Cal Poly vs Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)

California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo (Cal Poly) and Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) stand as two distinct beacons of higher education, each offering a unique blend of academic excellence and vibrant campus life. While both institutions share a commitment to providing students with a transformative educational experience, they differ significantly in several key aspects. Cal Poly, a public polytechnic university, boasts a higher acceptance rate and a larger student body, predominantly comprising California residents. MIT, a private research university, is renowned for its highly selective admissions process and attracts a diverse student population from across the globe. Explore the comprehensive comparison table below to delve into further details regarding acceptance rates, popular majors, student demographics, graduation rates, and more, empowering you to make an informed decision that best aligns with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.

	California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo	Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Overview
Location	San Luis Obispo, California	Cambridge, Massachusetts
Campus setting	Suburb: Small	City: Midsize
College type	4 year	4 year
Control/business model	Public	Private (Non Profit)
Calendar system	Quarter	4-1-4
Degrees offered	Undergraduate and Graduate	Undergraduate and Graduate
Students retention rate	95.0%	99.0%
Common app member	No	No
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	33.0%	4.1%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $70 Graduate: $70	Undergraduate: $75 Graduate: $75
SAT range	N/A	N/A
ACT range	N/A	N/A
Students submitting SAT score
Students submitting ACT score
Total number of applicants	54,570	33,240
Total number of admissions given out	18,008	1,365
Admitted students who chose to enroll	4,884	1,177
Yield rate	27.1%	86.2%
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	$58,920
Average net price	$20,708	$30,958
Tuition	In state: $5,742 Out of state: $17,622	$55,510
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $9,642 Meal plan: $6,138	Room/dormitory: $11,550 Meal plan: $6,550
Available payment plans		Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	55.0% Average amount $5,988	100.0% Average amount $32,562
Students receiving federal student loan	24.0% Average amount $5,023	6.0% Average amount $5,112
Students taking out private loans	1.0% Average amount $22,714	1.0% Average amount $17,891

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	21,128 Men 51.2% Women 48.8%	4,638 Men 51.9% Women 48.1%
Graduate students	1,103 Men 50.4% Women 49.6%	7,296 Men 62.0% Women 38.0%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Moderate	Moderate
Out-of-state students	20.6%	N/A
International students	2.3%	29.2%
Campus local/setting	Suburb: Small	City: Midsize
Dormitory capacity	8,147	6,280
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	California Washington Colorado Oregon Texas	California Texas New York Florida New Jersey

Academics
Popular study areas	Engineering Business Agriculture Architecture Biological and Biomedical Sciences	Engineering Business Computer and Information Science Architecture Mathematics and Statistics
Students to faculty ratio	21:1	3:1
Institutional accreditation	Western Association of Schools and Colleges Senior Colleges and University Commission	New England Commission on Higher Education

Outcome
Graduation rate	85.4%	96.2%
Dropout rate	12.5%	3.0%
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	Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $144,716 Year 2: $150,045 Year 3: $183,153 Business/Commerce, General (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $170,089 Year 2: $165,236 Year 3: $182,183 Computer Science (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $118,191 Year 2: $127,993 Year 3: $163,496 Mathematics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $82,796 Year 2: $117,572 Year 3: $155,540 Systems Engineering (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $133,685 Year 2: $137,214 Year 3: $155,079 Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $104,229 Year 2: $121,226 Year 3: $139,548 Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $141,603 Year 2: $126,504 Year 3: $132,987 Mechanical Engineering (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $112,885 Year 3: $124,425 Mechanical Engineering (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $135,266 Year 2: $111,435 Year 3: $112,404 Aerospace, Aeronautical and Astronautical Engineering (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $109,955 Year 2: $104,749 Year 3: $109,672

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Cal Poly vs Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)

California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Overview

Admission

Tuition and Fees

Financial Aid

Students and Campus

Academics

Outcome

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