You may have read that some Cal Poly San Luis Obispo majors have room for fewer than 4% of applicants, with computer science and psychology at around 2–3%. Those numbers are real, but they measure something different from an admit rate. In Cal Poly’s own data, about 3% of fall 2024 computer science applicants enrolled in the major, but 14% were admitted. For psychology, 2% of applicants enrolled and 12% were admitted.
The difference matters. Most students Cal Poly admits go somewhere else, so the share of applicants who end up in a seat is far smaller than the share who get an offer. If you are deciding whether to apply, the admit rate is the number that describes your odds.
Fall 2024 freshman admissions, popular Cal Poly majors
| Major | Applied | Admitted | Admit rate | Enrolled | Share of applicants who enrolled |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Computer Science | 6,271 | 896 | 14% | 188 | 3% |
| Psychology | 3,624 | 422 | 12% | 71 | 2% |
| Software Engineering | 761 | 85 | 11% | 25 | 3.3% |
| Marine Science | 734 | 172 | 23% | 22 | 3% |
| Biology | 4,768 | 1,367 | 29% | 126 | 2.6% |
| Mechanical Engineering | 4,365 | 655 | 15% | 224 | 5.1% |
| Aerospace Engineering | 2,298 | 294 | 13% | 79 | 3.4% |
| Business Administration | 8,108 | 2,379 | 29% | 655 | 8.1% |
| Architecture | 2,054 | 458 | 22% | 169 | 8.2% |
| Kinesiology | 2,037 | 259 | 13% | 82 | 4% |
Fall 2025: Cal Poly admitted 30% overall
For fall 2025, Cal Poly admitted 30% of 71,185 first-time freshman applicants, down from 33% in 2021. The hardest majors were Aerospace Engineering (12%), Kinesiology (12%), Psychology (13%) and Mechanical Engineering (13%). Computer science admitted 27% (1,085 of 4,090), up from 14% in 2024 as applications fell from 6,271 to 4,090. See every Cal Poly major.
Where you live also matters: Cal Poly admitted 26% of California residents and 58% of non-residents (out-of-state and international) in fall 2025. Non-residents are far less likely to enroll once admitted, which is one reason campuses admit them at higher rates.
How Cal Poly decides
- Cal Poly admits by major. You compete only against applicants to the same major, and changing majors later is not guaranteed.
- Cal Poly uses your 9th–11th grade weighted GPA in college-prep courses, with extra weight for up to eight semesters of honors, AP or IB courses. Most other CSU campuses use 10th–12th grade a-g courses, so ninth-grade grades matter more for Cal Poly.
- Its Multi-Criteria Admission also considers courses beyond the minimum requirements, work experience, internships, volunteering and activities.
- Applicants from San Luis Obispo County, northern Santa Barbara County and southern Monterey County can receive extra points as local applicants.
Compare Cal Poly with other campuses: SDSU, SJSU and Cal Poly admit rates by major, or UC admit rates by major.
Source: California State University, Applications and Admissions Dashboard by Discipline, fall 2021–2025; Cal Poly selection criteria from calpoly.edu. CSU counts every application submitted, including ones later withdrawn or incomplete, so admit rates among complete applications are somewhat higher. ScoreCalc is independent and not affiliated with the California State University. Admit rates describe past applicants, not any individual student’s chances.
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