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56-558: Cal Poly , North Dakota State , Northern Colorado , South Dakota State , Southern Utah , and UC Davis inaugurated the Great West Football Conference during the 2004 season. Cal Poly and UC Davis had previously been members of the American West Conference , a similar low-level conference that existed in the 1990s. St. Mary's (CA) was originally slated to join as well, but then dropped

112-831: A 14.6% acceptance rate. As of 2024, Cal Poly in San Luis Obispo has been ranked the best public master's-level university in the Western United States for 30 consecutive years by U.S. News & World Report . Regional universities offer a full range of undergraduate programs and some master's programs, but few doctoral programs. U.S. News & World Report (2025) PayScale Best Value Colleges Ranked by ROI (2025) - 36th out of 1,978 Money Best Colleges for Your Money (2024) - 5 out of 5 star - Awarded America's Best Colleges. DesignIntelligence: America's Best Architecture & Design Schools: Cal Poly's on-campus student housing, totaling 6,239 spaces,

168-429: A café, community room, game room, mail room, welcome center, offices, and maintenance shop. Additional site improvements provide a large open space for activities and group events, volleyball and basketball courts, and outdoor gathering areas. The Warren J. Baker Center for Science and Mathematics was dedicated on November 1, 2013. This $ 119 million, six-story building replaced the aging “spider” Science Building 52 with

224-608: A new 189,000-square-foot structure. It includes laboratories, classrooms, offices for the physics, chemistry, and soil science programs, and spaces for the Western Coatings Technologies Center and the Environmental Biotechnology Institute. The center also features Centennial Park, a landscaped central green area. Campus parking is limited, with 2,892 general-purpose parking spaces, 3,492 dorm resident spaces, and

280-632: A perennial Rose Parade Float design program, LGBTQ+ and Multicultural groups, competitive and social athletic teams, and academic honors clubs. Notable engineering clubs include Prove Lab, PolySat, CubeSat , and QL+. Cal Poly fields 21 varsity sports (10 for men and 11 for women) and competes in NCAA Division I . It is a member of the Big West Conference , except for football, wrestling, women's indoor track & field and both swimming and diving teams. The football team competes in

336-513: A senior project idea. The campus area known as ‘Architecture Graveyard’ hosts many senior projects, including experimental and unconventional structures. Enrolled Fall Freshman Statistics Cal Poly's admissions process is described as “more selective” according to U.S. News & World Report . For the class entering 2019, 15,366 freshmen were accepted out of 54,072 applicants, a 28.4% acceptance rate, with 4,613 enrolling. In 2018, students had an average GPA of 4.00; The average SAT score

392-1031: A total of 8,648 parking spaces. The Facilities Master Plan acknowledges that, despite adding more parking spots, the ratio of parking to students will decrease due to expected enrollment growth. To address this, the plan emphasizes reducing demand for individual vehicle parking by constructing additional dorms and enhancing campus life. Cal Poly Commuter and Access Services has successfully promoted alternatives to single occupancy vehicles, with bus use more than doubling and bicycle use nearly quadrupling from 2002 to 2012. As of 2024, there are over 7,000 bike rack spaces and 252 secure bike lockers on campus. In 2019, approximately 57% of students and 33% of faculty/staff lived within five miles of campus, facilitating easy bike commutes. The city's SLO Transit bus system provides service to and from campus. Cal Poly supports SLO Transit with funding from parking citation revenue, allowing faculty, staff, and students to ride for free. The SLO Regional Transit Authority provides bus service throughout

448-558: Is a public university in San Luis Obispo, California , United States. Founded in 1901, It is the oldest of three polytechnic universities within the California State University system. Cal Poly emphasizes a “learn by doing” philosophy, integrating hands-on, practical experiences into its curriculum. As of Fall 2022, Cal Poly had approximately 21,000 undergraduate and 800 graduate students. Cal Poly

504-665: Is a 501(c)(3) nnonprofit corporation owned and operated by Cal Poly student leaders, with an annual operating budget exceeding $ 12 million. ASI provides co-curricular experiences, including events, speakers, concerts, intramural sports, fitness programs, aquatics, outdoor adventure trips, craft center courses, club services, and child development programs. ASI manages the University Union, Recreation Center, Sports Complex, and Children's Center, totaling over 450,000 square feet of campus facilities. Alumni Association: Engages and serves alumni, fostering lifelong connections between

