Cal Poly Pomona
Cal Poly Pomona is a public polytechnic university within the California State University system serving 27,196 students through 100+ programs emphasizing experiential learning, with diversified revenue from tuition, state appropriations, research grants, and philanthropy.
- Company typePublic
- Founded1938
- HeadquartersPomona, United States
- Headcount1,001–5,000
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Cal Poly Pomona does
Cal Poly Pomona is a public polytechnic university within the California State University system, founded in 1938 and headquartered in Pomona, California. It serves 27,196 students as of Fall 2025 across undergraduate, graduate, transfer, international, and continuing education segments, with 55% of students identifying as first-generation college students and 70% receiving financial aid. The university delivers 100+ academic programs across eight colleges spanning agriculture, business, engineering, hospitality, science, and liberal arts, anchored by an experiential learning model (PolyX / "Become by Doing") that integrates hands-on practice with classroom instruction, supported by the Canvas Learning Management System.
The university operates as a constituent campus of the CSU system with leadership transitioning to Vanya Quiñones on July 1, 2026 (the first Latina to hold the post). Its research and AI footprint centers on the NSF-funded CREST-RASM Smart Manufacturing Research Center, covering robotics, digital twin technology, extended reality, and cybersecurity, supported by partnerships with Anthropic (Claude deployed in WRCCDC), Avanade (AI Innovation Center), and UC Riverside. Recent expansion includes administrative integration with Cal Maritime (effective July 1, 2025), a $40M MacKenzie Scott grant funding Bronco CareerWorks in partnership with Ultimate Staffing Services, and selection as the new CSSSA summer arts host site from July 2026.
Revenue is diversified across tuition and fees (in-state and out-of-state tiers), California state appropriations, federal and state research grants (including NSF and USDA), private philanthropy (MacKenzie Scott, Yuhaaviatam of San Manuel Nation), and auxiliary services (housing, dining, bookstore). The university generates a $1.5 billion annual economic impact on the Los Angeles region. Go-to-market relies on the centralized CSU Apply system, campus tours, college fairs, and targeted high-school partnerships (including with predominantly Black high schools) to drive admissions across five customer segments: first-time freshmen, transfer students, graduate and professional students, international students, and continuing education learners.
Cal Poly Pomona firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Cal Poly Pomona
- Legal name
- California State Polytechnic University, Pomona
- Website
- https://cpp.edu
- Company type
- Public
- Founded year
- 1938
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1,001–5,000 employees
- Short description
- Cal Poly Pomona is a public polytechnic university within the California State University system serving 27,196 students through 100+ programs emphasizing experiential learning, with diversified revenue from tuition, state appropriations, research grants, and philanthropy.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Cal Poly Pomona industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Higher Education
- NAICS
- Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (6113), Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (611310), Educational Support Services (611710)
- SIC
- Services-Educational Services (8200)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Polytechnic & Applied Sciences Universities (EDAHAEAB)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Public Research Universities with Engineering/Polytechnic Emphasis (EDAHAAAD), University/College Continuing Education (Extension) Programs (EDAAAEAA), Public-Private Partnerships (PPP) in Education (EDADALAD)
Keywords
Where Cal Poly Pomona is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Pomona
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Cal Poly Pomona business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Tuition and Fees: Revenue from undergraduate and graduate tuition, with different rates for in-state and out-of-state students, plus campus-based fees
- Research Grants: Federal and state research funding including $7.5M NSF grant for CREST-RASM smart manufacturing center
- Private Philanthropy: Private donations and grants including $40M MacKenzie Scott grant and various corporate partnerships
- State Appropriations: California State University system funding from the state of California
- Auxiliary Services: Revenue from housing, dining, bookstore, and other campus services
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Annual | In-state undergraduate tuition |
| Subscription | Annual | Out-of-state undergraduate tuition |
| Subscription | Annual | Graduate tuition |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels6 records
Cal Poly Pomona product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Cal Poly Pomona is a public polytechnic university offering more than 100 undergraduate and graduate degree programs across eight colleges, including Agriculture, Business, Engineering, Hospitality Management, Science, and Liberal Arts. It delivers instruction through the Canvas LMS and supplements classroom teaching with the PolyX learn-by-doing experiential learning model, research centers (such as CREST-RASM), and industry partnerships. Revenue is generated through tuition, state appropriations, federal and private grants, auxiliary services, and private philanthropy.
