Facebook
Youtube
Twitter
Linked In
PolyLink
About Cal Poly
Cal Poly is a nationally ranked, four-year, comprehensive public university located in San Luis Obispo, halfway between San Francisco and Los Angeles on California's Central Coast. It is a distinctive learning community offering academically focused students a hands-on educational experience that prepares them for today's scientific and technical world.
Postal Mail Address and Phone:
California Polytechnic State University
1 Grand Ave.
San Luis Obispo, CA 93407
805-756-1111
Cal Poly's Return on Education
A Cal Poly graduate can expect a great return on their investment in their education. In a 2008-2009, self-reported survey conducted by Career Services, 81 percent of graduates reported they are working full time - 63 percent, or attending graduate school - 18 percent.
Read more about our graduate statistics
The median starting salary for 2008–2009 grads was $51,000 a year.
| College | Median |
| All Colleges | $51,000 |
| College of Agriculture, Food and Environmental Sciences | $40,000 |
| College of Architecture & Environmental Design | $55,000 |
| College of Business | $52,000 |
| College of Education | $56,000 |
| College of Engineering | $61,000 |
| College of Liberal Arts | $35,000 |
| College of Science & Mathematics | $40,000 |
Our graduates are in high demand in the job market, with 56 percent reporting job offers before graduation. Within three months of graduation, 82 percent had jobs, and 9 months after graduation, 97 percent of graduates had jobs. Of those reporting, 90 percent found jobs in their related field of study.
Hundreds of firms recruit and employ Cal Poly graduates each year. Depending on the status of the national economy, Cal Poly hosts from 300 to 600 different employers each year through its on-campus recruiting program and job fair events.
Cal Poly Business, Engineering Produce Best Hires In the Nation, According to Wall St. Journal Report
Details of the WSJ Ranking | See the WSJ breakout of recruiter bests 'by major' | What recruiters told the WSJ about Cal Poly grads | Read the WSJ 'Paths to Professions' package
The Best and the Brightest
Cal Poly's admissions process is highly competitive. The university year received a record 40,904 undergraduate applications for the 2010 fall quarter.
| 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GPA | 3.70 | 3.72 | 3.73 | 3.77 | 3.73 | 3.70 | 3.71 | 3.78 | 3.81 | 3.84 |
| *SAT1 | 1169 | 1219 | 1196 | 1213 | 1203 | 1195 | 1183 | 1200 | 1202 | 1215 |
| ACT | 26 | 28 | 27 | 27 | 27 | 25.4 | 25.5 | 26.1 | 26.3 | 26.8 |
*SAT1: reading and math only
Nationally Ranked
For the 19 years in a row, Cal Poly has been rated the best public-master's university in the West by U.S. News & World Report, in its 2011 America 's Best Colleges guidebook.
Cal Poly paced seventh in the magazine's overall list of the West's best universities, including both public and private institutions, that provide "a full range of undergraduate and master's-level programs but few, if any, doctoral programs." U.S. News ranks colleges that grant doctoral degrees, such as those in the University of California system, in a separate category.
Cal Poly’s College of Engineering program ranked second among public engineering programs, bested only by the U.S. Military Academy, for schools whose highest degree is a bachelor's or master's. A number of College of Engineering degree programs ranked high in the Best Undergraduate Engineering Programs in their individual specialty categories. The university’s industrial and manufacturing, computer, electrical and mechanical engineering programs were each ranked as the top program at a public university in their respective specialty categories. Cal Poly’s civil and environmental engineering program was ranked the second best program at a public university.
Cal Poly ranks third nationally among public universities in a Forbes.com ranking of college campuses, based on a recent study that looks at earnings of alumni at colleges around the country. Cal Poly followed only Berkeley and University of Virginia in the public rankings, tying for the third spot with UCLA and UC San Diego. According to the study, compiled by PayScale.com, Cal Poly alumni with 10-20 years of experience earn a median salary of $101,000, with 10 percent of the graduates at this experience level making more than $178,000.
For more information on the rankings and the study, go to the Forbes.com Web site
In 2009, Cal Poly's architecture program was rated as the No. 3 architecture school in the nation by the leading architecture and engineering journal DesignIntelligence. Cal Poly's architecture program was ranked fifth in the nation in granting architecture degrees to students of all minority groups, architecture degrees, to Asian American students, and architecture degrees to Hispanic students. Read more about the 2009 rankings by the organization Diverse Issues in Higher Education.
