College Azimuth

Research brief & institution hub

California State Polytechnic University-Pomona

CALarge public institution · Overall rank #15 nationally

Data snapshot Updated

A #15 national university for economic mobility.

Who it’s a good fit for

Cal Poly Pomona is a public university in Pomona, California, where the degree mix is led by Business and Engineering. Mobility is among the highest we track.

Graduates out-earn what predicts for students like them. The model attributes more of that to the factors it measures — field of study, enrollment and the local labor market — than to what it cannot explain.

Students who arrive with Pell Grants finish at a rate slightly above the entering cohort as a whole, and access is among the highest we track. The lowest income band pays well under the published cost, while the highest band pays closer to it.

The admission rate is below the median for comparable schools, and most graduates are estimated to go into work rather than on to further study. A student drawn to the largest program, Business, should know that the best-paid ones are in engineering.

Cal Poly Pomona at a glance

Admissions and outcomes

Admission rate[1]
75.2%
Six-year completion[2]
68.4%
Four-year earnings[3]
$71,138

Cost and family borrowing

Average annual net price · $48–75K family income[6]
$10,734
Median student debt[4]
$16,000
Median Parent PLUS debt[7]
$15,000

Cal Poly Pomona rankings: how Azimuth assesses value[5]

California State Polytechnic University-Pomona is a public university in Pomona, California, enrolling 25,042 undergraduates. Its composite standing is near the very top of the Azimuth ranking among nonprofit four-year institutions.

The university admits 75.2% of applicants, against a median of 78.1% for comparable institutions (same type and size). Of students who start full time, 87.4% return for a second year, compared with a peer median of 83.1%.

For the first-time full-time cohort, 68.4% finish within six years, against a peer median of 65.0%. An estimated 38.3% of entrants arrive as transfers or part-time students, so the six-year rate describes only the portion of the student body that started here.

Mobility is the strongest , while return is the weakest. Access and affordability sit between them, with three of the four pillars clustered near the top and one noticeably lower.

California State Polytechnic University-Pomona's strongest pillar is mobility, in the 99th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. Access follows at the 95th percentile, and affordability at the 93rd percentile.

The return pillar, in the 77th percentile, is the weakest of the four. Azimuth ranks the university #15 nationally, a position that shows the strength of the mobility and access pillars alongside solid affordability.

46.3% of undergraduates at Cal Poly Pomona receive Pell Grants, a measure of financial access. Azimuth ranks the university #72 for access among nonprofit four-year institutions.

Pell recipients complete at 71.6%, 3.2 percentage points above the rate for the entering cohort as a whole. Azimuth ranks the university #14 for mobility among nonprofit four-year institutions.

Graduates earn about $15,260 more than the model expects for similar students, and Pell recipients finish above the overall rate.

How value-added outcomes are assessed · How to interpret program rankings

Cal Poly Pomona rankings in context
GeographyRank
National#15
California#9
West#9

Azimuth overall value rankings within each geographic comparison group.

National pillar percentiles

Economic mobility
National percentile: 99
Access & reach
National percentile: 95
Affordability
National percentile: 93
Return on investment
National percentile: 77

Top-ranked majors

  1. Architecture#3
  2. City/Urban, Community, and Regional Planning#3
  3. Landscape Architecture#3

This school’s three highest-ranked programs nationally. Each rank compares bachelor’s programs in the same field; field sizes differ.

Explore major rankings

01 / Cal Poly Pomona briefing

Cal Poly Pomona cost & financial aid[6][7]

The published cost of attendance at California State Polytechnic University-Pomona is $23,955. In its 2025-26 Common Data Set, the university reported in-state tuition of $6,838 and required fees of $1,728 for the 2026-27 academic year.

On-campus food and housing were listed at $16,909. After grants and scholarships, the average net price for aid recipients is $11,531, which is $4,103 below the peer median of $15,634 for comparable institutions (same type and size).

Financial aid reduces the published cost by an average of $12,424. Azimuth ranks the university #106 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions.

The published cost of attendance at California State Polytechnic University-Pomona is $23,955. For families earning under $30,000, the average net price is $7,851, and for families in the $48,001–$75,000 band it is $10,734.

Families earning over $110,000 see an of $20,716. The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $12,865.

Azimuth ranks Cal Poly Pomona #106 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions. Aid covers about 52% of the published cost for the average aid recipient, an average offset of $12,424.

The average net price for first-time, full-time Title IV aid recipients is $11,531, which is below the median of $15,634 for comparable institutions (same type and size) by $4,103. The median federal student loan debt at completion is $16,000, with about 53.6% of federal aid recipients borrowing.

