# California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo

California Polytechnic State University (Cal Poly) is a public university in San Luis Obispo, California, United States. Founded in 1901, it is the oldest of three polytechnic universities within the California State University system. Cal Poly emphasizes a “learn by doing” philosophy, integrating hands-on, practical experiences into its curriculum. As of fall 2022, Cal Poly had approximately 21,000 undergraduate and 800 graduate students. Cal Poly is well-regarded for its undergraduate programs, having been ranked first among regional universities in the Western United States in the 2025 U.S. News & World Report rankings. The university is home to several nationally recognized programs, particularly in engineering, architecture, and business, with the College of Engineering and the Orfalea College of Business standing out for their academic excellence and industry connections. Most of the university's athletic teams participate in the Big West Conference.

## History
### Establishment and early years

Cal Poly was founded in 1901 as the California Polytechnic School, following the signing of the California Polytechnic School Bill by Governor Henry Gage. The school began classes on October 1, 1903, with 20 students enrolled, offering three-year secondary-level courses.
Originally coeducational, the school enrolled 16 male and 4 female students. In 1929, California Governor C.C. Young prohibited women from attending. Women were readmitted in 1956. By Fall 2023, female students constituted 50.1% of the total student population.

### Transition to higher education

In 1924, Cal Poly came under the control of the California State Board of Education. During the Great Depression, financial constraints led to discussions in Sacramento about converting Cal Poly into a state prison. It was saved by Julian A. McPhee, who went on to lead Cal Poly as its president for thirty-three years.
In 1933, the institution transitioned to a two-year technological and vocational school. By 1940, it began offering Bachelor of Arts degrees, with the first baccalaureate ceremony held in 1942. In 1947, the school was renamed California State Polytechnic College to better reflect its expanding higher education offerings. A Master of Arts degree in education was added in 1949.

### Expansion and satellite campuses

In 1938, Charles and Jerry Voorhis donated a farm and school to the Cal Poly. In 1949, the W.K. Kellogg Foundation gifted an 812-acre horse ranch in Pomona, California. Originally a satellite campus for Cal Poly, the Pomona campus became an independent university, Cal Poly Pomona, in 1966.

### Integration into the CSU system

In 1960, control of Cal Poly in San Luis Obispo and other state colleges was transferred to the newly formed CSU system. That same year, a plane crash killed 22 of the 48 people on board, including 16 Cal Poly football players.
Authorized to offer Master of Science degrees in 1967, Cal Poly reorganized its curriculum from 1967 to 1970 into specialized schools: the School of Science and Mathematics, the School of Agriculture and Natural Resources, and the School of Architecture. In 1968, Cal Poly's FM radio station, KCPR, was launched as a senior project.
In 1971, the California State Legislature officially renamed the institution California Polytechnic State University. Since the 1970s, the university has seen steady enrollment growth and significant campus expansion.

### Major donations and 21st century developments

On May 3, 2017, Cal Poly received a $110 million gift from alumni William L. and Linda Frost, one of the largest donations ever made to public education in California.
In 2024, the CSU system recommended integrating Cal Maritime with Cal Poly in San Luis Obispo.

## Campus

Cal Poly has one of the largest college campuses in the United States, covering 9,178 acres and making it the second-largest land-holding university in California. The property includes the main campus, two agricultural lands, and two sites in Santa Cruz County. The Swanton Pacific Ranch, a 3,200-acre ranch in Santa Cruz County, provides educational and research opportunities, encompassing rangeland, livestock, and forestry operations for the College of Agriculture, Food, and Environmental Sciences. It supports Cal Poly's “Learn by Doing” philosophy with an emphasis on sustainable agricultural practices and laboratory experiments. University House serves as the university president's residence.

### 21st century construction

In the summer of 2018, a dormitory-style student community was completed at the corner of Slack Street and Grand Avenue. This development includes seven 3- to 5-story concrete-framed freshman residence hall buildings with 1,475 beds and an adjacent four-level parking structure. Community spaces feature a café, community room, game room, mail room, welcome center, offices, and maintenance shop. Additional site improvements provide a large open space for activities and group events, volleyball and basketball courts, and outdoor gathering areas.
The Warren J. Baker Center for Science and Mathematics was dedicated on November 1, 2013. This $119 million, six-story building replaced the aging “spider” Science Building 52 with a new 189,000-square-foot structure. It includes laboratories, classrooms, offices for the physics, chemistry, and soil science programs, and spaces for the Western Coatings Technologies Center and the Environmental Biotechnology Institute. The center also features Centennial Park, a landscaped central green area.

