Admissions & selectivity
California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo Acceptance Rate & Admissions
What is the acceptance rate at Cal Poly SLO?
Cal Poly SLO’s reported acceptance rate is 31.3%.
- Acceptance rate · Fall 2024
- 31.3%
Source: College Scorecard · Fall 2024 admissions. Acceptance rates can change from year to year; this figure does not predict the current or next admission cycle.
How to interpret the acceptance rate
California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo extends offers to 31.3% of applicants, a proportion that falls well below the median of 78.1% for comparable institutions (same type and size). This means that only a minority of those who apply receive an offer of admission from the university.
What SAT and ACT scores do enrolled Cal Poly SLO students report?
In its 2025-26 Common Data Set, the university reported that enrolled first-year students who submitted a high-school GPA averaged 4.03; 99.6% of the entering class provided a GPA. The figure is an average, not a minimum for admission.
Enrolled students who submitted SAT scores posted composites between 1240 and 1420, with 18% of the class submitting SATs. Those who submitted ACT composites fell between 28 and 33, representing 5% of the class.
Applicants should weigh their scores against the university's 1240 to 1420 SAT span and its 28 to 33 ACT span; these ranges describe recent enrolled submitters rather than cutoffs. Of the entering class, 9% reported a high-school class rank.
Among those students, 46% ranked in the highest tenth of their class, and 79% ranked in the highest quarter.
The ranges below describe enrolled students who submitted test scores at Cal Poly SLO. Use them as academic context, then check the university’s current testing policy for your application cycle.
18% of entering students submitted SAT scores
- 25th percentile
- 1240
- Median
- 1330
- 75th percentile
- 1420
CDS 2025-26 · enrolled first-year score submitters. This range is not an admission cutoff.
5% of entering students submitted ACT scores
- 25th percentile
- 28
- Median
- 31
- 75th percentile
- 33
CDS 2025-26 · enrolled first-year score submitters. This range is not an admission cutoff.
Source: California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo Common Data Set 2025-26, C9 · Enrolled first-time, first-year score submitters.
Who enrolls at Cal Poly SLO?
- Pell Grant recipients
- 19.2%
- Entering students outside the first-time, full-time group
- 15.5%
- First-year retention
- 95.6%
Retention source: College Scorecard; full-time first-year retention.
About these student measures
The entering-student group includes part-time entrants as well as other attendance patterns.
California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo enrolls 21,996 undergraduates and admits 31.3% of applicants, well below the median of 78.1% for comparable institutions (same type and size). Pell Grant recipients make up 19.2% of undergraduates, and an estimated 15.5% of students enter as transfers or part-time students.
The campus draws heavily from traditional first-year cohorts alongside a transfer population, with a financial-access profile that sits in the 89th percentile nationally. Applicants who are Pell-eligible or considering a transfer path should review the university's financial aid and articulation policies early, as both populations are represented on campus.
Among first-time full-time students, 95.5% return for a second year, above the peer median of 83.1%. The six-year graduation rate is 86.4%, also above the peer median of 65.0%.
Pell Grant recipients complete at a rate of 76.3%, below the overall six-year rate by 10.1 percentage points. In its 2025-26 Common Data Set, the university reported an average high-school GPA of 4.03 among enrolled first-year students, with 99.6% of the class reporting a GPA.
Among the 9% of the entering class that reported a class rank, 46% placed in the highest tenth of their high-school class and 79% in the highest quarter. Enrolled students can expect a university where the large majority of first-year students persist, graduation outcomes exceed those of comparable institutions, and the entering class arrives with strong academic preparation.
Data & methodology
Sources and reporting periods: methodology.
Analysis and methodology by Daniel Rogers, founder of College Azimuth.
Explanatory text is AI-assisted drafting checked against those figures; it is not an additional data source.
Admission rates describe past applicants, not an individual’s chance of admission; confirm requirements and deadlines with the institution.
Figure notes link to sources and limitations. About College Azimuth.