Cal Poly vs Eastern Michigan University

California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo (Cal Poly SLO) and Eastern Michigan University (EMU) are two distinct universities with unique offerings. Cal Poly SLO, located on California's Central Coast, boasts a strong reputation for its engineering, agriculture, and business programs, while EMU, situated in Ypsilanti, Michigan, excels in health sciences, education, and business. With acceptance rates of 31% and 79%, respectively, Cal Poly SLO is the more selective institution. Cal Poly SLO's student body is predominantly White (62%) and Asian (19%), while EMU's student population is more diverse, with a larger proportion of Black (22%) and Hispanic (16%) students. Both universities offer a vibrant campus life, with Cal Poly SLO known for its Division I athletics and EMU for its strong Greek life. To help you make an informed decision, we've compiled a comprehensive comparison table highlighting key differences between these two institutions

	California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo	Eastern Michigan University
Overview
Location	San Luis Obispo, California	Ypsilanti, Michigan
Campus setting	Suburb: Small	Suburb: Large
College type	4 year	4 year
Control/business model	Public	Public
Calendar system	Quarter	Semester
Degrees offered	Undergraduate and Graduate	Undergraduate and Graduate
Students retention rate	95.0%	69.0%
Common app member	No	Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	33.0%	84.6%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $70 Graduate: $70	Undergraduate: $35 Graduate: $45
SAT range	N/A	930 - 1180
ACT range	N/A	18 - 25
Students submitting SAT score		55.0%
Students submitting ACT score		8.0%
Total number of applicants	54,570	17,506
Total number of admissions given out	18,008	14,811
Admitted students who chose to enroll	4,884	2,312
Yield rate	27.1%	15.6%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	Required	Required
Recommendation letters	Not required	Not required
High school transcript	Not required	Not required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL)	Not required	Required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	In state: $29,680 Out of state: $47,590	$31,022
Average net price	$20,708	$16,311
Tuition	In state: $5,742 Out of state: $17,622	$13,950
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $9,642 Meal plan: $6,138	Room/dormitory: $5,450 Meal plan: $5,724
Available payment plans		Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	55.0% Average amount $5,988	95.0% Average amount $9,182
Students receiving federal student loan	24.0% Average amount $5,023	48.0% Average amount $5,579
Students taking out private loans	1.0% Average amount $22,714	3.0% Average amount $12,079

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	21,128 Men 51.2% Women 48.8%	12,730 Men 38.9% Women 61.1%
Graduate students	1,103 Men 50.4% Women 49.6%	2,610 Men 31.9% Women 68.1%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Moderate	Low
Out-of-state students	20.6%	14.2%
International students	2.3%	2.7%
Campus local/setting	Suburb: Small	Suburb: Large
Dormitory capacity	8,147	3,290
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	California Washington Colorado Oregon Texas	Michigan Ohio Illinois Indiana Florida

Academics
Popular study areas	Engineering Business Agriculture Architecture Biological and Biomedical Sciences	Health Professions Education Business Public Administration and Social Service Social Sciences
Students to faculty ratio	21:1	15:1
Institutional accreditation	Western Association of Schools and Colleges Senior Colleges and University Commission	Higher Learning Commission

Outcome
Graduation rate	85.4%	48.2%
Dropout rate	12.5%	48.4%
Transferred out	1.2%	N/A
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Computer and Information Sciences, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $88,197 Year 2: $120,462 Year 3: $143,849 Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $104,015 Year 2: $101,964 Year 3: $116,606 Computer Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $91,493 Year 2: $93,964 Year 3: $106,798 Fire Protection (Master's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $97,071 Year 3: $103,907 Construction Engineering Technologies (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $79,656 Year 2: $82,780 Year 3: $96,152 Industrial Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $72,643 Year 2: $73,562 Year 3: $90,242 Engineering, General (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $74,873 Year 2: $78,971 Year 3: $90,194 Aerospace, Aeronautical and Astronautical Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $74,220 Year 2: $76,460 Year 3: $89,378 Accounting and Related Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $66,920 Year 2: $70,886 Year 3: $87,984 Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $79,454 Year 2: $79,647 Year 3: $87,345	Computer and Information Sciences, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $61,034 Year 2: $67,101 Year 3: $78,068 Mechanical Engineering Related Technologies/Technicians (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $62,313 Year 2: $69,338 Year 3: $74,479 Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies, Other (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $76,154 Year 2: $73,949 Year 3: $70,947 Human Resources Management and Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $62,705 Year 2: $59,425 Year 3: $68,573 Management Information Systems and Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $61,218 Year 3: $67,436 Construction Management (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $63,660 Year 2: $63,997 Year 3: $65,596 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $65,000 Year 2: $62,409 Year 3: $64,700 Accounting and Related Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $57,397 Year 2: $56,415 Year 3: $63,891 Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $48,555 Year 2: $54,192 Year 3: $63,676 Science, Technology and Society (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $54,309 Year 2: $58,673 Year 3: $62,126

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Cal Poly vs Eastern Michigan University

California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo

Eastern Michigan University

Overview

Admission

Tuition and Fees

Financial Aid

Students and Campus

Academics

Outcome

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