Learn by doing. Ready Day One.
Educating both the head and the hand has been at the heart of everything we do since 1901. Today, we are the world’s leader in Learn by Doing education. We did it first, we do it best and it’s what makes our students better prepared from day one to make a lasting impact in their careers and their communities.
Centered In / Central to California
California leads the nation in the number of Fortune 1000 companies that call the state home and is a world leader in a wide range of industries: food and wine, space, entrepreneurship, climate, the built environment, and tech and humanity. With our wealth of connections to many of these companies, and our location in San Luis Obispo on California’s Central Coast halfway between Los Angeles and San Francisco, Cal Poly and our students are at the center of it all.
More Diverse Better For It
We are committed to reflecting the diversity of our state, ensuring the mental and physical wellbeing of our students and creating an ever more inclusive campus, where equity is the norm and every student benefits from the same opportunities for community, personal growth and professional success.
Highly Ranked, Highly Recruited
Rankings confirm what recruiters already know: Cal Poly students and graduates rank among higher education’s best. In 2026, TIME named Cal Poly a top-10 public university nationwide. U.S. News & World Report also ranked it the West’s most innovative university and top public school, continuing a 33-year run as the region’s best public master’s-level university.
faculty mentors
Our faculty provide the foundation for Learn by Doing, creating real-world opportunities for students to take their learning outside the classroom. They see first-hand the difference hands-on experiences have in advancing a student’s understanding of a subject and of themselves. They partner with students, working side-by-side in the pursuit of the knowledge, skills and excellence that bring out the best in one another.
Community Spirit
Traditions are important. They unite us across generations, strengthening bonds and creating memories that last a lifetime. Cal Poly students and alumni enjoy and are enriched by both time-honored traditions and those brought to us by each new class of Mustangs.
