Public · San Luis Obispo, CA
California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo
California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo merit aid, cost of attendance, freshman GPA and SAT/ACT scores, net price by income, and graduate earnings.
Costs, merit aid & admissions
- Acceptance rate
- 30%2025-26 · CollegeData source
- Undergraduates
- 21,996
- Avg merit aid / yr
- $4,121
- Cost of attendance (in-state)
- $36,576
- Cost of attendance (out-of-state)
- $57,645
- SAT 75th percentile
- 1410
- ACT 75th percentile
- 32
Costs are annual prices before aid. Average merit aid is the average non-need-based award to freshmen who got one — not an offer to every applicant.
California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo incoming freshman academic profile
- Average high school GPA
- 4.032025-26 · CollegeData source
- SAT composite middle score
- 1,3302025-26 CDS · Source
- ACT composite middle score
- 312025-26 CDS · Source
Average GPA of enrolled freshmen (scale may be weighted or unweighted). SAT/ACT are median scores of students who submitted them — not scholarship cutoffs.
Freshman financial need & merit gifts
2025-26 financial-aid profile · CollegeData source
- Average freshman need met
- 79%
- Average undergraduate need met
- 74%
Merit gifts among freshmen receiving need-based aid
285 recipients · 15.3% of freshman aid recipients.
Merit gifts to freshmen without financial need
624 recipients · 11.7% of all freshmen.
$4,121 average annual award
These groups use different denominators and should not be added together. Need met is an average share of assessed financial need—not a share of tuition or an aid guarantee.
California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo net price by family income
Historical average cost after all grants and scholarships — not need-based aid eligibility. 2024–25 academic year.
| Family income | $0–30K | $30–48K | $48–75K | $75–110K | $110K+ | All |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Annual net price | $10,354 | $9,975 | $12,476 | $18,082 | $31,461 | $18,832 |
Families earning $150,000+ should not assume they'll get need-based grants; the "Over $110K" group mixes very different incomes.
At what family income does financial aid stop at California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo?
There's no universal cutoff. Need-based aid depends on income, assets, family size and college rules; merit scholarships are based on grades and scores, so high income doesn't rule them out. Use California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo's net price calculator for a personal estimate, and the federal aid estimator for federal aid.
Graduation, earnings & student debt
- 6-year graduation
- 86.6%Fall 2019 / 2019–20 entering cohort
- First-year retention
- 95.6%Fall 2023 entering cohort; return in fall 2024
- Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
- $96,3042011–12 and 2012–13 entering cohorts; earnings in 2022 and 2023, in 2024 dollars
- Median federal debt
- $16,500Federal fiscal years 2024 and 2025, pooled
Historical group figures, not individual predictions. Debt excludes private and Parent PLUS loans. Source: College Scorecard (ID 110422).
Colleges with acceptance rates similar to California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo
California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo accepts about 30% of applicants. These colleges have the closest reported acceptance rates.
- Plaza College · Forest Hills, NY30% acceptance
- University of North Carolina School of the Arts · Winston Salem, NC30% acceptance
- Yeshivath Zichron Moshe · South Fallsburg, NY30% acceptance
- Bryn Mawr College · Bryn Mawr, PA29% acceptance
- Mississippi College · Clinton, MS29% acceptance
- Trinity College · Hartford, CT29% acceptance
- University of Virginia's College at Wise · Wise, VA29% acceptance
- Lehigh University · Bethlehem, PA29% acceptance
- Bucknell University · Lewisburg, PA29% acceptance
- Kenyon College · Gambier, OH31% acceptance
Colleges with merit aid similar to California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo
California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo reports average merit aid of $4,121 per year. These colleges report the closest average non-need-based awards.
- Tennessee Technological University · Cookeville, TN$4,062 avg merit aid / yr
- University of Florida · Gainesville, FL$4,033 avg merit aid / yr
- East Carolina University · Greenville, NC$4,017 avg merit aid / yr
- The University of Texas at Austin · Austin, TX$3,998 avg merit aid / yr
- SUNY Oneonta · Oneonta, NY$4,250 avg merit aid / yr
- SUNY College at Geneseo · Geneseo, NY$3,976 avg merit aid / yr
- Winthrop University · Rock Hill, SC$4,292 avg merit aid / yr
- Salisbury University · Salisbury, MD$3,944 avg merit aid / yr
- Radford University · Radford, VA$3,936 avg merit aid / yr
- Auburn University at Montgomery · Montgomery, AL$3,906 avg merit aid / yr
Data sources & limitations
Admissions, costs and merit aid: collegedata.fyi (Common Data Set + federal data), imported Oct 2026. Net prices and outcomes: College Scorecard, Oct 15, 2026 release, matched by federal ID. SAT 75th percentile adds section scores; 90th-percentile and GPA match thresholds are estimates. ROI compares four years of average net price with median earnings 10 years after entry, ranked in thirds across colleges. Blank means not reported — never estimated. Confirm costs and scholarships with the college.