### Commuting

Campus parking is limited, with 2,892 general-purpose parking spaces, 3,492 dorm resident spaces, and a total of 8,648 parking spaces. The Facilities Master Plan acknowledges that, despite adding more parking spots, the ratio of parking to students will decrease due to expected enrollment growth. To address this, the plan emphasizes reducing demand for individual vehicle parking by constructing additional dorms and enhancing campus life. Cal Poly Commuter and Access Services has successfully promoted alternatives to single occupancy vehicles, with bus use more than doubling and bicycle use nearly quadrupling from 2002 to 2012.
As of 2024, there are over 7,000 bike rack spaces and 252 secure bike lockers on campus. In 2019, approximately 57% of students and 33% of faculty/staff lived within five miles of campus, facilitating easy bike commutes. The city's SLO Transit bus system provides service to and from campus. Cal Poly supports SLO Transit with funding from parking citation revenue, allowing faculty, staff, and students to ride for free. The SLO Regional Transit Authority provides bus service throughout the county, with discounted passes available to the Cal Poly community.

## Academics
### Colleges

As of 2020, the university offers 65 bachelor's degrees, 39 master's degrees, 84 minors and 13 credentials in six colleges:
* College of Agriculture, Food and Environmental Sciences
* College of Architecture and Environmental Design
* Orfalea College of Business
* College of Engineering
* College of Liberal Arts
* College of Science and Mathematics

### Bachelor's projects

All undergraduate students are required to complete a senior project, a capstone experience integrating theory and application from their undergraduate studies. Projects may include design or construction experiences, experiments, self-guided studies or research projects, presentations, reports based on internships or co-ops, public portfolio displays, or performances. These projects often lead to job offers or recognition. Notable examples include Punchd, acquired by Google, and Jamba Juice, inspired by a senior project idea. The campus area known as ‘Architecture Graveyard’ hosts many senior projects, including experimental and unconventional structures.

### Admissions

Enrolled Fall Freshman Statistics
| | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015 | 2014 | 2013 |
| Applicants | 54,663 | 48,588 | 48,162 | 46,820 | 43,812 | 40,402 |
| Admits | 16,491 | 16,817 | 14,202 | 14,651 | 13,533 | 13,953 |
| % Admitted | 30.2 | 34.6 | 29.5 | 31.3 | 30.9 | 34.5 |
| Enrolled | 4,398 | 5,253 | 4,341 | 4,943 | 4,662 | 4,871 |
| GPA | 4.00 | 3.95 | 3.92 | 3.92 | 3.88 | 3.87 |
| Avg. ACT Composite | 28.9 | 28.3 | 28.4 | 28.0 | 27.5 | 27.3 |
| Avg. SAT Composite* | 1329 | 1293 | 1251 | 1239 | 1234 | 1232 |
| * SAT out of 1600 | |
Cal Poly's admissions process is described as “more selective” according to U.S. News & World Report. For the class entering 2019, 15,366 freshmen were accepted out of 54,072 applicants, a 28.4% acceptance rate, with 4,613 enrolling. In 2018, students had an average GPA of 4.00; The average SAT score was 1329 and average ACT score was 29. Women constituted 50.5% of the incoming freshmen class, and men 49.5%.
Cal Poly requires students to declare a major upon applying, then admits the most competitive applicants for each major. Each major has a change of major plan, requiring certain classes and GPA (usually between 2.5 and 2.75). In some cases, students wishing to change majors transfer to other universities.
For Fall 2019 Cal Poly accepted 1,622 of 11,109 applicants as transfer students, a 14.6% acceptance rate.