That median is below the peer median of $20,076 by $4,076. Median Parent PLUS borrowing stands at $15,000.

The median federal student debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $182 a month if repaid over ten years.

Your family income

Choose a household income range to see estimated net price.

Reported average annual net price · $48–75K$10,734

After grants and scholarships. Your aid offer may differ.

Averages within each income band; individual aid packages vary.

Borrowing and repayment at Cal Poly Pomona

Federal borrowing at California State Polytechnic University-Pomona is concentrated among a little over half of undergraduates: 53.6% take federal loans, and the median federal debt at completion is $16,000. Compared with the $20,076 median at comparable institutions (same type and size), the university's median is below by $4,076.

Parent borrowers, a separate population, hold a median Parent PLUS loan of $15,000.

Earnings scenarios tied to the program mix at California State Polytechnic University-Pomona stretch from a downside of $49,890 to an upside of $98,620, with a typical scenario of $71,138. Four years after completion, federally aided completers earn a median of $71,138, a level in the 78th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.

Graduates earn about $15,260 more than the model expects for similar students, a result that falls in the 92nd percentile. The median federal student debt at completion is $16,000, which is below the $20,076 median for comparable institutions (same type and size).

The estimated monthly payment is $182. Earnings sit above the peer median of $65,610 for comparable institutions, a gap of $5,528.

Parent borrowers at Cal Poly Pomona took on a median of $15,000 in Parent PLUS loans, a separate federal borrowing population. The estimated monthly student payment if repaid over ten years is $182.

How Financial GPS measures payment burden · The four risk-and-reward zones

Financial GPS

What does repayment look like?

Institution median student debt
$16,000
Institution Parent PLUS debt
$15,000

Federal loans only; private or institutional loans aren’t included.

Estimated student payment · monthly
$182/mo
Estimated Parent PLUS payment · monthly
$191/mo

Payments use school-wide median balances, not a specific major’s.

Payment assumptions

Payments are 10-year standard payments on the median balance, before loan fees, used as a yardstick. Rates for newly issued loans may differ, and loans made after July 1, 2026 can repay over a longer term; existing loans keep their original fixed rates.

Explore your own numbers in Financial GPS
Read the full cost & aid brief

02 / Cal Poly Pomona briefing

Cal Poly Pomona career outcomes & earnings[3][8][9]

California State Polytechnic University-Pomona reports median earnings of $71,138 four years after completion. That institution-wide figure is a starting point; results for particular fields can differ.

Read earnings alongside retention and completion. Earnings among completers do not include every student who entered the institution, while the lower and higher planning estimates describe modeled mixes of program outcomes rather than observed salary percentiles.

What explains value-added earnings?
Program & institutional factors The part attributed to observed institutional characteristics.
+$10,486
Unexplained remainder What remains after the model’s observed factors.
+$4,774
Total modeled value added The modeled difference from expected earnings.
+$15,260

These are statistical model components, not proven causal effects; the remainder is not a direct measure of teaching quality.

Read the full outcomes brief

03 / Cal Poly Pomona briefing

Cal Poly Pomona acceptance rate & admissions[1][10][11]

California State Polytechnic University-Pomona admits 75.2% of applicants, compared with the median of 78.1% for comparable institutions (same type and size). In its 2025-26 Common Data Set, the university reported 48,258 applicants, 35,688 admitted students, and 4,004 enrolled first-year students.

Admissions
Admission rate
75.2%
Read the full admissions brief

04 / Cal Poly Pomona briefing

What are the largest majors at Cal Poly Pomona?[12]

The largest program records at California State Polytechnic University-Pomona, by reported degrees awarded, are: Business Administration, Management and Operations (1,561 awards); Psychology, General (361 awards); Civil Engineering (277 awards); Mechanical Engineering (276 awards); Sociology (253 awards). These counts describe degree output in the source reporting period, not current enrollment or unique people.

Among those larger programs, reported median earnings four years after completion include Business Administration, Management and Operations at $70,954; Psychology, General at $49,747; Civil Engineering at $97,790. Program size and earnings answer different questions; the largest program need not have the highest earnings.

Keep individual program records separate from broader degree categories and from records for other reporting periods. Those views can describe different parts of the university’s academic mix.

Four-year earnings · six largest reported fields
Business Administration, Management and Operations 1,561 degrees awarded
$70,954
Psychology, General 361 degrees awarded
$49,747
Civil Engineering 277 degrees awarded
$97,790
Mechanical Engineering 276 degrees awarded
$99,148
Sociology 253 degrees awarded
$52,694
Hospitality Administration/Management 252 degrees awarded
$57,114

Fields selected by reported completions. Counts describe credentials awarded, not unique students or the earnings sample. Bars show median four-year earnings.

