Cal Poly’s ROTC program ending after more than 70 years. Here’s why
Cal Poly’s ROTC program will be eliminated at the end of the 2026-27 academic year, university spokesperson Matt Lazier confirmed to The Tribune on Thursday.
The university’s military science department will also close with the departure of the ROTC.
The closure comes as part of a “rebalance and optimization” of ROTC programs around the country, according to a news release from the U.S. Army.
Cal Poly is one of 10 host universities nationwide that will no longer have an affiliation with the Army ROTC, the release showed. Around 75 other campuses will also see changes to their ROTC programs, with some being reclassified or merging with other campuses.
The changes were prompted by a reduction in force in the U.S. Army Cadet Command, the release said.
“These reductions prompted a reassessment of the ROTC footprint to ensure continued mission success while operating with fewer civilian personnel,” it read.
At Cal Poly, students who finish their second or third year of ROTC by the end of the 2025-26 academic year will have the option to continue their commission and finish their degree programs at the SLO campus, Lazier told The Tribune in an email.
According to Lazier, Cal Poly’s ROTC program was established in the early 1950s and has sent more than 1,400 officers into the armed forces.
The Tribune also reached out to the U.S. Army for comment but had not received a response as of Thursday afternoon.
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