After Cal Poly San Luis Obispo: graduation, pay and debt
San Luis Obispo, California · Public · 21,996 undergrads
85% of Cal Poly San Luis Obispo students finish within six years, the typical student earns $96,304 ten years after starting and graduates leave with $16,500 in federal loans at the median.
The short answers
$96.3k
median pay 10 years after starting college.
85%
finish within six years.
61%
finish in four years.
96%
of first-years come back for year two.
$16.5k
median federal debt at graduation.
87%
of borrowers were paying down their loans three years after leaving.
All the federal numbers
Finishing
Finished in four yearsIPEDS, fall 2023
61%
Finished within six yearsIPEDS, fall 2023
85%
First-years who came back for year twoCollege Scorecard, fall 2024
96%
Men who finished within six yearsIPEDS, students who started in 2017
82%
Women who finished within six yearsIPEDS, students who started in 2017
88%
Students in that six-year groupIPEDS, students who started in 2017
5,241
Earned a degree or certificate here within eight yearsIPEDS, full-time students who started in 2015
87%
Still enrolled here after eight yearsIPEDS, full-time students who started in 2015
9%
Students in that eight-year groupIPEDS, full-time students who started in 2015
4,933
Transferred to another collegeCollege Scorecard, earlier release
1.4%
Pay after college
Median pay 6 years after starting collegeCollege Scorecard
$78,025
Median pay 10 years after starting collegeCollege Scorecard, 2022-23
$96,304
Earning more than $25,000 six years after startingCollege Scorecard, earlier release
79%
Debt and paying it back
Median federal debt, students who graduatedCollege Scorecard, 2024-25
$16,500
Median federal debt, everyone who borrowed (finished or not)College Scorecard, earlier release
$15,396
Median federal debt, students with a Pell GrantCollege Scorecard, earlier release
$16,446
Median federal debt, students without a Pell GrantCollege Scorecard, earlier release
$15,000
Paying down their loans 3 years after leavingCollege Scorecard, 2024-25
87%
Paying down their loans 5 years after leavingCollege Scorecard, earlier release
89%
Paying down their loans 7 years after leavingCollege Scorecard, earlier release
90%
Where these numbers come from
- Admit rate and applicants: Common Data Set, fall 2025 (checked Oct 31, 2026)
- GPA, early rounds and wait list: Common Data Set, fall 2025 (checked Oct 31, 2026)
- Cost, pay and debt: College Scorecard, 2024-25 (checked Oct 31, 2026)
Updated Oct 31, 2026Spot a mistake?How we get our numbers