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College Ledger

Statement · San Luis Obispo, CA

California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo

Public4-year · Bachelor's degreesCompare with other schools →

  1. Families earning under $30k paid $7,529 a year after grants and aid, against a published cost of $32,265.

  2. Students who received federal aid earned a median $90,768 ten years after entering, the 99th percentile among public 4-years.

  3. 86% of students finish within 150% of normal time.

Enrollment, 2023
23,290

What it costs

The published sticker cost is $32,265 a year; after grants, families who received aid paid between $7,253 and $27,772 a year depending on income at California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo.

Statement of cost · California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo

Family income (per year)
Sticker costPublished yearly cost of attendance, all students
$32,265
What families earning under $30k paidYearly net price after grants, for students receiving federal aid
$7,529
Average net price, all incomesAided students, all family incomes
$16,665
In-state tuition & feesLatest reported, 2024
$13,596

Each figure is reported separately; none is computed from another.

Net price by family income

Pick an income bracket above; the marked point follows. Dollars are what aided families paid each year after grants.

Yearly net price by family income, in dollars

under $30k: $7,529; $30–48k: $7,253; $48–75k: $9,896; $75–110k: $15,786; over $110k: $27,772. Shaded band: middle half of public 4-years, from $8,778 to $16,425; dotted line at the median, $12,780.
  • Shaded: the middle half of public 4-years (all incomes), $8,778 to $16,425. Dotted line: the median, $12,780.
Table of the same numbers
Average yearly net price by family income bracket
Family incomePaid per year
Under $30k$7,529
$30k–$48k$7,253
$48k–$75k$9,896
$75k–$110k$15,786
Over $110k$27,772

College Scorecard, 2023–24 aid cohort (students who received federal aid)

What graduates earn and owe

Ten years after entry, the median federally aided student here earns $90,768; the median graduate who borrowed owes $18,500.

Statement, continued

Earnings, 6 years after entryFederally aided (Title IV) students only. Median.
$72,358
Earnings, 8 years after entryFederally aided (Title IV) students only. Median.
$82,835
Median earnings 10 years after entryFederally aided (Title IV) students only. Median.
99th percentile among public 4-years
$90,768
Median debt, graduatesStudents who finished and borrowed federal loans.
40th percentile among public 4-years
$18,500
Median debt, all who borrowedEveryone who borrowed, whether or not they finished.
$15,396

Earnings and debt come from federal aid records, so students who never received federal aid are not counted.

Earnings after entry

The shaded band is the middle half of public 4-years at 10 years: $42,655 to $60,720.

6 yrs after entry: $72,358; 8 yrs after entry: $82,835; 10 yrs after entry: $90,768. Median graduate debt: $18,500. Shaded band: middle half of public 4-years at 10 years, from $42,655 to $60,720; dotted line at the median, $50,178.
  • Shaded: middle half of public 4-years, 10 years out ($42,655 to $60,720); dotted line is the median.
  • Dashed: median graduate debt, $18,500.

Earnings cover federally aided (Title IV) students only. Hollow marks are rungs with no reported value, not zero.

Table of the same numbers
Earnings after entry and graduate debt
MeasureDollars
Median earnings, 6 yrs after entry$72,358
Median earnings, 8 yrs after entry$82,835
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry$90,768
Median graduate debt$18,500

College Scorecard, federal tax and aid records

What programs pay

Median earnings five years after completing, by field of study. Small programs are privacy-suppressed and shown as not reported, never zero.

What programs pay at California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo
ProgramCredentialGraduatesEarnings, 5 yrsMedian debt
Business Administration, Management and OperationsBachelor's Degree689$102,603$17,000
Mechanical EngineeringBachelor's Degree278$110,675$20,500
Computer ScienceBachelor's Degree202not reported$19,298
Biology, GeneralBachelor's Degree163$73,422$22,949
Animal SciencesBachelor's Degree159$62,117$20,500
Electrical, Electronics, and Communications EngineeringBachelor's Degree159$116,692$24,449
Construction ManagementBachelor's Degree150not reported$18,955
Civil EngineeringBachelor's Degree148$101,618$20,424
Psychology, GeneralBachelor's Degree135$65,762$20,000
Environmental/Natural Resources Management and PolicyBachelor's Degree129$69,368$20,000
Computer EngineeringBachelor's Degree129$146,406$20,556
Agricultural Business and ManagementBachelor's Degree126$93,186$14,500
Show all 26 programs
Remaining programs
ProgramCredentialGraduatesEarnings, 5 yrsMedian debt
Architectural Sciences and TechnologyBachelor's Degree126not reported$23,500
Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and HumanitiesBachelor's Degree116$64,390$17,500
Aerospace, Aeronautical, and Astronautical/Space EngineeringBachelor's Degree110$112,671$22,500
Parks, Recreation, and Leisure StudiesBachelor's Degree102not reported$16,369
Political Science and GovernmentBachelor's Degree85$90,264$17,665
Food Science and TechnologyBachelor's Degree81$82,237$20,654
Industrial EngineeringBachelor's Degree76$121,125$19,691
Graphic CommunicationsBachelor's Degree75$87,135$17,961
Computer ScienceMaster's Degree32not reportednot reported
Electrical, Electronics, and Communications EngineeringMaster's Degree26$158,506not reported
Accounting and Related ServicesMaster's Degree0$124,216not reported
Aerospace, Aeronautical, and Astronautical/Space EngineeringMaster's Degree24not reportednot reported
Management Sciences and Quantitative MethodsMaster's Degree49not reportednot reported
Mechanical EngineeringMaster's Degree40$119,479not reported

Source: College Scorecard field-of-study data.

Who goes here

California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo: 21,996 undergraduates; 19% of students receive Pell grants; 31% of applicants are admitted.

Admission rate

31%

4th percentile among public 4-years

Undergraduates

21,996

90th percentile among public 4-years

Pell share

19%

of undergraduates receive Pell grants

15th percentile among public 4-years

Completion

86%

finish within 150% of normal time

98th percentile among public 4-years

First-generation

25%

parents did not attend college

Median family income

$74,513

94th percentile among public 4-years

Students by family income

Share of students in each family-income bracket, for students who received federal aid.

  • Under $30k20%
  • $30k–$48k12%
  • $48k–$75knot reported
  • $75k–$110knot reported
  • Over $110knot reported
Show as a table
Students by family income
Family incomeShare of students
Under $30k20%
$30k–$48k12%
$48k–$75knot reported
$75k–$110knot reported
Over $110knot reported

Similar schools

These are the nearest neighbors in the same sector. The list is not an ordering.

Sources & caveats

Figures come from the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard. Built 2026-07-17.

not reported
Not reported: suppressed for privacy or never collected. It is not zero, and nothing has been filled in.
Percentiles
A percentile compares this school with others in its own sector (for example, public 4-year schools). It describes position, not quality.
Earnings
Earnings cover students who received federal (Title IV) aid, measured from the year they entered. Students who never received federal aid are not included.
Provenance notes
  • U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard, 2026-06 release. Earnings cover federally aided (Title IV) students only. Suppressed values are null, never imputed.
  • Annual Scorecard files 1996-2026. A null in early years usually means the measure was not yet collected, not zero.
  • Coordinates and locale describe the campus address, not where students live.