Cal Poly applications just hit another record high. When will you know if you got accepted?
Admissions season is about to begin at Cal Poly, and applications have soared to another new record, topping 80,000 for the first time.
Around 81,914 students applied for a spot at the San Luis Obispo university this year, Cal Poly spokesperson Keegan Koberl told The Tribune on Thursday.
That’s a 3.6% increase from 2024, which previously saw the most competitive applicant pool in university history with a record-breaking 79,034 applications.
At that time, Cal Poly had room for only 8% of the students who applied, with the availability of some majors dipping below 4%, The Tribune previously reported in May. Applicants’ average GPA was 4.05, spokesperson Matt Lazier said at the time.
Now, with a new record set, Mustang hopefuls could see an even tighter admissions process.
Here’s what you need to know:
When will I find out if I was accepted?
The competitive admissions season leaves thousands of students on edge, wondering whether they will be accepted for one of the university’s limited seats.
If you’re one of those students, when will you know?
According to Koberl, all students will find out whether they were accepted, rejected or waitlisted by April 1 at the latest.
Students are notified on a rolling basis, but Koberl did not provide a date for when that process would begin. The process could begin at any time, but typically it runs through much of March.
Also, not all acceptances for a particular college or major are sent out at the same time, so don’t worry if others have heard back but you haven’t.
Admissions letters can typically be seen through a student’s online Cal Poly portal.
For those waiting to hear, keep tabs on your portal and an eye on your email. Once you’ve been accepted, the deadline to make your decision is May 1.
The university typically accepts around 30% of applicants, but it has space for significantly less than that.
Last year, Cal Poly accepted 23,456 undergraduate students but enrolled only 6,192, according to the Cal Poly Institutional Research data dashboard.
If you land on the waitlist, you still have a good chance to get in.
The university begins admitting from the waitlist after students who have been accepted choose to go elsewhere and give up their spot. That process usually lasts until July 15, but it can go even longer.
If you have questions, the Cal Poly admissions office can be reached via email at admissions@calpoly.edu.
Who applied to Cal Poly in 2025?
Cal Poly saw more out-of-state applications this year — a 9.4% increase compared to 2024, according to data provided to The Tribune.
The university also saw a 6.8% increase in applications from outside the country.
While Cal Poly did see an increase in applications from California students as well, it fell below the average year-to-year boost at 3%.
At 0.2%, transfer students accounted for the lowest percentage increase compared to previous years.
Cal Poly has been working to boost transfer applications and enrollment in recent years, creating partnership programs with local community colleges to offer easier paths to bachelor’s degrees for some majors. Some transfer students, however, have said more work needs to be done.
The university has also been working to grow its enrollment overall — but space remains a key issue. A 4,200-unit housing project is currently underway to help Cal Poly house more students on campus.
The university also has a planned budget deficit to help funnel resources into enrollment growth.
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