560-461: Is a volunteer-based orientation program for new students during the first week after move-in each September. It aims to introduce students to the campus and community and prepare them for a successful college career. Freshmen are placed in groups of 10–12, while transfer students are grouped in sizes of 40–60, each led by two current student orientation leaders. WOW groups participate in various orientation events and activities on and off campus. In 2010,

616-657: Is the largest student housing program in the CSU system. In Fall 2015, 35.9% of undergraduates lived in 28 dorms, and 98.7% of first-time freshmen lived on campus. Additionally, 28.7% of sophomores lived on campus. There are five distinct groups of residence halls: North Mountain Halls, Red-Brick Halls, Sierra Madre and Yosemite Halls, Cerro Vista Apartments, Poly Canyon Village, and Yakʔitʸutʸu residence halls Greek organizations have been present at Cal Poly since 1949, with numerous fraternities and sororities. The Week of Welcome (WOW)

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672-626: Is well-regarded for its undergraduate programs, having been ranked 1st among Regional Universities in the Western US in the 2025 U.S. News & World Report rankings. The university is home to several nationally recognized programs, particularly in engineering, architecture, and business, with the College of Engineering and the Orfalea College of Business standing out for their academic excellence and industry connections. Most of

728-738: The Big Sky Conference ; the wrestling team is part of the Pac-12 Conference ; indoor track & field is independent; and swimming and diving compete in the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation . Prior to joining Division I in 1994, Cal Poly won 35 NCAA NCAA Division II national team championships and competed in the California Collegiate Athletic Association . The university has two mascots: Musty

784-660: The Gateway Football Conference , is a collegiate athletic conference which operates in the Midwestern United States . It participates in the NCAA 's Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) as a football -only conference. The Missouri Valley Football Conference has a complex history that involves three other conferences: In 1985, the MVC stopped sponsoring football. At that time,

840-596: The 11th member in 2020, bringing back the yearly rivalries among North Dakota, North Dakota State, South Dakota and South Dakota State which had existed under the Division II North Central Conference that NDSU and SDSU left in 2004–05. On April 4, 2022, Murray State University , who had previously been announced as a new MVC member effective in July 2022, joined the MVFC in 2023, bringing

896-568: The 2011–12 academic year. Seven months later, in November 2010, the school would announce a commitment to the MVFC for football as of the 2012 season. In September 2010, Cal Poly and UC Davis announced that they would join the Big Sky Conference for football by 2012. Then, in November 2010, Southern Utah and North Dakota announced that they would join the Big Sky for all sports by 2012. South Dakota

952-535: The 2013–14 academic year. The school also unveiled plans to begin sponsoring football. In September 2012, Utah Valley announced plans to join the Western Athletic Conference for the 2013–14 season. At the beginning of December 2012, Texas–Pan American announced they had received an invitation to join the WAC for 2013–14 school year. On December 5, 2012, Chicago State announced that it would also join

1008-623: The 2014 season. That conference was absorbed by the Big Sky Conference in July 2014 once the latter added Idaho as its sixth golf-sponsoring school; the two remaining non-Big Sky members of the America Sky then became Big Sky golf affiliates. Each full member of the Great West Conference has an on-campus basketball arena. Seating capacities range between 1,500 and 8,500. The full members are joined by three affiliates in baseball, forming an eight-team league. In women's soccer,

1064-463: The 2023 football season. Almost exactly a year after that, on May 10, 2024, fellow founding member Missouri State announced that they accepted an invitation to join Conference USA in all sports, beginning with the 2025-26 academic year. Current members Former members Dual members (list additional conferences) 11 different teams have won MVFC championships. The most recent champion

1120-796: The CSU system recommended integrating Cal Maritime with Cal Poly in San Luis Obispo. Cal Poly has one of the largest college campuses in the United States, covering 9,178 acres and making it the second-largest land-holding university in California. The property includes the main campus, two agricultural lands, and two sites in Santa Cruz County . The Swanton Pacific Ranch , a 3,200-acre ranch in Santa Cruz County, provides educational and research opportunities, encompassing rangeland, livestock, and forestry operations for

