assess whether applying to Cal Poly is even worth the $70 application fee (for you)
Cal Poly SLO – Admissions Calculator
Want to calculate your chance of getting into Cal Poly SLO?
国产第一福利影院草草 is pleased to offer the most accurate admissions calculator you’ll find anywhere online — the only such tool that is informed by decades of combined experience personally guiding thousands of students through the college admissions process. Please click below to enjoy all the benefits.

Many students applying to Cal Poly may also find the following blogs to be of interest:
Let鈥檚 begin with an examination of the most recent Cal Poly admissions data.
Cal Poly: Acceptance Rate 鈥 Class of 2029
This year, 71,171 students applied for admission to the Class of 2029. Of these hopefuls, only 20,513 were accepted, giving Cal Poly – SLO an admit rate of 28.8%. For context, let鈥檚 see how this acceptance rate compares to previous admission cycles:
| Applicants | Admits | Acceptance Rate | |
| Class of 2028 | 68,604 | 21,416 | 31.2% |
| Class of 2027 | 63,955 | 18,964 | 29.7% |
| Class of 2026 | 58,944 | 17,885 | 30% |
Cal Poly Admissions 鈥 SAT/ACT policy, class rank, and GPA
As a test-blind institution, Cal Poly does not consider standardized test scores for admission (however, test scores may be used for purposes of math and English course placement after you arrive). As a consequence, GPA becomes the most important metric. Unsurprisingly, the admitted Class of 2029 possessed a mid-50% GPA of 4.04-4.25.
Looking back to data from the Class of 2028, we see that nearly 47% of enrolled students were in the top decile of their graduating high school class. What’s more, over 77% were in the top quartile. Unsurprisingly, the average weighted GPA for enrolled students that year was 4.12. Back when standardized tests were still considered for admission, the mid-50% ACT range was 28-33 and the equivalent SAT range was 1240-1420.
Cal Poly – Admissions Stats by College
| GPA Range | Admit Rate | |
|---|---|---|
| Agriculture, Food & Environmental Sciences | 3.88-4.13 | 42% |
| Architecture & Environmental Design | 3.97-4.25 | 27% |
| Engineering | 4.14-4.25 | 23% |
| Liberal Arts | 3.96-4.25 | 31% |
| Science and Mathematics | 4.11-4.25 | 30% |
| Business (Orfalea) | 4.05-4.25 | 27% |
Admissions Trends & Notes
- The most significant note is that all CSU schools will maintain their test-blind policy moving forward.
- There were only 43 international student enrolled in the Class of 2028.
- In a recent year, only 10% of freshmen were first-generation college students; the average among public universities in California is 33%.
- Perhaps unsurprisingly, Cal Poly remains the least ethnically diverse school in the CSU or UC system.
Who Gets In?
Let鈥檚 look at the demographics of current undergraduates:
Most students hailed from California and paid in-state tuition. Historically, the most common counties of residence for in-state students are as follows:
- Los Angeles
- Santa Clara
- San Diego
- Orange
- Contra Costa
In a recent year, the states sending the greatest percentage of non-resident studentswere as follows:
- Washington
- Colorado
- Oregon
- Texas
- Illinois
Looking at ethnic identity, the breakdown of the Class of 2028 is as follows:
- Asian: 12%
- Hispanic: 25%
- African American: <1%
- Multiracial: 9%
- White: 56%
International students came in the greatest numbers from the following countries:
- India
- China
- Germany
- Canada
- Myanmar
The breakdown by gender for the Class of 2028 shows a fairly even split:
- Male: 47%
- Female: 53%
Historically, the most common 鈥渇eeder schools鈥 into Cal Poly SLO have been:
- San Luis Obispo High
- Salinas High
- Arroyo Grande High
- Gabrielino High
- Oakland Technical Senior High
- Granada Hills Senior High
- San Ramon Valley High
- Palisades Charter High
- Redwood High
- Bellarmine College Prep
Yield Rate
Cal Poly鈥檚 yield rate鈥攖he percentage of accepted students who elect to enroll, divided by the total number of students who are admitted was 24%. To compare this school to other California-based public universities, UC-Berkeley has a 40% yield, UCLA is 44%, and UC San Diego comes in at 17%.
How Cal Poly SLO Rates Applicants
There are only two factors that this school ranks as 鈥渧ery important鈥 to their admissions decision process and they are: the rigor of your courses and GPA earned within those courses. They 鈥渃onsider鈥 items such as: extracurricular activities, talent/ability, first-generation status, geographical residence, volunteer work, and paid work experience.
Cal Poly, along with all other California State University campuses, have gone test-blind, meaning they will no longer consider SAT or ACT scores in the application process. Previously, test scores had been a 鈥渧ery important鈥 component of the review process at Cal Poly.
In the words of the admissions office:
- 鈥淔or the purposes of your application, we’ll consider your 9th-11th grade weighted GPA. That number聽is calculated from聽college-prep coursework as designated on your application. Weight is granted for courses designated as 鈥榟onors,鈥 鈥榗ollege-level,鈥 鈥榓dvanced placement鈥 or 鈥榠nternational baccalaureate鈥 for up to eight semesters.鈥
- 鈥淐al Poly takes activities such as work experience, internships, volunteer programs and extracurricular activities into consideration. We are also interested in any leadership roles you may have held in these activities.鈥
- 鈥淎ll candidates are objectively evaluated by the cognitive and non-cognitive variables under our faculty-mandated Multi-Criteria Admission (MCA) process.鈥
Tips for Applying to Cal Poly
If you plan on joining the 70,000+ Mustang freshmen hopefuls for the next admissions cycle, you should also know the following:
- This university does not offer interviews or consider recommendations, essays, or demonstrated interest.
- You will be required to select a major on your application.
- Applications can be submitted any time from 10/1 through 12/1.
- There are no essays for applicants to Cal Poly SLO.
Should I Apply to Cal Poly?
If you earned a 4.0 (or better) weighted GPA in high school, you are a viable candidate to any program within Cal Poly 鈥揝an Luis Obispo. That being said, students with a 4.1 or 4.2 in a mostly honors/AP curriculum will fare best. Unsurprisingly, very few students are able to consider Cal Poly as a 鈥渟afety鈥 these days; all students need to make sure that they formulate an appropriate college list, containing a complement of 鈥渞each鈥, 鈥渢arget鈥, and 鈥渟afety鈥 schools. You鈥檒l definitely want to do this in collaboration with an admissions professional who is aware of the latest trends and strategies associated with your prospective colleges.
Ready to start working on your applications? Consider checking out the following:
- Should You Start College Applications in the Summer?
- What is Demonstrated Interest?
- Do Colleges Look at Social Media?
- College Fair Advice for High School Students
- How to Complete the Common App Activities List
- Common App Essay Prompts
- 25 Inspiring College Essay Topic Ideas
