Address: 1 Grand Avenue, 93407 San Luis Obispo, California, United States
Engineering, Architecture, Agriculture
California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, known as Cal Poly, stands on California’s Central Coast and is one of the campuses of the California State University system. Governor Henry Gage signed the law creating the California Polytechnic School on 8 March 1901, after local citizens led by the journalist Myron Angel had lobbied for a state school in San Luis Obispo since 1894. The first classes met on 1 October 1903.
Cal Poly describes its teaching approach as learning by doing and says it has followed that approach since 1901. The university is organised in six colleges, which cover agriculture, food and environmental sciences; architecture and environmental design; business; engineering; liberal arts; and science and mathematics.
Fall 2025 enrolment was about 23,000 students. U.S. News & World Report ranked Cal Poly the top public regional university in the West in 2025. The university says it has held that position for 33 consecutive years.
Domains taught:
Agriculture, AI and Machine Learning, Civil Engineering, Engineering, Life Sciences, Manufacturing, Software Engineering
Diplomas*:
Bachelor, Master
Status:
Public
Partnerships:
Part of CSU system. Strong emphasis on undergraduate education and experiential learning (“Learn By Doing”). Highly impacted and selective for a CSU.
Research:
Undergraduate research and senior projects focused on applied solutions in engineering, architecture, agriculture, and business.
Famous Alumnis:
John Madden, Peter Oppenheimer
International recognition**:
Number of staff***:
3000
Current students***:
22000
Foreign students***:
2%
Cumulative former students***:
N/A
Pros
Top-ranked undergraduate programs in engineering, architecture, and agriculture; “Learn By Doing” philosophy provides excellent practical experience; beautiful coastal location.
Cons
Highly competitive admissions, impacted programs, San Luis Obispo can be an expensive college town.
Clemson University, in Clemson, South Carolina, is listed for engineering, agriculture and architecture.
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, at Blacksburg, lists engineering, agriculture and architecture.
Iowa State University in Ames is listed for agriculture, engineering and veterinary medicine.
Oklahoma State University, in Stillwater, covers agriculture, veterinary medicine and engineering.
Harvey Mudd College in Claremont, California, is listed for engineering, computer science, and mathematics and physics.
Most Similar Schools Abroad
University of Guelph, in Guelph, Canada, is listed for agriculture and food science, veterinary medicine and environment.
The Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences lists agricultural sciences, forestry and veterinary medicine.
Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology, in Tokyo, Japan, combines agricultural science and technology with engineering.
Technische Universiteit Delft in the Netherlands is listed for aerospace engineering, civil engineering and computer science.
Stellenbosch University, in South Africa, lists agrisciences, arts and social sciences, and economic and management sciences.
*our own picks (our criteria: a mix between domains, diploma delivered, reputation and size), but obviously too many criteria for an apple-to-apple ranking.
FAQ
When and how was Cal Poly established?
Governor Henry Gage signed legislation creating the California Polytechnic School on 8 March 1901. The first classes met on 1 October 1903.
Where is the campus?
Cal Poly is in San Luis Obispo, on California's Central Coast. It is listed as one of the California State University campuses.
What does learning by doing mean here?
It is the teaching approach the university says it has followed since 1901.
How many colleges does Cal Poly have?
There are six colleges, covering agriculture, food and environmental sciences, architecture and environmental design, business, engineering, liberal arts, and science and mathematics.
How large is the student body?
Enrolment was about 23,000 students in fall 2025, undergraduates and graduates together. Applicants can find current figures on the university's facts and figures page.
How is Cal Poly ranked?
U.S. News & World Report ranked it the top public regional university in the West in 2025, and the university says it has held that rank for 33 consecutive years. Rankings differ in method, so the latest editions should be read directly.
Where can admission requirements and fees be found?
Requirements and deadlines depend on the programme and on whether an applicant is a California resident. The admissions pages of the university and the California State University system carry the current details.
*: without any judgment of the quality, readers are strongly encouraged to check the official status of the exact diploma envisioned as many universities have a mix of recognized diplomas, not recognized, “co-delivered,” “equivalent to”, “some pathways” (…), can change over time, and can be named differently from one country to another.
**: international reputation: is based on some criteria that do not mean much in some domains or specialties (number of researchers, of scientific publications, on budget ….). Our approximate 1-4 scale:
known locally
known locally and internationally
is listed in some of the world university’s classifications
is listed among the 20 firsts in some of world university’s classifications
***: estimated numbers, based on online sources and/or feedbacks. The numbers can vary greatly depending on school organisation (ex.: school is part of a group, it employs internal staff or external consultants or has public staff without employing them …). Refer to all the links provided to have accurate and updated numbers.
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