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Cal Poly San Luis Obispo Graduation Rate & Retention Rates

47% 4-Year Graduation Rate
83% 6-Year Graduation Rate
94% Retention Rate

California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo 2023 Graduation & Retention Report

How long does it take to earn a degree at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo? Find out how many students return after their freshman year, how long it takes to graduate, and what happens to the students who don't.

Cal Poly San Luis Obispo Retention Rate

94% Freshmen Retention Rate
Good Retention Rate

Freshmen retention rate refers to the percentage of first-time / full-time students who return for their second year.

With 94% students making it past their freshmen year, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo has freshmen retention rates above the national average.

Nationwide, the average first to second year retention rate is 70.57%.

When looking at just colleges and universities in California, the average is 73.07%.

Cal Poly San Luis Obispo Retention  94 out of 100
0%
100%
California Retention  73 out of 100
0%
100%
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Retention Rate
Cal Poly San Luis Obispo94%
Nationwide70.57%
California73.07%

Cal Poly San Luis Obispo Graduation Rates

83% 6-Year Graduation Rate
10.62% Transfer Rate
4.31% Dropout Rate

There were approximately 4,266 students in the class of 2015. How many of them actually completed their degree in a timely fashion?

After four years 47% of the cohort graduated. After six years 83% had completed their degree, and 85% after eight years.

Any student who completes their bachelor's degree within six years is considered to have graduated on time, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. This makes the offical Cal Poly San Luis Obispo graduation rate 83%.

How long does it take to get a bachelor's degree at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo? The standard length of time for most students is 4.43 years.

Four Year Graduation Rate  53%
0%
100%
Six Year Graduation Rate  83%
0%
100%
Eight Year Graduation Rate  85%
0%
100%

Cal Poly San Luis Obispo Graduation Rates vs. National Average

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Completion WithinUndergraduatesPercentage
Four Years2,73153%
Six Years4,26683%
Eight Years862%
Did Not Complete77815%
The non-completers rate is anyone who is not still enrolled at the institution after eight years. Both transfer students and drop-outs could be included in this group.
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Cal Poly San Luis Obispo Drop Out Rate

Approximately 778 students or 15% of the cohort did not complete their degree within eight years.

What happened to the 778 students who did not complete their degree?

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Non-CompletionsUndergraduatesPercentage
Still Enrolled121.5%
Transferred54570.1%
Dropped Out22128.4%

Cal Poly San Luis Obispo Graduation Rates by Race/Ethnicity

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Race/EthnicityGraduation Rate
American Indian or Alaskan Native100%
Asian83%
Black / African-American58%
Hawaiian67%
Hispanic78%
International67%
Multi-Ethnic82%
Unknown82%
White85%

Some Students Take More Time To Graduate

Some schools have mainly first-time, full-time students, while others cater to part-time students, transfer students, or adult learners. For a variety of reasons first-time, full-time students under the age of 25 are usually more likely to graduate in four years.

Traditional Students:

First-time, full-time students under the age of 25.

Non-Traditional Students:

Any student that is not first-time, full-time, and under the age of 25.

The majority of students at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo are considered 'traditional students' who are first-time attending full-time.

Comparing the graduation rates of specific cohorts shown below will be more revealing than the overall statistics shared above.

First-Time / Full-Time Cal Poly San Luis Obispo Graduation Rates

84% First-Time, Full-Time
82% 6-Year Grad Rate
Good Grad Rate

First-time / full-time students at California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo represent 84% of the students in the class of 2015, and 82.96% of Cal Poly San Luis Obispo bachelor's degree graduations.

With a four-year graduation rate of 47%, first-time students in the Cal Poly San Luis Obispo class of 2015 who attended classes full-time were more likely than average to graduate on time.

After six years, the Cal Poly San Luis Obispo graduation rate was 82%, and by the eight year mark, 84% of the cohort had completed their degree.

Nationwide, the average graduation rate for first-time undergraduates attending classes full-time is 37.92% after four years, 46.43% after six years, and 47.82% after eight years.

Four Year Graduation Rate  47 out of 100
0%
100%
Six Year Graduation Rate  82 out of 100
0%
100%
Eight Year Graduation Rate  84 out of 100
0%
100%

Cal Poly San Luis Obispo First-Time / Full-Time Graduation Rate vs. National Average

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First-Time / Full-Time CompletionsCal Poly San Luis ObispoNationwide
Four Years47%37.92%
Six Years82%46.43%
Eight Years84%47.82%

First-Time / Full-Time Cal Poly San Luis Obispo Drop Out Rates

695 first-time / full-time students or 16% did not complete their degree within eight years.