Read the full majors brief

05 / Cal Poly Pomona briefing

How does Cal Poly Pomona serve students from different backgrounds?

Azimuth places the mobility pillar for California State Polytechnic University-Pomona in the 99th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. For the first-time full-time cohort, the six-year graduation rate is 68.4%, and Pell recipients complete at 71.6% — above the overall rate by 3.2 percentage points.

Graduates earn about $15,260 more than the model expects for similar students, a result that sits in the 92nd percentile nationally.

Azimuth places the access pillar for California State Polytechnic University-Pomona in the 95th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. The public university admits 75.2% of applicants and enrolls 25,042 undergraduates.

Pell Grant recipients make up 46.3% of the undergraduate body, and an estimated 38.3% of students enter as transfers or part-time students.

06 / Cal Poly Pomona briefing

What colleges are similar to Cal Poly Pomona?[15]

The comparisons for California State Polytechnic University-Pomona cover higher reported admission rates, similar admissions profiles, higher reported earnings at similar cost, lower reported cost with similar earnings and options in the same state or region. The similar-schools brief keeps these questions in separate groups, with related institutional profiles shown as another comparison.

Each group has its own candidate list and ordering. A high position within one group is not a rank against all the schools in the other groups, and a school can appear more than once for different reasons. Check the source definition and earnings period for the comparison you choose.

A shortlist for different decisions

Choose a row to compare the figures with Cal Poly Pomona.

Admissions peerThe Master's University and Seminary84.0% admitted
Comparison with Cal Poly Pomona
MeasureCal Poly PomonaThe Master's University and Seminary
Peer earnings · 4 years$71,138$55,487-$15,651 vs Cal Poly Pomona
Average annual net price$11,531$32,647+$21,116 vs Cal Poly Pomona · higher cost
Admission rate75.2%84.0%
Higher-admission alternativeCalifornia State University-Fullerton90.5% admitted
Comparison with Cal Poly Pomona
MeasureCal Poly PomonaCalifornia State University-Fullerton
Peer earnings · 4 years$71,138$63,753-$7,385 vs Cal Poly Pomona
Average annual net price$11,531$6,555-$4,976 vs Cal Poly Pomona · lower cost
Admission rate75.2%90.5%
Explore California State University-Fullerton →
Nearby alternativeSan Diego State UniversityNearby option · CA
Comparison with Cal Poly Pomona
MeasureCal Poly PomonaSan Diego State University
Peer earnings · 4 years$71,138$68,268-$2,870 vs Cal Poly Pomona
Average annual net price$11,531$15,364+$3,833 vs Cal Poly Pomona · higher cost
Admission rate75.2%36.2%
Explore San Diego State University →
Higher-earnings alternativeHoly Family University$82,892 earnings
Comparison with Cal Poly Pomona
MeasureCal Poly PomonaHoly Family University
Peer earnings · 4 years$71,138$82,892+$11,754 vs Cal Poly Pomona
Average annual net price$11,531$13,143+$1,612 vs Cal Poly Pomona · higher cost
Admission rate75.2%71.0%
Explore Holy Family University →
Lower-cost alternativeCalifornia State University-Fullerton$6,555 average net price
Comparison with Cal Poly Pomona
MeasureCal Poly PomonaCalifornia State University-Fullerton
Peer earnings · 4 years$71,138$63,753-$7,385 vs Cal Poly Pomona
Average annual net price$11,531$6,555-$4,976 vs Cal Poly Pomona · lower cost
Admission rate75.2%90.5%
Explore California State University-Fullerton →
Similar profileUniversity of California-Santa BarbaraMatched across several measures
Comparison with Cal Poly Pomona
MeasureCal Poly PomonaUniversity of California-Santa Barbara
Peer earnings · 4 years$71,138$70,323-$815 vs Cal Poly Pomona
Average annual net price$11,531$16,109+$4,578 vs Cal Poly Pomona · higher cost
Admission rate75.2%33.0%
Explore University of California-Santa Barbara →

Each school is the first-ranked match in its category, not a recommendation across every measure. The same college may lead more than one category. Figures use the matching snapshot; earnings reflect the matched four-year cohort. — means unavailable.

Read the full similar schools brief

Data scope & methodology

Structured payloads generated Governed hub narrative Governed spoke corpus

Four-year earnings describe cohorts of completers. Figures for other horizons describe different cohorts and are not joined into a career-growth projection.

Azimuth's overall rank and pillar percentiles come from the school profile. Absolute pillar ranks, city, enrollment and official-site links are shown only when structured data supplies them.

