Applications are now open for prospective students at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo and other campuses within the California State University system for the fall 2026 semester.
The CSU application window officially opened on Oct. 1 and will close on Dec. 1, giving high school seniors and transfer students two months to submit their materials.
Students can apply to Cal Poly and any of the 23 CSU campuses through the Cal State Apply portal.
Applicants will be expected to meet several requirements. Freshman applicants must have completed the state’s “A-G” college preparatory courses.
California residents need a minimum GPA of 2.5 in those courses, while non-residents may be held to higher standards. Applicants are also asked to self-report high school transcripts and list completed, in-progress and planned courses.
Transfer students are required to have completed a set number of transferable college units, usually including general education courses and those specific to their intended major.
The application fee is $70 per campus; waivers are available for qualifying students.
The CSU system is the largest four-year public university system in the United States, enrolling nearly half a million students, according to the Office of the Chancellor.
“All of our students meet Cal Poly’s high standards for admission, and our Learn by Doing approach prepares them to solve real-world problems,” Cal Poly President Jeffrey Armstrong wrote on the university website.
Cal Poly received 81,899 applications during the last admissions cycle, accepted only 22,531, which is around 27.5% of the applicants. The university is among the most selective within the 23-campus CSU system.
The university was recently named the Best in the West by U.S. News. It was Cal Poly’s 33rd year in a row ranking as the best public institution in the West and the third consecutive year coming in first.
READ HERE: Cal Poly Named Best University in the West by U.S. News
“Our Learn by Doing ethos continues to create thousands of graduates each year who make a difference in their respective industries and occupations,” Cal Poly President Jeffrey Armstrong said.