1176-624: The College of Agriculture, Food, and Environmental Sciences. It supports Cal Poly's “Learn by Doing” philosophy with an emphasis on sustainable agricultural practices and laboratory experiments. University House serves as the university president's residence. In the summer of 2018, a dormitory-style student community was completed at the corner of Slack Street and Grand Avenue. This development includes seven 3- to 5-story concrete-framed freshman residence hall buildings with 1,475 beds and an adjacent four-level parking structure. Community spaces feature

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1232-812: The D-1 open level, ranked as high as No. 5 and reaching their first national final in 2024 while winning the team spirit award. The Battle for the Golden Horseshoe is an annual rivalry college football game between the UC Davis Aggies and the Cal Poly Mustangs. The Mustang Marching Band , with over 200 members, performs at football, basketball, and volleyball games. Cal Poly is administratively organized into four divisions: Cal Poly Partners : A public-benefit nonprofit corporation providing commercial, fiscal, and support services to promote

1288-584: The D-1 open level. The Mustangs have been one of the top teams over the past decade, ranked as high as No. 5, and reached their first national final in 2024 while winning the team spirit award. Cal Poly offers various non-varsity (club) sports. The Mustangs play college rugby in the California Conference of Division 1-A, often ranked in the Top 25 nationwide, with the rugby sevens team ranked as high as No. 7. SLOCORE represents Cal Poly in ultimate at

1344-772: The Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS; formerly Division I-A) after the 2006 season, leaving the GFC with seven members for the 2007 season. Great West Football Conference members North Dakota State and South Dakota State were invited to join the conference beginning with the 2008 season. Subsequently, the Gateway Football Conference changed its name to the Missouri Valley Football Conference in June 2008. This change aligned

1400-691: The GWFC after the 2007 football season, and join the Gateway Football Conference as of 2008. By the time the two schools actually made the switch, the Gateway had renamed itself the Missouri Valley Football Conference . The duo also placed their other sports, which were then independent, in the Summit League as of the 2008–09 academic year. On August 2, 2007, North Dakota and South Dakota announced that they would join

1456-575: The Great West Conference sponsored men's and women's basketball championship tournaments for the first time. Both events were held in Orem, Utah , at the UCCU Center , home of Utah Valley University . The top-seeded men from the South Dakota reaffirmed their regular season success with a 91–86 title game victory over runner-up Houston Baptist . On the women's side, Utah Valley took advantage of

1512-743: The Great West Football Conference as of the 2008 season. This agreement allowed the total number of GWFC programs to remain consistent at five, while also retaining the same geographic footprint. On July 10, 2008, it was made official through a series of press conferences that the Great West would soon transition from a football-only league into an all-sports conference. The charter members included North Dakota, South Dakota, New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT), Houston Baptist , Texas-Pan American , and Utah Valley . On October 22, 2008, Chicago State announced plans to join

1568-501: The Great West did not have an automatic bid to the NCAA Division I Baseball Championship and no teams within the league earned an at-large invitation. In addition to formerly sponsoring football; while continuing to sponsor men's basketball, women's basketball, and baseball; the Great West Conference sponsored many other sports. The GWC held its own men's golf championship in 2009, but the league's members decided to compete under

1624-461: The Mustang and Chase, a live mustang named after Margaret Chase, the university's second president. Cal Poly also offers various non-varsity (club) sports. The Mustangs play college rugby in the California Conference of Division 1-A . The Mustangs are often ranked in the Top 25 nationwide, and their rugby sevens team has been ranked as high as No. 7. SLOCORE represents Cal Poly in ultimate at

1680-476: The WAC in 2013–14, and two weeks later, Texas–Pan American accepted their invitation. These departures led to the end of the Great West. NJIT, which became an independent after the demise of the Great West, joined the Atlantic Sun Conference on June 11, 2015. Football-only members Full members (including football) Full members (non-football) Associate members, other sports In 2010,

1736-563: The Week" honors to student-athletes in every sport during the 2008–09 season. The Great West featured championships in men's and women's cross country, men's and women's indoor track and field, men's and women's outdoor track and field, men's and women's golf, and women's tennis during the 2008–09 academic year. In 2009–10, regular season schedules and championship tournaments were implemented in women's volleyball, women's soccer, men's and women's basketball, baseball, and softball. Due to its newness,

