+33%
In-state tuition
In-state tuition at California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo rose 33% between 2021 and 2024 ($10.2k → $13.6k).
California · Public · Predominantly bachelor's
Cal Poly SLO
San Luis Obispo, California. 21,521 undergraduate students. 128 programs in the federal Field-of-Study dataset.
ANOMALY ENGINE · NOTABLE SIGNALS
Earnings, completion, debt, and enrollment anomalies at Cal Poly SLO
Short-arc shifts (recent 3-year window), peer outliers, earnings trend breaks, completion drops, enrollment cliffs, and debt-to-earnings warnings — surfaced deterministically from the federal record. Multi-decade shifts are reported separately in the Long Arc section, since 25-year tuition drift isn't really an anomaly.
-100%
3-year cohort default rate
3-year cohort default rate at California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo fell 100% between 2021 and 2024 (0.8% → 0.0%).
+23%
Out-of-state tuition
Out-of-state tuition at California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo rose 23% between 2021 and 2024 ($28.1k → $34.7k).
+16%
Median federal debt at exit
Median federal debt at exit at California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo rose 16% between 2007 and 2010 ($11.6k → $13.5k).
SECTION 01 · OUTCOMES SNAPSHOT
Cal Poly SLO earnings, debt, and completion vs. the California median
Each tile compares this institution to the California median for the same metric. Sub-line shows the comparison value, not an interpretation. Sparklines trace the federally available history.
$90,768+25% · 6→10y
California median $42,588$72,358
Treasury earnings · 6y post-entry85.2%+57% · '97→'24
California median 61.3%$15,396+23% · '97→'10
At program completion21,521+8% · '96→'10
latest IPEDS95.2%+6% · '04→'24
first-time, full-time29.8%+48% · '01→'24
latest cohort$11,075+537% · '00→'24
out-of-state $30,995SECTION 02 · EARNINGS HORIZONS
How Cal Poly SLO earnings spread, 4 to 10 years after entry
Treasury tax-record earnings for federally aided students who first enrolled at this institution. Each point is a horizon from the most-recent vintage. Single median per horizon (no p25/p75 publishing).
Earnings widen with time post-entry. Selection: federal-aid recipients only — not all graduates.Methodology →
SECTION 03 · DEBT-TO-EARNINGS
What loans cost relative to earnings at Cal Poly SLO
Annual debt service as a share of median earnings 10 years after entry, computed under federal Direct loan terms (10-year fixed at 6%). The 8% line is the gainful-employment threshold from federal regulation; above 12% has historically been considered “failing” under prior rule cycles.
Institution-wide
2.3%Median federal debt $15,396 amortized over 10 years vs. median earnings $90,768 (10y after entry).
SECTION 04 · LONG ARC
Cal Poly SLO enrollment, completion, and debt over time
Federally available history. Coverage varies by metric — IPEDS publishes some series only after 2009 and others only before.
Undergraduate enrollment.
150%-time completion rate.
Median federal student debt at exit.
+57%
Cal Poly SLO · completion · 150% rose
55.1% → 86.4%
+672%
Cal Poly SLO · completion · 100% rose
7.9% → 61.2%
+537%
Cal Poly SLO · in-state tuition rose
$2,135 → $13,596
+264%
Cal Poly SLO · out-of-state tuition rose
$9,515 → $34,665
+23%
Cal Poly SLO · median debt rose
$11,000 → $13,500
-100%
Cal Poly SLO · cohort default rate fell
2.8% → 0.0%
+31%
Cal Poly SLO · pell share rose
14.7% → 19.2%
+44%
Cal Poly SLO · earnings_median_8yr rose
$57,700 → $82,835
+45%
Cal Poly SLO · earnings_median_6yr rose
$49,800 → $72,358
SECTION 05 · PROGRAMS
Cal Poly SLO programs ranked by 5-year earnings
Each row is one (CIP × credential) program reported by the institution in College Scorecard's Field-of-Study data. Cohort floor is 30 students; below this, federal data is suppressed.
Computer and Information Sciences, General$192,621Computer and Information Sciences, General$183,105Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering$158,506Computer Engineering$146,406Fire Protection$141,848Construction Engineering Technologies$125,179Accounting and Related Services$124,216Industrial Engineering$121,125Mechanical Engineering$119,479Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering$116,692Physics$114,864Aerospace, Aeronautical and Astronautical Engineering$112,671Biomedical/Medical Engineering$111,260Mechanical Engineering$110,675Materials Engineering$107,726Business/Commerce, General$104,949Civil Engineering$103,431Business Administration, Management and Operations$102,603Civil Engineering$101,618City/Urban, Community and Regional Planning$99,106Statistics$97,279Architectural Engineering$97,098Agricultural Business and Management$93,186Business/Commerce, General$92,498
Showing top 24 of 55 ranked programs.
SECTION 06 · BY CIP FAMILY
55 Cal Poly SLO programs with earnings, grouped by field
Programs are grouped by 2-digit CIP family. Programs without reported earnings are hidden to keep the list focused.
COMMUNICATIONS TECHNOLOGIES · CIP 10
COMPUTER & INFORMATION SCIENCES · CIP 11
EDUCATION · CIP 13
ENGINEERING · CIP 14
Mechanical Engineering$110,675Civil Engineering$101,618Computer Engineering$146,406Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering$116,692Industrial Engineering$121,125Aerospace, Aeronautical and Astronautical Engineering$112,671Biomedical/Medical Engineering$111,260Agricultural Engineering$89,957Architectural Engineering$97,098Civil Engineering$103,431Materials Engineering$107,726Environmental/Environmental Health Engineering$86,311Mechanical Engineering$119,479Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering$158,506
ENGINEERING TECHNOLOGIES · CIP 15
FAMILY & CONSUMER SCIENCES · CIP 19
ENGLISH LANGUAGE & LITERATURE · CIP 23
LIBERAL ARTS & GENERAL STUDIES · CIP 24
BIOLOGICAL & BIOMEDICAL SCIENCES · CIP 26
MATHEMATICS & STATISTICS · CIP 27
PARKS, RECREATION & FITNESS · CIP 31
PHYSICAL SCIENCES · CIP 40
PSYCHOLOGY · CIP 42
HOMELAND SECURITY & PROTECTIVE SERVICES · CIP 43
SOCIAL SCIENCES · CIP 45
VISUAL & PERFORMING ARTS · CIP 50
BUSINESS, MANAGEMENT & MARKETING · CIP 52
HISTORY · CIP 54
AGRICULTURE · CIP 01
NATURAL RESOURCES & CONSERVATION · CIP 03
ARCHITECTURE · CIP 04
COMMUNICATION & JOURNALISM · CIP 09
SECTION 07 · SIMILAR INSTITUTIONS
Institutions similar to Cal Poly SLO in California
Picked by Carnegie sector × predominant credential level. These are not rankings — just nearest-neighbour surfaces for comparison.
CAUSAL DISCIPLINE
“Cal Poly SLO graduates earn $X” — not “Cal Poly SLO makes you earn $X”
Median earnings describe what cohorts earned. They do not describe what attending Cal Poly SLO caused. Selection effects (who admits, who enrolls, who completes) are real. We publish federal data with strict descriptive phrasing — and link the methodology where you can read about the limitations directly.