Of those who did not finish:

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First-Time / Full-Time Non-CompletionsUndergraduatesPercentage
Still Enrolled121.73%
Transferred50973.24%
Dropped Out17525.18%

First-Time / Part-Time Graduation Rates

0% First-Time, Part-Time
82% 6-Year Grad Rate
Good Grad Rate

First-time / part-time students at California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo represent 0.21% of the students in the class of 2015.

With a six-year graduation rate of 82%, first-time, part-time students in the Cal Poly San Luis Obispo class of 2015 who attended classes full-time were more likely than average to graduate on time.

After eight years, the graduation rate was 91%.

Nationwide, the average graduation rate for first-time undergraduates attending classes part-time is: 14.37% after four years, 21.59% after six years, 23.72% after eight years.

Six Year Graduation Rate  82 out of 100
0%
100%
Eight Year Graduation Rate  91 out of 100
0%
100%

First-Time / Part-Time Cal Poly San Luis Obispo Graduation Rates vs. National Average

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First-Time / Part-Time CompletionsCal Poly San Luis ObispoNationwide
Four Years18%14.37%
Six Years82%21.59%
Eight Years91%23.72%

First-Time / Part-Time Cal Poly San Luis Obispo Drop Out Rates

1 first-time / part-time students or 9% did not complete their degree within eight years.

Of those who did not finish:

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First-Time / Part-Time Non-CompletionsUndergraduatesPercentage
Still Enrolled00.00%
Transferred1100.00%
Dropped Out00.00%

Non First-Time / Full-Time Students

15% Returning, Full-Time
90% 6-Year Grad Rate
Good Grad Rate

776 Cal Poly San Luis Obispo students were classified as full-time / not first-time. This represents 15.13% of the students in the class of 2015.

Non first-time students could include transfer students or adults who have returned to school after an absense.

With a six year graduation rate of 90%, returning students in the class of 2015 and attended classes full-time had a graduation rate higher than the national average for students in this category.

After eight years, the graduation rate was 90%.

Nationwide, the average graduation rate for non first-time undergraduates attending classes full-time is: 49.57% after four years, 53.83% after six years, and 55.07% after eight years.

Six Year Graduation Rate  90 out of 100
0%
100%
Eight Year Graduation Rate  90 out of 100
0%
100%

Cal Poly San Luis Obispo Non First-Time / Full-Time Graduation Rate vs. National Average

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Returning / Full-Time CompletionsCal Poly San Luis ObispoNationwide
Four Years0%49.57%
Six Years90%53.83%
Eight Years90%55.07%

Non First-Time / Full-Time Cal Poly San Luis Obispo Drop Out Rates

75 non first-time / part-time students or 10% did not complete their degree within eight years.

Of those who did not finish:

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First-Time / Part-Time Non-CompletionsUndergraduatesPercentage
Still Enrolled00.00%
Transferred3242.67%
Dropped Out4357.33%

Non First-Time / Part-Time Graduation Rates

1% Returning, Part-Time
76% 6-Year Grad Rate
Good Grad Rate

29 Cal Poly San Luis Obispo students were classified as full-time / not first-time. This represents 0.57% of the students in the class of 2015.

With a six year graduation rate of 76%, returning students in the class of 2015 and attended classes full-time had a graduation rate higher than the national average.

After eight years, the graduation rate was 76%.

Nationwide, the average graduation rate for non first-time undergraduates attending classes part-time is: 36.03% after six years, 36.03% after eight years.

Six Year Graduation Rate  76 out of 100
0%
100%
Eight Year Graduation Rate  76 out of 100
0%
100%

Cal Poly San Luis Obispo Non First-Time / Part-Time Graduation Rate vs. National Average

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Returning / Part-Time CompletionsCal Poly San Luis ObispoNationwide
Four Years0%30.46%
Six Years76%36.03%
Eight Years76%37.80%

Non First-Time / Part-Time Cal Poly San Luis Obispo Drop Out Rates

7 non first-time / part-time students or 24% did not complete their degree within eight years.

Of those who did not finish:

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Returning / Part-Time Non-CompletionsUndergraduatesPercentage
Still Enrolled114.29%
Transferred342.86%
Dropped Out342.86%

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