by our College Data Analytics TeamA large number of students are not billed the full sticker price of a school. Rather, they are offered a financial aid plan that includes a mix of loans, grants, scholarships, and possibly work-study opportunities. The total price of attendance at California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo can feel overwhelming, but bear in mind that many students receive some sort of financial aid.
What financial aid options can Cal Poly San Luis Obispo offer, and what will you qualify for? Keep reading for more information. Read on to discover just how much financial aid could be open to you.
Your financial aid package, which may contain grants and scholarships, will be determined on your financial need. Read on to get a sense of the financial assistance available at California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo.
Colleges use loans, grants, scholarships and work-study to minimize what students actually pay out of pocket. Note that some aid is more valuable than the rest, and individual awards are far from uniform.
For freshmen starting at California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo, 62% of first-time, full-time freshmen received some form of financial aid some 3183 new students).
| Type of Aid | % of Freshmen Receiving | Average Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Grant or scholarship aid (all sources) | 48% | $14,338 |
| Institutional grants & scholarships | 42% | $8,721 |
| Federal Pell grants | 20% | $6,246 |
| State/local grants | 36% | $5,470 |
| Federal student loans | 30% | $5,017 |
Grants and scholarships are the most valuable form of aid because, unlike loans, they never have to be repaid. At Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, roughly 52% of the undergraduate population received grant aid that averaged $12,264 (covering around 11120 undergraduates).
| Award | % of Undergrads Receiving | Average Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Grant or scholarship aid (all sources) | 52% | $12,264 |
| Federal Pell grants | 19% | $6,002 |
| Federal student loans | 25% | $5,900 |
For students living on campus and receiving title-IV aid, grants averaged $15,600.
Since aid is largely need-based, the real cost of attendance falls steeply for lower-income families.
| Family Income | Average Net Price |
|---|---|
| $0 – $48,000 | $6,648 |
| $30,001 – $75,000 | $9,375 |
| Over $75,000 | $24,406 |
Remember these are net prices — what families pay after gift aid, not before.
The net price represents the average annual cost a title-IV-receiving student pays after grant aid is subtracted from the full cost of attendance.
| Cohort | Average Net Price |
|---|---|
| On-campus title-IV students | $16,665 |
| Off-campus title-IV students | $15,624 |
To get a personalized net price estimate, try Cal Poly San Luis Obispo’s online cost calculator: www.calpoly.edu/financial-aid/costs-and-affordability/undergraduate-costs-of-attendance/undergraduate-net-price-calculator.
The median student at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo graduates with $15,396 of federal student loans.
| Metric | Amount |
|---|---|
| Median federal debt (all student-aid borrowers) | $15,396 |
| Median federal debt (graduates only) | $18,500 |
| Typical 10-year monthly payment (graduates) | $196.13/mo |
That monthly figure reflects the median graduate debt repaid on a standard 10-year federal schedule.
Looking only at the median can be misleading because it hides the spread. The figures below chart the debt distribution at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $4,743 |
| 25th percentile | $7,500 |
| 75th percentile | $25,000 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $30,000 |
The figures below break down median federal debt by income tier, first-generation status, and dependency.
Debt by Income Tier
| Income tier | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Low income | $15,000 |
| Middle income | $15,911 |
| High income | $15,450 |
First-Gen vs Continuing-Gen Median Debt
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $15,095 |
| Continuing-generation students | $15,569 |
Dependency-Status Comparison
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $15,334 |
| Independent students | $16,500 |
These indicators are derived from the underlying debt data and summarize the overall picture at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo.
Most undergraduate borrowing runs through the federal Stafford loan program. The annual Stafford volume below reflects program activity at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo:
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| Stafford loan recipients | 29157 |
| Total Stafford loan amount | $462,613,029 |
GI Bill and DoD Tuition Assistance are the two federal aid programs targeted at military-affiliated students.
GI Bill volume
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| GI Bill recipients | 144 |
| Total GI Bill amount | $927,421 |
| Average GI Bill amount per recipient | $6,440 |
DoD program volume
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| DoD Tuition Assistance recipients | 3 |
| Total DoD amount | $6,499 |
| Average DoD amount per recipient | $2,166 |
References
More about our data sources and methodologies.