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What Cal Poly San Luis Obispo costs

San Luis Obispo, California · Public · 21,996 undergrads

Cal Poly San Luis Obispo's in-state sticker price was $36,515 a year in 2024-25 (College Scorecard). In-state students with federal aid paid $18,832 on average after grants; families earning under $30,000 paid $10,354. Out-of-state students pay $21,966 more in tuition.

What does Cal Poly San Luis Obispo cost?

$18,832 a year in-state

Out of state: about $40,798 a year

What in-state students who got federal aid paid on average after grants, 2024-25. The in-state sticker price, with housing and food, is $36,515.

Tap your family income:

Average paid after grants by family income
under $30,000$10,354
$30,000–$48,000$9,975
$48,000–$75,000$12,476
$75,000–$110,000$18,082
over $110,000$31,461

Out-of-state tuition is $37,005 a year, against $15,039 in state. The out-of-state figure adds that $21,966 to the in-state average. Out-of-state students usually get less aid, so many pay more.

Own a business or have divorced parents? Run Cal Poly San Luis Obispo's own calculator.

Net price 2024-25, College Scorecard.

By family income

In-state families who got federal aid, average paid per year after grants, 2024-25.

Family incomeIn-state, average paidOut of state, estimate
Under $30,000$10,354$32,320
$30,000–$48,000$9,975$31,941
$48,000–$75,000$12,476$34,442
$75,000–$110,000$18,082$40,048
Over $110,000$31,461$53,427

The out-of-state estimate is the in-state average plus the $21,966 more in tuition that Cal Poly San Luis Obispo charges students from other states. Out-of-state students usually get less aid, so many pay more.

Run Cal Poly San Luis Obispo's own calculator

For in-state families earning under $30,000, grants took 72% off Cal Poly San Luis Obispo's sticker price.

Business owner, divorced parents, or savings? The averages can't see that; Cal Poly San Luis Obispo's own calculator can.

Got an aid offer? See how to compare aid offers and ask for more.

Compared with colleges people also look at

For families earning $48,000–75,000, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo cost less than UC Santa Barbara but more than UC Irvine.

CollegeFamilies earning $48–75kAll aided students
Cal Poly San Luis Obispo$12,476$18,832
UC Irvine$9,897$13,866
UC San Diego$12,147$14,794
UC Santa Barbara$14,181$16,807

Public colleges: in-state students.

The sticker price

$15,039
Tuition, in state, 2025-26
$37,005
Tuition, out of state, 2025-26
$36,515
Full sticker price, tuition, housing, food, books

Out-of-state students pay $21,966 more in tuition at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo and usually get less aid.

23%
of undergrads get a Pell Grant, the federal grant for lower-income students.
$14,338
average grant for students who got aid.
25%
of undergrads take a federal loan.
$16,500
median federal debt at graduation.

Questions people ask

How much does California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo cost for a family earning $25,000?
In-state families earning under $30,000 paid $10,354 a year on average after grants in 2024-25 (students who got federal aid). The sticker price is $36,515. Your own price depends on your family's finances; Cal Poly San Luis Obispo's net price calculator gives a personal estimate.
How much does California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo cost for a family earning $40,000?
In-state families earning $30,000–$48,000 paid $9,975 a year on average after grants in 2024-25 (students who got federal aid). The sticker price is $36,515. Your own price depends on your family's finances; Cal Poly San Luis Obispo's net price calculator gives a personal estimate.
How much does California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo cost for a family earning $60,000?
In-state families earning $48,000–$75,000 paid $12,476 a year on average after grants in 2024-25 (students who got federal aid). The sticker price is $36,515. Your own price depends on your family's finances; Cal Poly San Luis Obispo's net price calculator gives a personal estimate.
How much does California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo cost for out-of-state students?
Out-of-state tuition at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo is $37,005 a year, against $15,039 for in-state students in 2025-26. In-state students who got federal aid paid $18,832 on average after grants in 2024-25. Adding the $21,966 tuition gap gives about $40,798 a year from out of state. Out-of-state students usually get less aid, so many pay more.
Where these numbers come from

Updated Oct 31, 2026Spot a mistake?How we get our numbers