Product overview
Cal Poly Pomona is a California State University campus offering undergraduate and graduate degree programs across multiple colleges. The university operates Canvas as its primary learning management system for delivering educational content. The institution's technology offerings are educational services rather than commercial software products. Programs include traditional academic degrees, professional certificates, and experiential learning initiatives (PolyX) across agriculture, business, engineering, hospitality, science, and other disciplines.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Undergraduate Degree Programs Four-year undergraduate degree programs offered across agriculture, business, environmental design, education and integrative studies, engineering, hospitality management, science, and letters/arts/social sciences, with 100+ programs for first-time freshmen.
- Graduate Degree Programs Master's and doctoral degree programs across multiple disciplines, including MBA and MS degrees, plus teaching credentials for graduate and professional students.
- Professional Certificates and Continuing Education Continuing education and professional certificate programs in HR, public sector management, and other disciplines for working professionals seeking skill development and certifications.
- CREST-RASM Smart Manufacturing Research Center An AI-powered research center covering robotics, digital twin technology, extended reality, and cybersecurity for intelligent manufacturing systems, serving as a hub for engineering and science students and partnering with UC Riverside and the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley for Ph.D. bridge pathways.
- Bronco CareerWorks A career services initiative that embeds recruiters from Ultimate Staffing Services on campus to connect students with internships, jobs, and career pathways, operating as the first staffing-in-residence model on a California State University campus.
- California State Summer School for the Arts (CSSSA) Host Program Host site program for the California State Summer School for the Arts, a month-long residential arts training program bringing 500 talented California teens to campus.
- W.K. Kellogg Arabian Horse Center Historic Arabian horse breeding and experiential learning center managed by Cal Poly Pomona, serving as a hub for hands-on student learning and community engagement.
- Auxiliary Campus Services (Housing, Dining, Bookstore) On-campus housing (residence halls, suites, apartments, community-themed housing), dining services, and bookstore operations available to enrolled students as auxiliary services.
Quantifiable outcome
- 27,196 total students with 55% first-generation and 70% receiving financial aid
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Cal Poly Pomona
Customer profileNamed customers4 records
Segments5 records
Ideal customer profiles1 record
Cal Poly Pomona technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature2 records
Cal Poly Pomona partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Rivers & Lands ConservancycoreCal Poly Pomona partners with Rivers & Lands Conservancy for conservation service-learning programs, engaging students in habitat restoration work including efforts to restore habitat for the endangered Delhi Sands flower-loving fly and native insect conservation at the Colton Dunes.
- AnthropiccoreAnthropic actively participated in the Western Regional Collegiate Cyber Defense Competition (WRCCDC) hosted by Cal Poly Pomona, deploying its Claude model to evaluate AI capabilities in real-time attack-and-defense scenarios.
- aytmminoraytm, an AI-assisted insights platform, sponsored Cal Poly Pomona's AI Adventure Hackathon 2026 as a Sponsored Problem Challenge partner, presenting student teams with actual consumer research briefs and hands-on platform experience.
- California State Summer School for the Arts (CSSSA)coreCal Poly Pomona selected as new host site for CSSSA beginning July 2026, bringing 500 talented California teens to campus for month-long residential arts training program.
- Woolf Farming & ProcessingcoreCal Poly Pomona is collaborating with Woolf Farming & Processing to develop a mechanical agave harvester to address labor shortages in California agriculture, supporting the company's expansion into drought-tolerant agave cultivation.
- Ultimate Staffing ServicescoreBronco CareerWorks initiative brings embedded recruiters to campus through Ultimate Staffing Services, connecting students with internships, jobs, and career pathways - first staffing-in-residence model on a CSU campus.
- UC RiversidecorePartnership through CREST-RASM center including Ph.D. Bridge Program enabling students to pursue doctoral studies with research exchanges and pathway programs.
- University of Texas Rio Grande ValleyminorSummer research exchanges with UTRGV as part of the CREST-RASM smart manufacturing research center ecosystem.
