California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo Transfers: 2024 Requirements, Dates, GPAs & More

This is the complete guide for transferring to Cal Poly. We suggest you read until the end - you can also use the below calculator to estimate your likelihood of being able to transfer to Cal Poly.

What are your chances at Cal Poly?

Your SAT Score
on a 4.0 scale

This free college chances tool calculates your acceptance chances at Cal Poly or any other U.S. college

Please note all chances are estimates based on test score and GPA averages.

*or select a school above for a specific calculation

Need chances at another college?

I get it - transferring colleges can be confusing, time-consuming and overwhelming. You are not alone. In fact, more than 700,000 students transfer colleges every year.

At Cal Poly, 4.08% of the entire student body are transfer students, so you won’t be alone.

To read about regular admission requirements for California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo, click here

What are the transfer requirements for Cal Poly?

Cal Poly requires a number of completed documents for consideration. The table below summarizes the most important pieces of information:

Admission Item Required?
High School Transcript Not Required
College Transcript Required of All
Essay or Personal Statement Not Required
Interview Not Required
Standardized Test Scores Not Required
Statement of Good Standing from Prior Institution Not Required

In addition to the above requirements, Cal Poly also requires a minimum number of credits completed to apply to be a transfer student.

Cal Poly requires a minimum of 90 credits.

What are California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo’s Transfer Deadlines?

Many universities accept transfer applications during each semester. For this reason, we break down Cal Poly transfer deadline by fall, winter, spring and summer.

Closing Date Reported Deadline
Fall Transfer Deadline November 30
Winter Transfer Deadline
Spring Transfer Deadline
Summer Transfer Deadline

Waiting until the last minute to finalize your application could result in a silly mistake.

We recommend you complete your application at least 1 week before the required deadline.

In fact, take a full 2 day break from looking at anything related to your application and then come back to look for errors. I bet you’ll find a few 😉

When are decision dates for California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo transfer applicants?

If you applied to transfer to Cal Poly on or before the reported deadlines then you should have your decision date by the notification dates in the below table.

Deadline Notification Dates
Fall Transfer Deadline April 1
Winter Transfer Deadline
Spring Transfer Deadline
Summer Transfer Deadline

Note this data is current as of 2019 and to the best of our knowledge this hasn’t changed.

What is California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo’s transfer acceptance rate?

In 2019, Cal Poly received 10923 transfer applicants.

The school accepted 1733 students. Therefore, the transfer acceptance rate for Cal Poly is 15.87%.

This indicates how hard it is to transfer into Cal Poly. You can use the free calculator below to predict your chances of getting accepted.

What are your chances at Cal Poly?

Your SAT Score
on a 4.0 scale

This free college chances tool calculates your acceptance chances at Cal Poly or any other U.S. college

Please note all chances are estimates based on test score and GPA averages.

*or select a school above for a specific calculation

Need chances at another college?

Additionally, of the 1733 accepted transfer students, 867 students enrolled - that means the yield was 50.03%.

Cal Poly accepts 16 out of every 100 transfer applicants.

How can you afford Cal Poly

Cal Poly costs an average of $N/A. The below vendors all offer private student loans for Cal Poly students to help cover the cost... We have partnered with Edvisors to provide these vendors and keep the offer up-to-date.

What are the California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo transfer GPA requirements?

Cal Poly requires a minimum college GPA of 2.0 - this is on a 4.33 point scale.

In addition, Cal Poly requires a minimum high school GPA of 2.0.

Additional Transfer Info. for Cal Poly

Cal Poly has noted the additional policies: Transfer students must meet general education, breadth, and lower-division program requirements..

Will you enjoy transferring to Cal Poly?

There are a lot of reasons to transfer to Cal Poly. Maybe your plan has always been to attend community college, and then move to a four year college to save money while completing your degree.

Maybe you had a bad experience at your first school - don’t worry this is more common than you think.

Or perhaps you’re drawn to San Luis Obispo...

Regardless of your reason for transferring, you’re already enrolled at another college or university so you know that the most important element in your college experience is the people and community

Finding success at Cal Poly is dependent on feeling comfortable - will you be able to find a place to find home and grow?

These are the questions that numbers and data cannot answer, but CampusReel can.

If you’re considering transferring to Cal Poly then I highly recommend that you watch the school’s videos on CampusReel. These are real students with real stories.

Final Verdict: How to transfer into Cal Poly

Let’s wrap up everything we’ve learned. If you still have questions about transferring, check out the Cal Poly website for more info.
Cal Poly accepts 15.87% transfer applicants, which is competitive.

To have a shot at transferring into Cal Poly, you should have a current GPA of at least 4.0 - ideally you’re GPA will be around 4.16. In addition, you will need to submit standardized test scores.

The below tables show the SAT and ACT breakdown of Cal Poly students.

25th Percentile 75th Percentile Average
SAT Math 590 700 645
SAT Reading 560 660 610
2018 Total SAT Score 1150 1360 1255
25th Percentile 75th Percentile Average
ACT Math 26 31 28
ACT Reading 25 33 29
2018 Total ACT Score 51 64 57

California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo’s average SAT score is 1255. To be a competitive applicant for California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo your SAT score should come close to the average - for the ACT you should be aiming for the equivalent.

What are your chances at Cal Poly?

Your SAT Score
on a 4.0 scale

This free college chances tool calculates your acceptance chances at Cal Poly or any other U.S. college

Please note all chances are estimates based on test score and GPA averages.

*or select a school above for a specific calculation

Need chances at another college?

If you’re considering transferring to Cal Poly, you may also want to consider the schools:

Transferring to California State Polytechnic University-Pomona
Transferring to California State University-Northridge

Will you get accepted?

Predict now!