Cal Poly vs University of Virginia-Main Campus (UVA)

California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo (Cal Poly) and University of Virginia-Main Campus (UVA) are two distinct institutions with unique offerings. Cal Poly, a public polytechnic university, boasts a 79% acceptance rate and is renowned for its strong engineering, agriculture, and business programs. UVA, a prestigious public research university, has a more selective admissions process with a 26% acceptance rate and excels in a wide range of disciplines, including arts and sciences, engineering, and business. While both universities offer a vibrant campus life and opportunities for personal growth, their contrasting acceptance rates, academic strengths, and student demographics 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.

	California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo	University of Virginia-Main Campus
Overview
Location	San Luis Obispo, California	Charlottesville, Virginia
Campus setting	Suburb: Small	Suburb: Small
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%	97.0%
Common app member	No	Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	33.0%	20.7%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $70 Graduate: $70	Undergraduate: $75 Graduate: $85
SAT range	N/A	1380 - 1500
ACT range	N/A	32 - 35
Students submitting SAT score		52.0%
Students submitting ACT score		21.0%
Total number of applicants	54,570	47,971
Total number of admissions given out	18,008	9,951
Admitted students who chose to enroll	4,884	3,889
Yield rate	27.1%	39.1%
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	In state: $36,314 Out of state: $70,696
Average net price	$20,708	$20,401
Tuition	In state: $5,742 Out of state: $17,622	In state: $16,010 Out of state: $49,710
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $9,642 Meal plan: $6,138	Room/dormitory: $7,110 Meal plan: $5,550
Available payment plans		Prepaid tuition plan Guaranteed tuition plan Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	55.0% Average amount $5,988	46.0% Average amount $19,612
Students receiving federal student loan	24.0% Average amount $5,023	25.0% Average amount $4,845
Students taking out private loans	1.0% Average amount $22,714	6.0% Average amount $11,030

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	21,128 Men 51.2% Women 48.8%	17,294 Men 43.7% Women 56.3%
Graduate students	1,103 Men 50.4% Women 49.6%	8,711 Men 46.9% Women 53.1%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Moderate	Low
Out-of-state students	20.6%	35.2%
International students	2.3%	8.8%
Campus local/setting	Suburb: Small	Suburb: Small
Dormitory capacity	8,147	7,645
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	Virginia New York Maryland Pennsylvania New Jersey

Academics
Popular study areas	Engineering Business Agriculture Architecture Biological and Biomedical Sciences	Business Health Professions Engineering Social Sciences Education
Students to faculty ratio	21:1	15:1
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%	93.7%
Dropout rate	12.5%	2.3%
Transferred out	1.2%	3.6%
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	Law (First Professional Degrees) Year 1: $185,710 Year 2: $162,255 Year 3: $193,013 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $157,071 Year 2: $155,263 Year 3: $176,237 Computer Software and Media Applications (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $86,350 Year 2: $101,406 Year 3: $125,729 Business/Commerce, General (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $103,426 Year 2: $107,256 Year 3: $120,362 Systems Engineering (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $108,239 Year 2: $95,739 Year 3: $109,956 Computer and Information Sciences, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $83,639 Year 2: $92,077 Year 3: $108,272 Computer Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $84,682 Year 2: $90,146 Year 3: $101,904 Business/Commerce, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $76,602 Year 2: $82,440 Year 3: $95,939 Systems Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $79,487 Year 2: $82,808 Year 3: $94,931 Public Policy Analysis (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $54,807 Year 2: $70,596 Year 3: $84,597

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