Detailed earnings, cost, admissions and program values come from the endpoint responsible for each measure. Missing values are not replaced with zero. Value-added estimates are model associations, not causal effects.

Figures are refreshed with each data release, at most a quarter apart. The underlying source dates can be earlier than the release.

Explanatory text is AI-assisted drafting checked against those figures; it is not an additional data source.

Analysis and methodology by Daniel Rogers, founder of College Azimuth.

Read the ranking methodology, data definitions and limitations · About College Azimuth

Read the analysis behind value-added earnings and the change to four-year graduate earnings. These articles are published on collegeazimuth.com.

Data notes & source fields

Scorecard field codes identify the underlying measure; Azimuth-derived values are labeled separately. Snapshot dates are not measurement years. Source populations and reporting periods differ across measures. Field definitions are in the U.S. Department of Education · College Scorecard documentation; notes with a different source link it below.

  1. Admission rate. Reported applicants admitted; not a transfer-specific or individual admission probability.

    Source fields: ADM_RATE

  2. Six-year completion. First-time, full-time students completing at the institution within 150% of normal time, typically six years for a bachelor’s degree.

    Source fields: C150_4

  3. Four-year institutional earnings. Median earnings of graduates in the reported cohort who are working and not enrolled, four years after completion.

    Source fields: MD_EARN_WNE_4YR

  4. Median federal student debt. Federal student-loan debt among completers in the reported borrowing cohort. Excludes Parent PLUS and is not total debt across all students.

    Source fields: GRAD_DEBT_MDN

  5. National, regional and state ranks; pillar percentiles; major ranks. Derived scores within the stated eligible comparison set, not raw Scorecard fields. Major ranks compare institutions within a field; their denominators differ.

    Source fields: Azimuth rankings

    College Azimuth · Ranking methodology

  6. Annual net price by family income. Average annual cost after grants and scholarships for the eligible first-time, full-time aid-recipient cohort. Public-school figures reflect in-state tuition. Includes living costs; these are averages, not medians or individual offers.

    Source fields: NPT4_PUB/PRIV; NPT41_PUB/PRIV through NPT45_PUB/PRIV

  7. Parent PLUS debt, payments and GPS illustration. Stored payments use Financial GPS loan and repayment assumptions. The adjustable spectrum applies the published framework to annual student payments divided by earnings minus an expense allowance; its initial allowance uses the frozen 2024 framework baseline. It is an illustration rather than a school rating. Parent PLUS uses the completer median where available, otherwise the all-borrower median; these describe different borrowing populations.

    Source fields: PLUS_DEBT_ALL_COMP_MD; fallback PLUS_DEBT_ALL_MD; Azimuth Financial GPS calculations

    College Azimuth · Financial GPS methodology

  8. Downside and upside earnings; yellow band. The band spans the modeled lower and higher scenarios. It is not the P25–P75 interval for individual graduates. The median marker is the separately reported institutional median.

    Source fields: Azimuth modeled program-mix scenarios

    College Azimuth · Earnings scenario methodology

  9. Value added and its components. Observed-factor attribution plus the unexplained remainder equals total modeled value added. These are associations, not proven causal effects; the remainder is not a direct measure of teaching quality.

    Source fields: Azimuth statistical model

    College Azimuth · Value-added methodology

  10. SAT score range and reported midpoint. Reported scores of enrolled score-submitters, not admission cutoffs. The midpoint field is not necessarily the middle of the displayed range.

    Source fields: SATVR25 + SATMT25; SATVR75 + SATMT75; SAT_AVG

  11. First-year retention. Retention of the reported full-time cohort at four-year institutions.

    Source fields: RET_FT4

  12. Program earnings, completion counts and major-mix dots. Included bachelor’s programs have at least five reported completions. Counts are aggregated credentials, not unique people or an earnings sample. Major-mix dots group those counts by field of study; excluded programs are not zero activity.

    Source fields: EARN_MDN_4YR; IPEDSCOUNT1; CIPCODE

    College Scorecard · Field-of-study technical documentation

  13. Pell recipients. Share of undergraduates receiving a Pell Grant in the reported academic year.

    Source fields: PCTPELL

  14. Entering students outside the first-time, full-time group. This is not an observed transfer-in rate. It includes part-time entrants and other entering-student attendance patterns.

    Source fields: 1 − PFTFTUG1_EF

  15. Peer earnings and signed differences. Differences are peer minus this school, from the same matching snapshot. A positive earnings difference does not mean the peer is better on every measure.

    Source fields: Azimuth peer model using MD_EARN_WNE_4YR

    College Azimuth · Comparison methodology

How to interpret program rankings