Cal Poly vs Western Washington University (WWU)

California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo (Cal Poly SLO) and Western Washington University (WWU) are two distinct institutions with unique offerings. Cal Poly SLO, located in the heart of California's Central Coast, boasts a strong reputation for its engineering, agriculture, and business programs, while WWU, nestled in the picturesque Pacific Northwest, excels in liberal arts, sciences, and education. With acceptance rates of 31% and 73%, respectively, these universities cater to different levels of academic competitiveness. Cal Poly SLO's student body is predominantly composed of California residents, while WWU attracts a more diverse population from across the nation and the world. Both universities offer a vibrant campus life, with Cal Poly SLO known for its Division I athletics and WWU renowned for its arts and culture scene. Explore the detailed comparison table below to discover more about these institutions' acceptance rates, popular majors, student demographics, graduation rates, and other key factors that may influence your college decision.

	California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo	Western Washington University
Overview
Location	San Luis Obispo, California	Bellingham, Washington
Campus setting	Suburb: Small	City: Small
College type	4 year	4 year
Control/business model	Public	Public
Calendar system	Quarter	Quarter
Degrees offered	Undergraduate and Graduate	Undergraduate and Graduate
Students retention rate	95.0%	81.0%
Common app member	No	Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	33.0%	96.1%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $70 Graduate: $70	Undergraduate: $65 Graduate: $100
SAT range	N/A	1090 - 1310
ACT range	N/A	22 - 29
Students submitting SAT score		16.0%
Students submitting ACT score		3.0%
Total number of applicants	54,570	10,580
Total number of admissions given out	18,008	10,167
Admitted students who chose to enroll	4,884	2,874
Yield rate	27.1%	28.3%
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	In state: $26,634 Out of state: $43,861
Average net price	$20,708	$11,388
Tuition	In state: $5,742 Out of state: $17,622	In state: $7,572 Out of state: $24,799
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $9,642 Meal plan: $6,138	$13,079
Available payment plans		Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	55.0% Average amount $5,988	82.0% Average amount $7,112
Students receiving federal student loan	24.0% Average amount $5,023	29.0% Average amount $4,929
Students taking out private loans	1.0% Average amount $22,714	3.0% Average amount $15,435

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	21,128 Men 51.2% Women 48.8%	14,019 Men 42.6% Women 57.4%
Graduate students	1,103 Men 50.4% Women 49.6%	1,106 Men 36.4% Women 63.6%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Moderate	Low
Out-of-state students	20.6%	N/A
International students	2.3%	1.0%
Campus local/setting	Suburb: Small	City: Small
Dormitory capacity	8,147	3,985
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	N/A

Academics
Popular study areas	Engineering Business Agriculture Architecture Biological and Biomedical Sciences	Education Psychology Business Multidisciplinary Studies Kinesiology & Leisure Studies
Students to faculty ratio	21:1	17:1
Institutional accreditation	Western Association of Schools and Colleges Senior Colleges and University Commission	Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities

Outcome
Graduation rate	85.4%	67.7%
Dropout rate	12.5%	30.6%
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: $69,837 Year 2: $81,333 Year 3: $92,019 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $71,492 Year 2: $76,460 Year 3: $78,577 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $60,314 Year 2: $63,005 Year 3: $76,877 Management Information Systems and Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $52,624 Year 2: $57,318 Year 3: $71,599 Communication Disorders Sciences and Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $61,592 Year 2: $60,920 Year 3: $64,540 Industrial Production Technologies/Technicians (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $60,325 Year 3: $64,302 Accounting and Related Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $46,243 Year 2: $49,572 Year 3: $60,999 Chemistry (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $34,788 Year 2: $37,748 Year 3: $58,090 Design and Applied Arts (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $39,818 Year 2: $46,087 Year 3: $57,268 Finance and Financial Management Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $41,065 Year 2: $45,696 Year 3: $57,167

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