First-year deadlines, 2026–27
| Plan | Entry term | Deadline |
|---|---|---|
| Regular decision The standard deadline, with answers in spring. Not binding. | Fall | November 30, 2026 |
Plans are listed in calendar order. What the plans mean
Source: calpoly.edu · checked September 27, 2026
What families actually pay
Average yearly net price after grants, in-state students, by family income
Source: U.S. Dept. of Education, College Scorecard · data snapshot October 2, 2026
Biggest majors
| Major | Graduates |
|---|---|
| Business Administration and Management | 747 |
| Mechanical Engineering | 288 |
| Computer Science | 219 |
| Animal Sciences | 189 |
| Architectural and Building Sciences/Technology | 172 |
| Biology/Biological Sciences | 153 |
| Psychology | 152 |
| Environmental/Natural Resources Management and Policy, Other | 136 |
Show the other 59 majors
| Civil Engineering | 126 |
| Construction Management | 126 |
| Agribusiness/Agricultural Business Operations | 117 |
| Political Science and Government | 97 |
| Aerospace, Aeronautical, and Astronautical/Space Engineering | 95 |
| Parks, Recreation, and Leisure Studies | 93 |
| Speech Communication and Rhetoric | 86 |
| Journalism | 85 |
| Bioengineering and Biomedical Engineering | 84 |
| Liberal Arts and Sciences/Liberal Studies | 82 |
| Graphic Communications | 80 |
| Computer Engineering | 80 |
| Electrical and Electronics Engineering | 76 |
| Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness | 76 |
| Industrial Engineering | 68 |
| Mathematics | 66 |
| Viticulture and Enology | 65 |
| Nutrition Sciences | 63 |
| Fine/Studio Arts | 61 |
| History | 61 |
| Materials Engineering | 59 |
| Sociology | 58 |
| Economics | 57 |
| English Language and Literature | 52 |
| Public Health | 52 |
| Early Childhood Education and Teaching | 50 |
| Agronomy and Crop Science | 48 |
| Industrial Technology/Technician | 47 |
| Statistics | 46 |
| Architectural Engineering | 44 |
| Landscape Architecture | 42 |
| Food Science | 42 |
| Multi-/Interdisciplinary Studies, Other | 41 |
| Forestry | 39 |
| Computer Software Engineering | 37 |
| Agriculture | 36 |
| Agricultural Communication/Journalism | 35 |
| Social Sciences, Other | 33 |
| Physics | 32 |
| Agricultural Engineering | 32 |
| Environmental/Environmental Health Engineering | 31 |
| Agricultural Mechanization | 30 |
| City/Urban, Community, and Regional Planning | 30 |
| Philosophy | 30 |
| Geological and Earth Sciences/Geosciences, Other | 30 |
| Biochemistry | 29 |
| Manufacturing Engineering | 28 |
| Chemistry | 27 |
| Marine Sciences | 24 |
| Microbiology | 20 |
| Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities, Other | 18 |
| Dairy Science | 18 |
| Engineering Science | 12 |
| Music | 9 |
| Drama and Dramatics/Theatre Arts | 9 |
| Spanish Language and Literature | 8 |
| Ethnic, Cultural Minority, Gender, and Group Studies, Other | 5 |
| Ecology | 1 |
| Foreign Languages and Literatures | 1 |
Bachelor’s graduates, first major, most recent year · Source: U.S. Dept. of Education, IPEDS · data snapshot October 2, 2026
Ranked programs
Where California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo ranks in the top 25 on our top-programs lists, best rank first. How we rank programs
- #6 for Architectural engineeringof 31 colleges
- #14 for Microbiology and immunologyof 50 colleges
- #16 for Business administration and managementof 50 colleges
- #23 for Materials science and engineeringof 49 colleges
Sports and campus life
Men’s varsity · NCAA Division I, Big Sky Conference
Baseball, Basketball, Football, Golf, Soccer, Swimming, Tennis, Track and Field and Cross Country (combined), Wrestling
Women’s varsity · NCAA Division I, Big Sky Conference
Basketball, Beach Volleyball, Golf, Soccer, Softball, Swimming, Tennis, Track and Field and Cross Country (combined), Volleyball
ROTC
Army
Faith groups
Cru, Hillel, InterVarsity, Newman Connection
Also
Study abroad
Greek life
16% of men in fraternities · 20% of women in sororities · 18% of undergraduates overall (Common Data Set 2022–23)
Sources: U.S. Dept. of Education athletics data (EADA), Common Data Set (Greek life), crucentralcoast.com · checked September 4, 2026 · data snapshot October 2, 2026
The place
Setting
Suburb, small
Federal locale classification
Metro area
San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles, CA
281,843 people
Big-city metro (1 million+)
No
More about the place
Nearest airport
San Luis Obispo County Regional (SBP)
Nearest hub airport
Bob Hope (BUR)
Walkability
EPA walkability index 12.7 of 20
Elevation
382 ft
Time zone
Pacific
January low
44°F
July high
78°F
Annual snowfall
0.0 in
Days at 90°F or higher
19 per year
One-bedroom fair market rent
$2,160 per month
Sources: U.S. Dept. of Education (IPEDS locale), U.S. Census metro estimates, NOAA climate normals, HUD fair market rents, EPA walkability · data snapshot October 2, 2026
Colleges nearby
- University of California-Santa Barbara76 mi
- Westmont College81 mi
- Antioch University-Santa Barbara82 mi
- California State University-Bakersfield88 mi
- Thomas Aquinas College107 mi
- Fresno Pacific University111 mi
Straight-line distance between campuses
Similar colleges
Public, suburban campus, NCAA Division I, similar size
- University of Oklahoma-Norman Campus22,025 students
- Kent State University at Kent20,485 students
- University at Buffalo20,463 students
- Clemson University22,875 students
- University of California-Santa Barbara23,232 students
- University of Delaware19,772 students