Cal Poly vs SUNY Poly

California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo (Cal Poly SLO) and SUNY Polytechnic Institute (SUNY Poly) are two distinct institutions of higher learning with unique offerings and characteristics. Cal Poly SLO, located in the heart of California's Central Coast, boasts a strong reputation for its engineering, agriculture, and business programs, while SUNY Poly, situated in the vibrant city of Utica, New York, excels in nanotechnology, engineering, and healthcare fields. With varying acceptance rates, popular majors, student body demographics, and graduation rates, these universities cater to diverse student populations and academic aspirations. Explore our comprehensive comparison table to delve into the specifics and discover which institution aligns best with your educational goals and preferences.
California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo logo

California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo

SUNY Polytechnic Institute logo

SUNY Polytechnic Institute

Overview

Location San Luis Obispo, California Utica, New York
Campus setting Suburb: Small Suburb: Midsize
College type 4 year 4 year
Control/business model Public Public
Calendar system Quarter Semester
Degrees offered Undergraduate and Graduate Undergraduate and Graduate
Students retention rate 95.0% 75.0%
Common app member No Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission

Acceptance rate 33.0% 77.3%
Application fees
Undergraduate: $70

Graduate: $70
Undergraduate: $50

Graduate: $60
SAT range N/A 1040 - 1400
ACT range N/A 23 - 31
Students submitting SAT score 29.0%
Students submitting ACT score 5.0%
Total number of applicants 54,570 2,686
Total number of admissions given out 18,008 2,075
Admitted students who chose to enroll 4,884 307
Yield rate 27.1% 14.8%
Test scores (SAT/ACT) N/A N/A
High school GPA Required Required
Recommendation letters Not required Required
High school transcript Not required Not required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL) Not required Required

Tuition and Fees

Sticker price
In state: $29,680

Out of state: $47,590
In state: $27,040

Out of state: $37,800
Average net price $20,708 $10,245
Tuition
In state: $5,742

Out of state: $17,622
In state: $7,070

Out of state: $17,830
Room & board
Room/dormitory: $9,642

Meal plan: $6,138
Room/dormitory: $8,444

Meal plan: $4,960
Available payment plans
  • Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid

Students receiving financial aid

(Grants & scholarships)

55.0%
Average amount $5,988
87.0%
Average amount $9,128
Students receiving federal student loan 24.0%
Average amount $5,023
56.0%
Average amount $4,971
Students taking out private loans 1.0%
Average amount $22,714
7.0%
Average amount $8,955

Students and Campus

Undergraduate students 21,128
Men 51.2% Women 48.8%
2,037
Men 67.3% Women 32.7%
Graduate students 1,103
Men 50.4% Women 49.6%
813
Men 40.1% Women 59.9%
Racial/ethnic diversity
Moderate
Low
Out-of-state students 20.6% 2.0%
International students 2.3% 4.8%
Campus local/setting Suburb: Small Suburb: Midsize
Dormitory capacity 8,147 1,076
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 New York Alabama Connecticut Florida Mississippi

Academics

Popular study areas
  • Engineering
  • Business
  • Agriculture
  • Architecture
  • Biological and Biomedical Sciences
  • Computer and Information Science
  • Business
  • Health Professions
  • Engineering
  • Engineering Technologies
Students to faculty ratio 21:1 13:1
Institutional accreditation Western Association of Schools and Colleges Senior Colleges and University Commission Middle States Commission on Higher Education

Outcome

Graduation rate 85.4% 65.4%
Dropout rate 12.5% 7.2%
Transferred out 1.2% 26.8%
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
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $97,384
  • Year 2: $96,627
  • Year 3: $101,575
Business, Management, Marketing, and Related Support Services, Other (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $58,527
  • Year 2: $75,518
  • Year 3: $82,639
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $62,787
  • Year 2: $64,358
  • Year 3: $70,835
Electrical Engineering Technologies/Technicians (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $49,615
  • Year 2: $58,221
  • Year 3: $70,350
Civil Engineering Technologies/Technicians (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $56,696
  • Year 2: $60,523
  • Year 3: $66,979
Mechanical Engineering Related Technologies/Technicians (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $50,531
  • Year 2: $59,711
  • Year 3: $64,674
Accounting and Related Services (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: N/A
  • Year 2: $59,124
  • Year 3: $63,657
Computer and Information Sciences, General (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $53,881
  • Year 2: $55,964
  • Year 3: $62,982
Computer/Information Technology Administration and Management (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $45,742
  • Year 2: $48,667
  • Year 3: $55,049
Health and Medical Administrative Services (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $45,223
  • Year 2: $42,682
  • Year 3: $54,641