### Rankings

As of 2024, Cal Poly in San Luis Obispo has been ranked the best public master's-level university in the Western United States for 30 consecutive years by U.S. News & World Report. Regional universities offer a full range of undergraduate programs and some master's programs, but few doctoral programs.
U.S. News & World Report (2025)
* Regional Universities West - 1st
* Most Innovative Schools - 1st
* Best Undergraduate Teaching - 1st
* Top Public Schools - 1st
* Best Colleges for Veterans - 1st
* Best Value Schools - 7thAcademic rankingsMaster'sWashington Monthly32RegionalU.S. News & World Report1NationalForbes57WSJ/College Pulse116GlobalU.S. News & World Report1021
* Engineering Programs - 8th
** Civil - 1st
** Computer - 1st
** Electrical / Electronic / Communications - 2nd
** Mechanical - 2nd
PayScale Best Value Colleges Ranked by ROI (2025) - 36th out of 1,978
Money Best Colleges for Your Money (2024) - 5 out of 5 star - Awarded America's Best Colleges.
DesignIntelligence: America's Best Architecture & Design Schools:
* Undergraduate Architecture Programs - 3rd in the nation.
* Landscape Architecture - 6th in the nation, 1st in the western region.

## Student life

2024 Undergraduate demographics :
| Race and ethnicity | Total | Total |
| White | 50% | 50 |
| Hispanic | 23% | 23 |
| Asian | 14% | 14 |
| Two or more races | 11% | 11 |
| Foreign national | 1% | 1 |
| Black | 0.7% | 0.7 |
| Pacific Islander | 0.3% | 0.3 |
| Native American | 0.1% | 0.1 |
| Economic diversity |||
| Low-income | 14% | 14 |
| Affluent | 86% | 86 |

### Residence halls

Cal Poly's on-campus student housing, totaling 6,239 spaces, is the largest student housing program in the CSU system. In Fall 2015, 35.9% of undergraduates lived in 28 dorms, and 98.7% of first-time freshmen lived on campus. Additionally, 28.7% of sophomores lived on campus.
There are five distinct groups of residence halls: North Mountain Halls, Red-Brick Halls, Sierra Madre and Yosemite Halls, Cerro Vista Apartments, Poly Canyon Village, and Yakʔitʸutʸu residence halls

### Greek life

Greek organizations have been present at Cal Poly since 1949, with numerous fraternities and sororities.

### Week of Welcome orientation program

The Week of Welcome (WOW) is a volunteer-based orientation program for new students during the first week after move-in each September. It aims to introduce students to the campus and community and prepare them for a successful college career. Freshmen are placed in groups of 10–12, while transfer students are grouped in sizes of 40–60, each led by two current student orientation leaders. WOW groups participate in various orientation events and activities on and off campus. In 2010, the program's awareness section won the National Orientation Directors Association (NODAC) Media & Publications Showcase Award for Emerging Technologies, developed entirely by student volunteers. Started in 1956, WOW is now the largest volunteer orientation program in the nation.

### Recreation Center

The Cal Poly Recreation Center is the on-campus student recreation center.

### Clubs and independent student organizations

Cal Poly hosts over 150 recognized clubs and independent student organizations, including cultural clubs, mathematics and science clubs, improv and sketch comedy clubs, religious and atheistic groups, service organizations, engineering research and development clubs, professional development organizations, a perennial Rose Parade Float design program, LGBTQ+ and Multicultural groups, competitive and social athletic teams, and academic honors clubs. Notable engineering clubs include Prove Lab, PolySat, CubeSat, and QL+.

## Athletics

Cal Poly fields 20 sports (10 for men and 10 for women) and competes in NCAA Division I. It is a member of the Big West Conference, except for football, wrestling, and indoor track & field. The football team competes in the Big Sky Conference; the wrestling team is part of the Pac-12 Conference; and indoor track & field is independent.
Prior to joining Division I in 1994, Cal Poly won 35 NCAA Division II national team championships and competed in the California Collegiate Athletic Association. The university has two mascots: Musty the Mustang and Chase, a live mustang named after Margaret Chase, the university's second president.

