Cal Poly vs Duke University

California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo (Cal Poly) and Duke University stand as two distinct academic institutions, each offering unique opportunities and experiences to their students. Cal Poly, a public polytechnic university, prides itself on its strong focus on hands-on learning and its close ties to industry, while Duke, a private research university, is renowned for its rigorous academics and world-class research facilities. With Cal Poly boasting an acceptance rate of 31% and Duke's acceptance rate standing at 8%, it's evident that these universities cater to different applicant pools. While Cal Poly's student body is predominantly composed of California residents, Duke attracts a more diverse student population from across the nation and the globe. Explore the comparison table below to delve into further details about these institutions, including popular majors, student demographics, graduation rates, and more, to determine which university best aligns with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.

	California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo	Duke University
Overview
Location	San Luis Obispo, California	Durham, North Carolina
Campus setting	Suburb: Small	City: Large
College type	4 year	4 year
Control/business model	Public	Private (Non Profit)
Calendar system	Quarter	Semester
Degrees offered	Undergraduate and Graduate	Undergraduate and Graduate
Students retention rate	95.0%	98.0%
Common app member	No	Yes
Religious affiliation		Methodism

Admission
Acceptance rate	33.0%	5.9%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $70 Graduate: $70	Undergraduate: $85 Graduate: $95
SAT range	N/A	1468 - 1558
ACT range	N/A	33 - 35
Students submitting SAT score		47.0%
Students submitting ACT score		46.0%
Total number of applicants	54,570	49,703
Total number of admissions given out	18,008	2,927
Admitted students who chose to enroll	4,884	1,744
Yield rate	27.1%	59.6%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	Required	Not required
Recommendation letters	Not required	Required
High school transcript	Not required	Not required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL)	Not required	Not required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	In state: $29,680 Out of state: $47,590	$79,860
Average net price	$20,708	$27,297
Tuition	In state: $5,742 Out of state: $17,622	$58,085
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $9,642 Meal plan: $6,138	Room/dormitory: $9,164 Meal plan: $6,862
Available payment plans		Prepaid tuition plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	55.0% Average amount $5,988	46.0% Average amount $50,731
Students receiving federal student loan	24.0% Average amount $5,023	20.0% Average amount $4,537
Students taking out private loans	1.0% Average amount $22,714	3.0% Average amount $22,957

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	21,128 Men 51.2% Women 48.8%	6,883 Men 48.4% Women 51.6%
Graduate students	1,103 Men 50.4% Women 49.6%	10,737 Men 45.5% Women 54.5%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Moderate	Moderate
Out-of-state students	20.6%	N/A
International students	2.3%	21.4%
Campus local/setting	Suburb: Small	City: Large
Dormitory capacity	8,147	5,718
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	Yes
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	California Washington Colorado Oregon Texas	N/A

Academics
Popular study areas	Engineering Business Agriculture Architecture Biological and Biomedical Sciences	Business Health Professions Engineering Legal Profession Social Sciences
Students to faculty ratio	21:1	6:1
Institutional accreditation	Western Association of Schools and Colleges Senior Colleges and University Commission	Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges

Outcome
Graduation rate	85.4%	95.9%
Dropout rate	12.5%	4.0%
Transferred out	1.2%	N/A
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	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	International Business (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $151,472 Year 2: $213,978 Year 3: $201,782 Law (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $155,031 Year 2: $168,098 Year 3: $200,300 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $143,622 Year 2: $148,189 Year 3: $163,560 Health and Medical Administrative Services (Graduate/Professional Certificates) Year 1: $163,977 Year 2: $138,342 Year 3: $159,598 Computer Science (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $115,135 Year 2: $106,898 Year 3: $134,542 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $123,138 Year 2: $116,541 Year 3: $124,406 Computer Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $108,817 Year 2: $97,071 Year 3: $117,262 Economics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $94,699 Year 2: $90,856 Year 3: $112,646 Engineering-Related Fields (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $97,661 Year 2: $91,078 Year 3: $108,736 Economics (Master's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $76,460 Year 3: $104,348

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