California Polytechnic State University (Cal Poly) is a public university in San Luis Obispo, California. It is one of two polytechnics in the California State University system. Cal Poly was founded in 1901 as the California Polytechnic School. It is currently one of only seven polytechnic universities nationwide and is one of only three polytechnics operating in California.
As a comprehensive university, Cal Poly offers bachelor’s and master’s degrees in over 100 fields of study through its six colleges: Architecture and Environmental Design, Business Administration, Education, Engineering, Liberal Arts, and Science and Mathematics. The university also offers Doctorates of Philosophy (PhD) in select disciplines within each college. In addition to its academic programs, Cal Poly operates an extensive Cooperative Work Experience Program that integrates classroom learning with work experience at more than 2,000 companies throughout California and elsewhere.
Cal Poly has consistently been ranked as one of the best public universities in the United States; it was ranked 4th overall among public regional universities for 2020 by U.S News & World Report and its undergraduate engineering program was ranked 8th nationally by Forbes magazine in 2019. The university is also recognized for its strong commitment to student success; it has been named a “Top Producer” of Fulbright scholars four times since 2006 and had the 3rd highest number of Goldwater Scholarships awarded to undergraduates in 2017. In addition, Cal Poly students have won numerous prestigious national competitions including Rhodes Scholarships, Marshall Scholarships, Churchill Fellowships, Mitchell Scholarships, Truman Scholarships, Udall Scholarships, and Schwarzman Scholarships.
CalPoly’s 1123-acre main campus is located adjacent to Highway 101 between Los Angeles and San Francisco