Cal Poly’s College of Agriculture, Food and Environmental Sciences is consistently rated among the top agricultural programs in the nation in granting baccalaureate degrees to minority students. In 2009, the college was ranked No. 4 in the nation in granting agriculture degrees to Hispanic students, and No. 6 in degrees to Asian American students, and No. 7 in degrees granted to all minority students.
Cal Poly’s Orfalea College of Business is one of only two public universities in California to rank in Business Week magazine's ranking Top 100 undergraduate business programs in the nation. Cal Poly and UC Berkeley are the only public universities in California to make the list.
An Authentic California University
Because of our location on California's Central Coast, Cal Poly enjoys other rankings as well.
Cal Poly ranked No. 3 in the nation in the 2009 'Top 10 Surf Schools' ranking by Surfline.com in 2009.
US News and World Report has ranked San Luis Obispo among its Best Places to Live in 2009. And according to the magazine, Cal Poly played a big part in the distinction. “Tucked into California’s sweeping Central Coast region is lovely San Luis Obispo ... In addition, California Polytechnic State University, which is located in town, infuses the community with intellectual energy.”
Cal Poly Alumni Shine
Cal Poly now has more than 140,000 alumni living and working everywhere from New York to Washington D.C. to Wisconsin to Idaho to Hawaii to Hong Kong. Geographically, San Luis Obispo County has the largest concentration of Cal Poly alumni (14,480+), followed by Santa Clara County (8,480+) and Los Angeles County (8,450+).
Prominent Cal Poly alumni include:
Gretchen M. Bataille
14th president and the first woman to preside at the 116-year-old University of North Texas. With 35,000 students, it’s the fourth largest public university in Texas. Bataille served as president there from 2007 to 2010.
Steven Beeks
President and Co-COO, Lionsgate
Richard Bergquist
Founder and former CTO, PeopleSoft
Gary Bloom
A leader in California’s high-tech sector, Bloom served as vice chairman and president of the Symantec software corporation, CEO of Veritas software, and senior vice president of the products division of Oracle software. He is currently the chairman of the board of the Cal Poly Foundation
James W. Boswell
Chairman of the board, J.G. Boswell Company
Elizabeth D. Carey
Executive Director of Engineering, Cummins, Inc. Power Generation Division
Jim Considine
CEO and President, Ryder Stilwell, Inc.; former chair, CSU Board of Trustees
Joseph Cotchett
Attorney with Cotchett, Pitre & Simon, one of the country's foremost trial lawyers, named one of the nation's 100 most influential lawyers for the past 10 years
Laura Diaz
One of the leading Hispanic television journalists in the nation, Emmy winner and news anchor at KCBS in Los Angeles
Kevin Falls
Television writer-producer; former executive co-producer of the “The West Wing”
George P. Foster
Owner, Foster Farms
Sally Fox
Founder, Fox Fibre: Colour-by-Nature & Vreseis Limited, and developer of longer-staple cotton, grown in colors
Michelle Franzen
National correspondent, NBC News
Robert “Hoot” Gibson
Retired chief, NASA astronaut officer and pilot of five space shuttle missions, including the first docking with the Russian space station Mir
Brian Hackney
Eleven-time Emmy award winner currently the ‘Eye on the Bay’ science correspondent for CBS TV5’s network news in San Francisco. Hackney was also co-host of the National Emmy award-winning "Newton's Apple," PBS's longest-running family science program.
Austin Hearst
Director & Vice President: Hearst Entertainment Distribution Division, Hearst Entertainment, Inc
David Karr & Alex Pryor
Founders, Guayakí, producers of yerba maté tea
Peter King
Los Angeles Times, Senior Correspondent
Noel Lee
President, owner and founder of Monster Cable, the world's leading manufacturer of high-performance connections for audio, video and home theater
Ambassador Inonge Mbikusita-Lewanika
Currently Republic of Zambia’s Ambassador to the United States
Neel Murarka
Product Manager, Facebook
Linda Ozawa Olds, Kevin Peters, Joseph Vergara
Founders, Jamba Juice
Hon. Virgilio L. Peña
Chairman of the Commission on Information and Communications Technology in the Philippines
Monty Roberts
Author of best-seller The Man Who Listens to Horses; owner, Flag Is Up Farms
Company
Burt Rutan
President, Scaled Composites, pioneering designer of the private spacecraft SpaceShipOne, winner of the $10 million Ansari X-prize for its historic 2004 flights into orbit and back again; designer of Voyager, the first aircraft to fly around the world without stopping or refueling.
