Cal Poly Engineering

What Cal Poly Engineering does

Cal Poly Engineering is the College of Engineering at California Polytechnic State University, a public institution within the California State University system headquartered in San Luis Obispo, California. It enrolled 6,462 students in Fall 2024 across 14 ABET-accredited Bachelor's degree programs and 9 Master's degree programs spanning aerospace, architectural, biomedical, bioresource and agricultural, civil, computer, computer science, electrical, environmental, industrial, manufacturing, materials, and mechanical engineering. The college's defining methodology is "Learn by Doing" — a project- and design-centered curriculum delivered from a student's first day, supported by 90+ state-of-the-art laboratories, student-run research programs such as PolySat (12 CubeSats launched, including a 2021 Virgin Orbit air-launch carrying ExoCube2), capstone projects, and competitive teams (concrete canoe, wind power, ROTC commissioning).

The revenue model is that of a public university college: tuition and fees set according to CSU system rates for in-state and out-of-state students, supplemented by state appropriations, research grants, and endowment income. Distribution is through the CSU admissions application, the Jump Start transfer pathway from California community colleges, and direct industry recruitment pipelines that send graduates to employers including Lockheed Martin, Google, Boeing, Cisco, Apple, Tesla Motors, Northrop Grumman, and NASA — companies that also fund endowed professorships and co-develop project work (notably the Northrop Grumman Collaboration Project, an autonomous-vehicle program) and the EPIC K-12 summer outreach program.

The college is recognized as the 6th-best undergraduate engineering program in the nation (U.S. News & World Report, 2023), with #1 specialty rankings in Civil Engineering and Computer Engineering and #2 rankings in Mechanical Engineering and Electrical Engineering, and has held the "Best Public Master's-Level University in the West" designation for 30 consecutive years. It received ASEE's Bronze-level National Diversity Recognition in 2019 and has substantially expanded female enrollment from 13.3% (2006) to 26.3% (2018). In 2023 it announced the Noyce School of Applied Computing consolidating electrical engineering, computer science, software engineering, and computer engineering; in June 2026 it added a geospatial focus area to Civil Engineering and named three Lockheed Endowed Professors, with 89% of alumni employed or in graduate school within 12 months of graduation.

Name

Cal Poly Engineering

Legal name

California Polytechnic State University - College of Engineering

Website

https://ceng.calpoly.edu

Company type

Public

Founded year

1901

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1,001–5,000 employees

Short description

Cal Poly Engineering is the College of Engineering at California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo, California, serving 6,462 students across 14 Bachelor's and 9 Master's ABET-accredited programs through a hands-on "Learn by Doing" curriculum with strong industry recruitment pipelines.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Engineering Higher Education

NAICS

Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (6113), Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (611310)

akta.pro primary industry

Polytechnic & Applied Sciences Universities (EDAHAEAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Technical Universities with Architecture, Built Environment & Design Engineering (EDAHAEAJ), Public Research Universities with Engineering/Polytechnic Emphasis (EDAHAAAD)

Keywords

• Engineering education programs
• Hands-on learning
• Computer science degrees
• Aerospace engineering program
• STEM summer camps

Headquarters

HQ city

San Luis Obispo

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Public University Educational Services: Cal Poly Engineering is a public university college that generates revenue through student tuition and fees, state funding for public higher education, and research grants. It is part of California Polytechnic State University, a comprehensive public university.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Cal Poly Engineering is the College of Engineering at California Polytechnic State University, providing undergraduate and graduate engineering and computer science education to approximately 6,462 students through 14 Bachelor's and 9 Master's degree programs. The college delivers hands-on, project-based learning via 90+ state-of-the-art laboratories, supporting programs such as the PolySat CubeSat initiative, Summer Undergraduate Research Program (SURP), EPIC summer camps, and CPConnect interdisciplinary projects.

Product overview

Cal Poly College of Engineering is one of the West's largest engineering colleges with approximately 6,000+ students, offering a comprehensive portfolio of educational products and programs centered on its Learn by Doing philosophy. The core product consists of 14 Bachelor's and 9 Master's degree programs across 13 ABET-accredited engineering and computer science disciplines. Supporting products include the PolySat CubeSat program (student-built mini satellites), EPIC summer camps (K-12 engineering outreach), CPConnect interdisciplinary projects program, and the Summer Undergraduate Research Program (SURP). The college also houses 90+ state-of-the-art laboratories and manages student racing teams, concrete canoe teams, and other competitive engineering clubs.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Undergraduate and Graduate Degree Programs
• EPIC (Engineering Possibilities in College) Summer Camp
• PolySat CubeSat Program
• CPConnect Interdisciplinary Projects Program
• Summer Undergraduate Research Program (SURP)