- AvanadecoreTransformative partnership with Avanade advancing AI innovation, fostering community engagement, and preparing students for successful careers in STEM and business through the AI Innovation Center.
- W.K. Kellogg Arabian Horse CentercoreHistoric W.K. Kellogg Arabian Horse Center managed by Cal Poly Pomona, celebrating centennial anniversary 2025-26 as hub for experiential learning and community engagement.
Scale indicators11 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Cal Poly Pomona competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Cal Poly San Luis Obispo: Sister campus of Cal Poly Pomona, also a polytechnic in the CSU system with a similar learn-by-doing model and overlapping academic programs. Most directly comparable on mission, scale, and admissions funnel.
- San Jose State University: Large CSU campus in Silicon Valley with strong engineering, business, and STEM programs, sharing similar student demographics, transfer pathways, and applied-learning emphasis with CPP.
- California State University, Long Beach: Large Southern California CSU campus with comparable size, diverse student body, and broad academic offerings; competes directly for the same regional applicant pool.
- San Diego State University: Major CSU research campus with high enrollment, diverse demographics, and strong STEM and business programs; directly comparable on scale, mission, and admissions competition.
- Cal Poly Humboldt: CSU polytechnic campus with a learn-by-doing focus on sciences and applied fields; shares CPP's polytechnic identity within the CSU system, though smaller in scale.
- California State University Maritime Academy: Specialized CSU polytechnic now operationally integrated with Cal Poly Pomona (effective July 1, 2025); shares the polytechnic mission and CSU governance structure.
Broad incumbents
- Virginia Tech: Large public polytechnic-style university with strong engineering, agriculture, and applied research profile; comparable on polytechnic identity and STEM/applied-sciences focus.
- Georgia Institute of Technology: Top-tier public polytechnic with national STEM reputation, applied research, and industry partnerships; a benchmark for polytechnic positioning and STEM enrollment scale.
- Purdue University: Major public polytechnic with broad STEM, engineering, and agriculture programs and a national brand; competes for STEM talent and federal research funding.
Regional players
- Oregon State University: Pacific-region public polytechnic with comparable engineering, agriculture, and applied-research programs; not in the same recruitment geography but directly comparable in polytechnic mission.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Cal Poly Pomona social profiles
Digital presenceCal Poly Pomona financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Cal Poly Pomona leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles10 records
Cal Poly Pomona funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds1 record
Investors1 record
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Cal Poly Pomona M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Cal Poly Pomona
What does Cal Poly Pomona do?
Cal Poly Pomona is a public polytechnic university offering more than 100 undergraduate and graduate degree programs across eight colleges, including Agriculture, Business, Engineering, Hospitality Management, Science, and Liberal Arts. It delivers instruction through the Canvas LMS and supplements classroom teaching with the PolyX learn-by-doing experiential learning model, research centers (such as CREST-RASM), and industry partnerships. Revenue is generated through tuition, state appropriations, federal and private grants, auxiliary services, and private philanthropy.
Is Cal Poly Pomona a public or private company?
Cal Poly Pomona is a public company. It is classified as state government owned and is currently operating.
When was Cal Poly Pomona founded?
Cal Poly Pomona was founded in 1938. It employs 1,001 to 5,000 people.
Where is Cal Poly Pomona based?
Cal Poly Pomona is headquartered in Pomona, United States, in the North America region.
How does Cal Poly Pomona make money?
Five revenue lines are on record. Tuition and Fees are the primary driver. The others are research Grants, private Philanthropy, state Appropriations and auxiliary Services.
Who are Cal Poly Pomona's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, San Jose State University, California State University, Long Beach, San Diego State University, Cal Poly Humboldt and California State University Maritime Academy. Broad incumbents are Virginia Tech, Georgia Institute of Technology and Purdue University. Oregon State University is listed as a regional player.
Does Cal Poly Pomona have an API?
No public API is recorded for Cal Poly Pomona.
What industry is Cal Poly Pomona in?
Cal Poly Pomona's product category is Higher Education. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EDAHAEAB, Polytechnic & Applied Sciences Universities, with a secondary code of EDAHAAAD, Public Research Universities with Engineering/Polytechnic Emphasis. Its NAICS code is 6113 and its SIC code is 8200.