Kathy Sabine
Emmy award-winning Chief Meteorologist, KUSA-TV, Denver
Lisa Satriano
Hollywood first assistant director for such films as the 'Spider-man' series, as well as the award-winning independent film 'The Setting Son'
Al Smith
Former owner of Orchard Supply Hardware
Frederick W. "Rick" Sturckow
Colonel, USMC; NASA astronaut; among the crew of the first International Space Station assembly mission aboard the shuttle Endeavour (1998), the 11th mission to the International Space Station aboard the shuttle Discovery (2001) , and served as crew commander for the 21st mission to the International Space Station aboard shuttle Atlantis (2007)
Bill Swanson
Chairman & CEO, Raytheon Company
Ernesto Vasquez
Partner, MVE & Partners, international award-winning architecture firm
“Weird Al” Yankovic
Grammy-winning rock parodist and entertainer
Cal Poly Alumni in Government
Sacramento, California
State Senator Jeff Denham
Senator Denham represents S.D. 12, encompassing Merced, San Benito and parts of Madera, Monterey and Stanislaus counties.
State Senator Dennis Hollingsworth
Represents S.D. 36, encompassing parts of Riverside and San Diego counties.
Lt. Governor Abel Maldonado
California's Lieutenant Governor, formerly a state assemblyman representing the 15th district and the Central Coast area including San Luis Obispo and portions of Santa Barbara, Monterey, Santa Cruz and Santa Clara counties.
State Assemblyman Doug La Malfa
Represents A.D. 2, encompassing Colusa, Glenn, Modoc, Shasta, Siskiyou, Sutter Tehama, and parts of Butte and Yolo counties.
State Assemblyman Bill Maze
Represents A.D. 34, encompassing Inyo and part of Kern, San Bernardino and Tulare counties.
Washington, D.C.
U.S. Congressman George Radanovich
Congressman Radanovich, owner of Radanovich Vineyards and Winery in Mariposa, represents California’s 19th Congressional District, encompassing parts of Stanislaus, Madera and Fresno counties and all of Tuolumne and Mariposa counties.
U.S. Congressman Devin Nunes
Congressman Nunes represents California’s 21st Congressional District in California, encompassing most of Fresno County and all of Tulare County.
Cal Poly Alumni in Athletics
Jordan Beck
Atlanta Falcons - Winner of the 2005 Buck Buchanan award for best collegiate football defensive player.
Bobby Beathard
Former general manager of the Washington Redskins and San Diego Chargers, and senior advisor to the owner of the Atlanta Falcons
Allison Duncan
A NASCAR-affiliated driver, holder of two Rookie of the Year awards, first woman to win a Stockton Late Model event.
Tom Ferguson
Rodeo Hall of Fame 1999
Chris Gocong
Cleveland Browns - Winner of the 2006 Buck Buchannan Award for best collegiate football defensive player.
Mike Krukow
Retired pitcher, Chicago Cubs, Philadelphia Phillies, San Francisco Giants; current broadcaster with the Giants
John Madden
Retired pro football coach; former broadcast analyst for NFL and television sports commentator, NBC Sunday Night Football
Chuck Liddell
Former Ultimate Fighting Champion
Loren Roberts
Professional golfer
Kyle Shotwell
Winner of the 2007 Buck Buchannan award for best collegiate football defensive player.
Karin Smith
Member of five Olympic teams in the javelin throw, first woman in Cal Poly Athletics Hall of Fame.
“Ozzie” Smith
Former St. Louis Cardinal; National Baseball Hall of Fame member; Cal Poly honorary doctorate; honorary co-chair, Cal Poly's capital campaign for Athletics.
A Few Alumni Comments About Cal Poly:
"My years at Cal Poly shaped my life and my career."
"Ozzie" Smith
Class of 1977
"I have a special place in my heart for Cal Poly. The university's reputation for excellence is legendary."
Jim Considine
Class of 1968
"Cal Poly emphasizes educating the mind and learning by doing. Both are invaluable to architects, enabling us both to design and build."
Kenneth Rodriguez
Class of 1976
