Cal Poly San Luis Obispo
#1201
QS Rank
28%
Acceptance rate
2.2%
Intl. students
$38,341
Tuition/yr
21,500
Enrollment
About Cal Poly San Luis Obispo
Prestigious public polytechnic in California. Outstanding engineering, agriculture, and business programs with "Learn by Doing" philosophy.
California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo (Cal Poly SLO) is a public polytechnic university founded in 1901 and part of the California State University system. It enrolls approximately 22,000 students across six colleges: Engineering, Agriculture, Architecture and Environmental Design, Science and Mathematics, Liberal Arts, and Business.
Cal Poly SLO is best known for its 'Learn by Doing' educational model, where students spend substantial time in labs, design studios, fabrication shops, and working farms from their first year. The College of Engineering ranks #1 nationally in computer engineering among master's-level institutions (2026 U.S. News), with civil, mechanical, and electrical engineering all ranked #2. The College of Architecture and Environmental Design is among the most selective architecture programs in the United States.
The campus sits in San Luis Obispo, a mid-sized city on California's Central Coast, roughly midway between Los Angeles and San Francisco. The university is ranked #1 among all regional universities in the West (public and private) for three consecutive years by U.S. News and World Report, and is consistently named the top public master's-level university in the western United States for over three decades.
World University Rankings
Campus & Location
CA
Suburban
Optional Practical Training (OPT)
All graduates from CRICOS-registered programs qualify for 12-month Optional Practical Training (OPT). STEM-designated programs (CS, Engineering, Data Science, Mathematics, Sciences) qualify for a 24-month STEM OPT extension — 36 months total of US work authorisation.
For Nepali students
- Cal Poly's top-ranked engineering and computer science programs are well-suited for Nepali students pursuing STEM degrees, which qualify for the 24-month OPT STEM extension under the US F-1 visa, giving graduates up to three years of authorized work experience in the US after completion.
- Annual international undergraduate tuition and fees are approximately $38,000–$39,000 depending on college, placing Cal Poly in a mid-to-high cost tier for US public universities, though its strong employment outcomes (82% of graduates had jobs within three months) can justify the investment.
- India is the second-largest source country for international students at Cal Poly (about 14% of the international student body), suggesting a South Asian academic community that Nepali students can connect with, though a specific Nepali student organization is not confirmed.
- Cal Poly does not currently offer merit scholarships specifically for international students; Nepali applicants should seek external scholarships (such as Fulbright or institutional aid) before enrolling, as the university's own aid for international undergraduates is very limited.
Admission requirements — Nepali equivalents
A rough translation of the published minimums for Nepali applicants:
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