Compare Similar Colleges

The list of suggested college comparisons provided below is generated automatically by our system, utilizing statistics gathered from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) and various online sources. If you don't find the colleges you wish to compare, please visit our comparison page. There, you can search for the specific colleges and initiate your comparison.
California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo Cal Poly vs California State University-San Bernardino California State University-San Bernardino
California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo Cal Poly vs California State University-Chico California State University-Chico
California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo Cal Poly vs California State University-Northridge California State University-Northridge
California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo Cal Poly vs University of California-Berkeley University of California-Berkeley
California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo Cal Poly vs University of California-Davis University of California-Davis
California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo Cal Poly vs California State Polytechnic University-Humboldt California State Polytechnic University-Humboldt
California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo Cal Poly vs The University of Tampa The University of Tampa
California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo Cal Poly vs Northwestern University Northwestern University
California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo Cal Poly vs Johns Hopkins University Johns Hopkins University
California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo Cal Poly vs United States Naval Academy United States Naval Academy
California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo Cal Poly vs Harvard University Harvard University
California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo Cal Poly vs Massachusetts Institute of Technology Massachusetts Institute of Technology
California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo Cal Poly vs Eastern Michigan University Eastern Michigan University
California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo Cal Poly vs Grand Valley State University Grand Valley State University
California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo Cal Poly vs University of Minnesota-Duluth University of Minnesota-Duluth
California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo Cal Poly vs Dartmouth College Dartmouth College
California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo Cal Poly vs Cornell University Cornell University
California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo Cal Poly vs SUNY Polytechnic Institute SUNY Polytechnic Institute
California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo Cal Poly vs Appalachian State University Appalachian State University
California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo Cal Poly vs Duke University Duke University
California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo Cal Poly vs University of North Carolina Wilmington University of North Carolina Wilmington
California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo Cal Poly vs Brown University Brown University
California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo Cal Poly vs Vanderbilt University Vanderbilt University
California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo Cal Poly vs Abilene Christian University Abilene Christian University
California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo Cal Poly vs University of Virginia-Main Campus University of Virginia-Main Campus
California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo Cal Poly vs Gonzaga University Gonzaga University
California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo Cal Poly vs Western Washington University Western Washington University
California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo Cal Poly vs Stanford University Stanford University
SUNY Polytechnic Institute SUNY Poly vs Southern Arkansas University Main Campus Southern Arkansas University Main Campus
SUNY Polytechnic Institute SUNY Poly vs United States Air Force Academy United States Air Force Academy
SUNY Polytechnic Institute SUNY Poly vs University of Connecticut University of Connecticut
SUNY Polytechnic Institute SUNY Poly vs University of Maine University of Maine
SUNY Polytechnic Institute SUNY Poly vs Benjamin Franklin Institute of Technology Benjamin Franklin Institute of Technology
SUNY Polytechnic Institute SUNY Poly vs University of Massachusetts-Amherst University of Massachusetts-Amherst
SUNY Polytechnic Institute SUNY Poly vs Mississippi University for Women Mississippi University for Women
SUNY Polytechnic Institute SUNY Poly vs University of New Hampshire-Main Campus University of New Hampshire-Main Campus
SUNY Polytechnic Institute SUNY Poly vs Rowan University Rowan University
SUNY Polytechnic Institute SUNY Poly vs Montclair State University Montclair State University
SUNY Polytechnic Institute SUNY Poly vs Marist College Marist College
SUNY Polytechnic Institute SUNY Poly vs SUNY College of Technology at Alfred SUNY College of Technology at Alfred
SUNY Polytechnic Institute SUNY Poly vs SUNY College of Technology at Delhi SUNY College of Technology at Delhi
SUNY Polytechnic Institute SUNY Poly vs SUNY College of Agriculture and Technology at Cobleskill SUNY College of Agriculture and Technology at Cobleskill
SUNY Polytechnic Institute SUNY Poly vs SUNY at Albany SUNY at Albany
SUNY Polytechnic Institute SUNY Poly vs Stony Brook University Stony Brook University
SUNY Polytechnic Institute SUNY Poly vs SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry
SUNY Polytechnic Institute SUNY Poly vs SUNY College at Geneseo SUNY College at Geneseo
SUNY Polytechnic Institute SUNY Poly vs State University of New York at New Paltz State University of New York at New Paltz
SUNY Polytechnic Institute SUNY Poly vs SUNY Oneonta SUNY Oneonta
SUNY Polytechnic Institute SUNY Poly vs SUNY College at Oswego SUNY College at Oswego
SUNY Polytechnic Institute SUNY Poly vs SUNY College at Potsdam SUNY College at Potsdam
SUNY Polytechnic Institute SUNY Poly vs SUNY College at Plattsburgh SUNY College at Plattsburgh
SUNY Polytechnic Institute SUNY Poly vs SUNY Maritime College SUNY Maritime College
SUNY Polytechnic Institute SUNY Poly vs Trocaire College Trocaire College
SUNY Polytechnic Institute SUNY Poly vs Oregon Institute of Technology Oregon Institute of Technology
SUNY Polytechnic Institute SUNY Poly vs University of Rhode Island University of Rhode Island
SUNY Polytechnic Institute SUNY Poly vs University of Vermont University of Vermont