Quantifiable outcome

• 89% of Cal Poly Engineering alumni were employed or in grad school within 12 months
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Virgin OrbitcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021Virgin Orbit conducted the first successful air launch to space from a jumbo jet wing, carrying Cal Poly's ExoCube2 CubeSat among 10 satellites. This was Cal Poly's 12th CubeSat launch and first air launch.
• NASAcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021NASA selected and sponsored Cal Poly and others through the CubeSat Launch Initiative. NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center developed the spectrometer for ExoCube2's mission to study ion density in the exosphere.
• University of WisconsinminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerUniversity partners are responsible for interpreting scientific data downloaded from ExoCube2 CubeSat.
• University of IllinoisminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerUniversity partners are responsible for interpreting scientific data downloaded from ExoCube2 CubeSat.
• Northrop GrummancoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Northrop Grumman Collaboration Project (NGCP) is an interdisciplinary autonomous vehicle project where teams work alongside Northrop Grumman engineers and executives. Many members receive internship and full-time employment from Northrop Grumman. Includes teams for VTOL aircraft, UGV, and Ground Control Systems.
• Lawrence Livermore National LaboratoryminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCal Poly alumni who became NASA engineers (like Jose Hernandez) previously worked at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory on radar imaging and medical physics projects.
• American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerASEE's National Diversity Recognition Program rated Cal Poly at the Bronze level for inclusive excellence. The college signed the ASEE Deans Diversity Pledge in 2017 with over 220 members.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Georgia Institute of Technology - College of Engineering: Georgia Tech is a large public polytechnic-style engineering college with similar Learn-by-Doing / hands-on / project-based DNA, strong industry placement, and ABET-accredited programs. It is the closest peer and the gold-standard public engineering college competitor for top STEM talent.
• Purdue University - College of Engineering: Purdue's College of Engineering is a large public engineering college with ABET-accredited programs, strong industry recruitment (Lockheed Martin, Boeing, Raytheon), and a similar land-grant / polytechnic heritage. Overlaps with Cal Poly on aerospace, mechanical, civil, and computer engineering rankings.
• Virginia Tech - College of Engineering: Virginia Tech is a large public polytechnic-style engineering school with strong industry placement and ABET-accredited programs across similar disciplines. Comparable in scale (~6,000+ engineering students), focus on hands-on learning, and corporate recruiting intensity.
• Texas A&M University - College of Engineering: Texas A&M is a large public engineering college with strong industry recruiting (oil & gas, defense, NASA), extensive lab infrastructure, and similar scale to Cal Poly's College of Engineering. Comparable program mix and similar hands-on project culture.
• Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology: Rose-Hulman is a small private polytechnic engineering school renowned for hands-on undergraduate education — directly analogous to Cal Poly's Learn by Doing model at smaller scale. Useful peer for pedagogy comparison though materially smaller in enrollment.

Broad incumbents

• UC Berkeley - College of Engineering: UC Berkeley is a top-ranked public engineering college within the same California public system as Cal Poly. It is a broader incumbent with R1 doctoral programs and stronger research prestige, but competes for the same California resident applicant pool and the same California-based recruiters (Google, Apple, Lockheed).
• UCLA Samueli School of Engineering: UCLA Samueli is a top public engineering college within California's public university ecosystem (UC system vs. Cal Poly's CSU system). Direct competitor for California-resident applicants, faculty hires, and employer recruitment in Southern California, with a broader research mandate.
• University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign - Grainger College of Engineering: UIUC Grainger is a top-ranked public engineering college of similar scale with strong ABET-accredited programs and industry placement. Comparable program mix (CS, EE, ME, CEE) and similar recruitment footprint to FAANG/defense primes, with a stronger research portfolio.
• Carnegie Mellon University - College of Engineering: Carnegie Mellon's College of Engineering is a private R1 institution with particular strength in computer science and software engineering — directly comparable to Cal Poly's Noyce School of Applied Computing. Competes for the same top CS talent and Silicon Valley recruiters.
• University of Michigan - College of Engineering: U-M's College of Engineering is a top-ranked public engineering college with similar large enrollment, industry placement strength, and ABET-accredited programs across overlapping disciplines. Recruits from and places into the same employer base.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/calpoly
• YouTubevimeo.com/user92922447
• Facebookfacebook.com/CalPoly
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/calpolyengineering
• Instagraminstagram.com/polyengineering

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Cal Poly Engineering