California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo (Cal Poly) vs. University of California-Riverside (UC Riverside)

Compare two schools with tuition, admission, test scores, and more academic characteristics.

  • Both California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo (Cal Poly) and University of California-Riverside (UC Riverside) are public.
  • Both schools are located in California.
  • UC Riverside has more expensive tuition of $44,947 than Cal Poly ($30,995).
  • Cal Poly has tighter acceptance rate of 34.61% than UC Riverside (57.23%).
  • UC Riverside is larger with 26,809 students than Cal Poly (22,000 students).
California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo

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University of California-Riverside

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#23 in California
Rankings#236 in National Universities
#58 in California
Public, 4-yearsSchool TypePublic, 4-years
San Luis Obispo, CALocationRiverside, CA
Cal PolyKnown asUC Riverside
Bachelor's
Post-Bachelor Certificate
Master's
Offered DegreesBachelor's
Master's
Doctorate (Research)
Doctorate (Professional Practice)
Master's College and University (larger programs)Carnegie ClassificationResearch University (very high research activity)
Tuition & Fees
$11,075 California residents
$30,995 out-of-state
Undergraduate$14,170 California residents
$44,947 out-of-state
$12,509 California residents
$22,013 out-of-state
Graduate$14,366 California residents
$29,468 out-of-state
$7,853Financial Aid$20,324
Admission
$70 undergraduate
$70 graduate
Application Fee$70 undergraduate
$120 graduate
34.61%Acceptance Rate57.23%
31.24%Yield18.39%
Test Scores
Student Population
22,000Total Students26,809
21,026Undergraduate22,911
974Graduate3,898
151Online Enrollment145
Graduation Rate & Outcomes
85%Graduation Rate76%
1%Transfer-out Rate15%
94%Retention Rate87%
$74,300Average Earning after Graduation$55,300
Special Learning Opportunities and Student Services
Online Degree/Certificate Program Offered for GraduateDistance Learning (Online Classes)Online Degree/Certificate Program Offered for Graduate
ROTC
Study Abroad
Teacher Certifiate
Special OpportunitiesStudy Abroad
Weekend/Evening College
Teacher Certifiate
✔ (Dormitory Capacity: 8,702)
$10,356 average annual costs
On-Campus Living✔ (Dormitory Capacity: 8,600)
Not offered or not ReportedMeal PlanNot offered or not Reported
Faculties and Staffs
20 to 1Students to Faculty Ratio24 to 1
881 Full-time
383 Part-time
Number of Faculties1,051 Full-time
160 Part-time
2,386 Full-time
428 Part-time
Number of Staffs3,997 Full-time
482 Part-time
$95,198 for Faculties
$74,774 Part-time
Average Salary$133,120 for Faculties
$77,966 Part-time
All data used in our site is from IPEDS (The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System), U.S. Department of Education, academic year 2022-2023