More Cal Poly students are graduating on time. See the latest data
More college freshmen are graduating on time from Cal Poly than any other California State University campus.
That’s according to the latest data from the CSU, which showed that Cal Poly boasted the highest four-year graduation rate in 2025, and was positioned at more than 25 percentage points above the systemwide rate for the same cohort across the 22 campuses.
Meanwhile, Cal Poly’s two-year graduation rate for transfer students also saw significant growth in recent years, though the university didn’t land in the top spot in 2025.
The improvement in both arenas comes after a $3 billion systemwide push to get students at all campuses on track to a timely graduation, according to EdSource reporting.
Cal Poly spokesperson Keegan Koberl credited the university’s positive graduation rates to its education style and other strategies.
“The university’s ‘Learn by Doing’ model and intentional, student-centered initiatives, including enhanced advising efforts, have ensured students have clear pathways toward graduation,” Koberl said. “Cal Poly graduates continue to be Ready Day One to enter the workforce, continue their education and make valuable contributions to society.”
Data shows more Cal Poly students are graduating on time
In 2025, Cal Poly saw 62.8% of students graduate within four years, according to state data. That percentage applies to the first-time freshmen who enrolled in the university in fall 2021.
That compares to the systemwide rate of 37.3% for the same group across all campuses, the data showed.
The 2025 graduation rate was the highest in at least 20 years for Cal Poly, the dataset showed. It was a 2.6 percentage-point bump from 2024, when the rate dipped slightly from the previous year.
The university with the next highest four-year graduation rate was San Diego State, at 62.1%, according to the dashboard.
Cal Poly’s six-year graduation rate was also up slightly from previous years, hitting 86.6% in 2025 compared to 86.4% in 2024, data showed. CSU campuses saw a 61.9% six-year graduation rate systemwide last year.
Both Cal Poly’s four-year and six-year rates were lower for Pell Grant recipients — students typically from lower-income households.
The university’s four-year graduation rate for Pell Grant recipients was 50.3% in 2025, according to the dashboard. The six-year rate was 79.3%.
Cal Poly also saw growth in how many transfer students graduated within two years.
In 2025, the university had a 57.8% two-year graduation rate for transfer students — up from 51.3% in 2024. In 2022, that rate sat at just 36.8%, the data showed.
That ranked fourth in the CSU system.
Despite that growth, Cal Poly still lingered behind some other campuses.
CSU Monterey Bay led the pack on two-year transfer graduations, hitting 66.9% in 2025, according to the dashboard. It was followed by Sonoma State at 62.5% and San Diego State at 58.7%.
Meanwhile, the systemwide rate for two-year transfer graduates was 45.7% in 2025, according to the dashboard.
When it came to four-year rates for transfer students, Cal Poly assumed the No. 1 spot once again, at 88.4% in 2025.
This story was originally published January 13, 2026 at 5:00 AM.
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