Engineering at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo
Cal Poly San Luis Obispo awarded 1,060 bachelor's degrees in engineering in 2023, 21.3% of its 4,985 graduates, which makes it the most common field of study at the school. Across all 2,440 reporting institutions the field accounts for 5.94% of bachelor's degrees; at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo it is 3.6x that, far more concentrated. 28% of those graduates were women.
Is engineering competitive at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo?
Colleges report one admission rate for the whole school; here is the bar you are actually measured against, and how the model treats this major.
Cal Poly San Luis Obispo admitted 18,964 of 63,736 applicants for fall 2023 (31%). Colleges report admissions at the school level, not by major, so there is no published acceptance rate for engineering at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo. CollegeCalcAI's published model treats "Engineering" as more competitive than Cal Poly San Luis Obispo's overall rate (multiplier 0.92 on the effective admit rate), so an applicant declaring this field is scored against a slightly higher bar.
How to apply to Cal Poly San Luis Obispo for engineering
What readers look for from applicants who declare this field, at any selectivity.
- Physics and calculus, ideally both at the highest level offered
- Evidence of making things: robotics, engineering clubs, a build you can describe
- A clear reason for engineering in the essay, not just strong STEM grades
- Run your odds with the major set: your estimate at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo for engineering →
Field guide: how admissions works for this major across schools.
Where else to study engineering
Other colleges in California and at a similar selectivity that award bachelor's degrees in this field.
Every college ranked by engineering graduates: colleges that graduate the most engineering majors → · Engineering colleges in California →
More majors at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo
The other fields Cal Poly San Luis Obispo graduates the most students in, 2023.
Questions about engineering at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo
How many students major in engineering at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo?
1,060 students earned a bachelor's degree in engineering at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo in 2023, 21.3% of that year's 4,985 graduates (IPEDS completions, first majors).
Is engineering competitive at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo?
Cal Poly San Luis Obispo admitted 18,964 of 63,736 applicants for fall 2023 (31%). Colleges report admissions at the school level, not by major, so there is no published acceptance rate for engineering at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo. CollegeCalcAI's published model treats "Engineering" as more competitive than Cal Poly San Luis Obispo's overall rate (multiplier 0.92 on the effective admit rate), so an applicant declaring this field is scored against a slightly higher bar.
What is the acceptance rate for engineering at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo?
There is no official major-level acceptance rate; Cal Poly San Luis Obispo reports one school-wide figure, 31%. Some programs (direct-admit nursing, engineering and business schools) select separately and can be more selective than the school overall. CollegeCalcAI's calculator applies its published per-major adjustment and shows your estimate for this school with the major set.
Is Cal Poly San Luis Obispo known for engineering?
By output, engineering is the most common field at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo and far more concentrated there than at the average U.S. college (21.3% of graduates versus 5.94% nationally).
Source: U.S. Department of Education, IPEDS 2023 Completions (bachelor's degrees, first majors, CIP 2-digit series). Admissions counts: IPEDS 2023. Built 2026-09-19. Estimates from CollegeCalcAI are not predictions or guarantees.