Cal Poly vs Abilene Christian

California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo (Cal Poly) and Abilene Christian University (ACU) are two distinct institutions of higher learning that offer unique educational experiences. Cal Poly, a public polytechnic university located on California's Central Coast, boasts an acceptance rate of 31% and is renowned for its strong programs in engineering, agriculture, and architecture. ACU, a private Christian university in Abilene, Texas, has an acceptance rate of 73% and is known for its strengths in the liberal arts, business, and nursing. While both universities offer a diverse range of undergraduate and graduate programs, their contrasting acceptance rates, popular majors, student body demographics, and graduation rates make them suitable for different types of students. Explore the comprehensive comparison table below to discover which university better aligns with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.

	Abilene Christian University	California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo
Overview
Location	Abilene, Texas	San Luis Obispo, California
Campus setting	City: Midsize	Suburb: Small
College type	4 year	4 year
Control/business model	Private (Non Profit)	Public
Calendar system	Semester	Quarter
Degrees offered	Undergraduate and Graduate	Undergraduate and Graduate
Students retention rate	79.0%	95.0%
Common app member	Yes	No
Religious affiliation	Churches of Christ

Admission
Acceptance rate	70.1%	33.0%
Application fees	$65	Undergraduate: $70 Graduate: $70
SAT range	1050 - 1270	N/A
ACT range	22 - 28	N/A
Students submitting SAT score	35.0%
Students submitting ACT score	28.0%
Total number of applicants	8,208	54,570
Total number of admissions given out	5,755	18,008
Admitted students who chose to enroll	833	4,884
Yield rate	14.5%	27.1%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	Not required	Required
Recommendation letters	Not required	Not required
High school transcript	Not required	Not required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL)	Required	Not required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	$55,500	In state: $29,680 Out of state: $47,590
Average net price	$29,734	$20,708
Tuition	$39,250	In state: $5,742 Out of state: $17,622
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $5,878 Meal plan: $5,750	Room/dormitory: $9,642 Meal plan: $6,138
Available payment plans	Prepaid tuition plan Tuition payment plan Other alternative tuition plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	100.0% Average amount $23,662	55.0% Average amount $5,988
Students receiving federal student loan	53.0% Average amount $5,275	24.0% Average amount $5,023
Students taking out private loans	16.0% Average amount $18,262	1.0% Average amount $22,714

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	3,138 Men 39.2% Women 60.8%	21,128 Men 51.2% Women 48.8%
Graduate students	1,774 Men 28.1% Women 71.9%	1,103 Men 50.4% Women 49.6%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Moderate
Out-of-state students	14.8%	20.6%
International students	3.3%	2.3%
Campus local/setting	City: Midsize	Suburb: Small
Dormitory capacity	2,153	8,147
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	Texas Oklahoma California Arizona Tennessee	California Washington Colorado Oregon Texas

Academics
Popular study areas	Health Professions Education Business Psychology Kinesiology & Leisure Studies	Engineering Business Agriculture Architecture Biological and Biomedical Sciences
Students to faculty ratio	13:1	21:1
Institutional accreditation	Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges	Western Association of Schools and Colleges Senior Colleges and University Commission

Outcome
Graduation rate	60.2%	85.4%
Dropout rate	38.8%	12.5%
Transferred out	N/A	1.2%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Accounting and Related Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $60,955 Year 2: $64,068 Year 3: $76,106 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $62,092 Year 2: $58,522 Year 3: $66,013 Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies, Other (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $60,144 Year 2: $53,358 Year 3: $65,252 Peace Studies and Conflict Resolution (Graduate/Professional Certificates) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $54,661 Year 3: $59,374 Educational Administration and Supervision (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $41,079 Year 2: $49,631 Year 3: $53,274 Communication Disorders Sciences and Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $55,118 Year 2: $63,005 Year 3: $52,550 Clinical, Counseling and Applied Psychology (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $40,619 Year 2: $39,009 Year 3: $50,422 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $41,737 Year 2: $44,170 Year 3: $46,207 Marketing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $42,484 Year 2: $42,682 Year 3: $45,767 Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $39,141 Year 2: $44,747 Year 3: $43,080	Computer and Information Sciences, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $88,197 Year 2: $120,462 Year 3: $143,849 Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $104,015 Year 2: $101,964 Year 3: $116,606 Computer Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $91,493 Year 2: $93,964 Year 3: $106,798 Fire Protection (Master's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $97,071 Year 3: $103,907 Construction Engineering Technologies (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $79,656 Year 2: $82,780 Year 3: $96,152 Industrial Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $72,643 Year 2: $73,562 Year 3: $90,242 Engineering, General (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $74,873 Year 2: $78,971 Year 3: $90,194 Aerospace, Aeronautical and Astronautical Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $74,220 Year 2: $76,460 Year 3: $89,378 Accounting and Related Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $66,920 Year 2: $70,886 Year 3: $87,984 Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $79,454 Year 2: $79,647 Year 3: $87,345

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Cal Poly vs Abilene Christian

Abilene Christian University

California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo

Overview

Admission

Tuition and Fees

Financial Aid

Students and Campus

Academics

Outcome

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