### Club sports

Cal Poly also offers various non-NCAA (club) sports. The Mustangs play college rugby in the California Conference of Division 1-A. The Mustangs are often ranked in the Top 25 nationwide, and their rugby sevens team has been ranked as high as No. 7. SLOCORE represents Cal Poly in ultimate at the D-1 open level. The Mustangs have been one of the top teams over the past decade, ranked as high as No. 5, and reached their first national final in 2024 while winning the team spirit award.

### Rivalry and band

The Battle for the Golden Horseshoe is an annual rivalry college football game between the UC Davis Aggies and the Cal Poly Mustangs. The Mustang Marching Band, with over 200 members, performs at football, basketball, and volleyball games.

## Administrative organization

Cal Poly is administratively organized into four divisions:
* Academic Affairs: Includes six colleges, Library, Research and Graduate Programs, and Information Technology Services.
* Student Affairs
* Administration and Finance
* University Advancement

### University auxiliary organizations

Cal Poly Partners: A public-benefit nonprofit corporation providing commercial, fiscal, and support services to promote the educational mission of Cal Poly and the CSU system. Founded in 1940, it was known as the Cal Poly Foundation until 2006 and Cal Poly Corporation until 2024.
Cal Poly Foundation: An auxiliary organization and IRC 501(c)(3) public charity that accepts and administers tax-deductible gifts to the university. It leads campus philanthropic activity by supporting fundraising and managing campus endowments.
Cal Poly Extended Education: Provides degree, certificate, and professional development programs to residents of San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, and Monterey Counties, and through distance learning technologies to students nationwide.
Associated Students Inc: The Associated Students Inc. (ASI) is a 501(c)(3) nnonprofit corporation owned and operated by Cal Poly student leaders, with an annual operating budget exceeding $12 million. ASI provides co-curricular experiences, including events, speakers, concerts, intramural sports, fitness programs, aquatics, outdoor adventure trips, craft center courses, club services, and child development programs. ASI manages the University Union, Recreation Center, Sports Complex, and Children's Center, totaling over 450,000 square feet of campus facilities.
Alumni Association: Engages and serves alumni, fostering lifelong connections between the university and its alumni, and supporting the university's mission. The association includes 15 regional and special interest chapters.

## Directors and presidents

* Leroy Anderson, 1902–1907
* Leroy Burns Smith, 1908–1914
* Robert Weir Ryder, 1914–1921
* Nicholas Ricciardi, 1921–1924
* Margaret Chase (Acting), 1924
* Benjamin Ray Crandall, 1924–1933
* Julian A. McPhee, 1933–1966
* Dale W. Andrews (acting), 1966–1967
* Robert E. Kennedy, 1967–1979
* Warren J. Baker, 1979–2010
* Robert Glidden (Acting), 2010–2011
* Jeffrey D. Armstrong, 2011–present

## Notable alumni

List of notable alumni of Cal Poly in San Luis Obispo
Cal Poly has more than 150,000 alumni, with the majority located in San Luis Obispo, Santa Clara and Los Angeles counties.
* Robert L. Gibson
* Abel Maldonado
* John Madden
* Doug LaMalfa
* Farzad Nazem
* Devin Nunes
* Burt Rutan
* Ozzie Smith
* "Weird Al" Yankovic
* Tory Bruno, CEO of ULA
* Gregory Chamitoff, NASA astronaut
* Danding Cojuangco, former chairman and CEO of San Miguel Corporation
* Robert "Hoot" Gibson, NASA astronaut
* Victor Glover, NASA astronaut
* Mike Krukow, professional baseball player and broadcaster
* Noel Lee, founder of Monster Cable
* Abel Maldonado, GOP California Lt. Governor
* John Madden, professional football player and broadcaster
* Farzad Nazem, Chief Technology Officer of Yahoo
* Joe Prunty, professional basketball coach
* Devin Nunes, GOP U.S. Representative
* David Nwaba, professional basketball player
* Peter Oppenheimer, former Chief Financial Officer of Apple Inc.
* Kirk Perron, founder of Jamba Juice
* Burt Rutan, pioneering aerospace engineer
* Ozzie Smith, professional baseball player
* Rick Sturckow, NASA astronaut
* William Swanson, CEO of Raytheon
* M. Ward, musician
* "Weird Al" Yankovic, musician