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1792-448: The banner of the older and larger America Sky Men's Golf Conference starting in 2010, even though the option existed to hold a smaller Great West tournament and then participate in the America Sky event as well. Making men's tennis a league sport was also under discussion, but it never happened because only three schools—Chicago State, NJIT, and Texas Pan-American—had teams as of the 2012 season. The America Sky continued in operation during

1848-550: The conference with the Missouri Valley Conference, a conference in which five of the nine Missouri Valley Football schools were (and still are) all-sports members. The conferences continue to share the "Missouri Valley" name, and space in the same building in St. Louis , but remain separate administratively. The University of South Dakota joined as the 10th member in 2012. The University of North Dakota joined as

1904-775: The county, with discounted passes available to the Cal Poly community. As of 2020, the university offers 65 bachelor's degrees , 39 master's degrees , 84 minors and 13 credentials in six colleges: All undergraduate students are required to complete a senior project, a capstone experience integrating theory and application from their undergraduate studies. Projects may include design or construction experiences, experiments, self-guided studies or research projects, presentations, reports based on internships or co-ops, public portfolio displays, or performances. These projects often lead to job offers or recognition. Notable examples include Punchd, acquired by Google , and Jamba Juice , inspired by

1960-467: The crowd's support, as the number six seeds upset their way to the crown by wrapping up the stunning run with a 70–62 triumph over regular season winners North Dakota . The Great West tournaments returned to the UCCU Center for an encore in 2011, and third-seeded North Dakota claimed the men's championship after a 77–76 double overtime thriller against South Dakota , which was seeded fourth. Regular season winners Chicago State remained true to form in

2016-793: The educational mission of Cal Poly and the CSU system. Founded in 1940, it was known as the Cal Poly Foundation until 2006 and Cal Poly Corporation until 2024. Cal Poly Foundation: An auxiliary organization and IRC 501(c)(3) public charity that accepts and administers tax-deductible gifts to the university. It leads campus philanthropic activity by supporting fundraising and managing campus endowments. Cal Poly Extended Education: Provides degree, certificate, and professional development programs to residents of San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, and Monterey Counties, and through distance learning technologies to students nationwide. Associated Students Inc : The Associated Students Inc. (ASI)

2072-431: The event in different cities during each of its four years of existence. The league also experimented with formats, using pool play in 2010 but a traditional double elimination bracket from 2011 to 2013. Utah Valley claimed the first three regular season and tournament championships, while Northern Colorado and Houston Baptist won the final regular season and tournament championships, respectively. As in other sports,

2128-472: The gridiron. Overall the conference lost two full members—South Dakota and North Dakota—and six affiliates by the fall of 2012. The affiliate teams were Cal Poly, UC Davis, and Southern Utah in football; Nebraska-Omaha in softball; as well as multi-sport partners Cal State Bakersfield and Seattle. In November 2011, Houston Baptist reached an agreement to join the Southland Conference as of

2184-620: The league did not have an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament , but the Great West Conference men's basketball tournament champion received an automatic bid to the CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament (CIT), while the women's basketball tournament winners went to the Women's Basketball Invitational (WBI). In April 2010, South Dakota publicized intentions to join the Summit League for all sports but football, effective as of

2240-586: The league up to a record high of 12 active members. This was short-lived however, as on May 12, 2023, founding member Western Illinois announced that they would be leaving the MVFC and their full time conference, the Summit League , for the Ohio Valley Conference beginning in fall 2023 and 2024. They would leave the Summit beginning in fall 2023, and would leave the Valley after the conclusion of

2296-458: The newly rechristened GWC as well. Seattle was initially considering membership, but in mid-2011 accepted an invitation to instead join the WAC as of the 2012–13 academic year. The expanded version of the Great West officially began playing a limited number of sports in the fall of 2008. Despite not sponsoring conference schedules in team sports (except football), the league began awarding "Player of

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2352-566: The next year. In 1992, when the Gateway Collegiate Athletic Conference merged with the MVC, the football conference kept the Gateway charter, with a minor name change to Gateway Football Conference. After Eastern Illinois joined the Ohio Valley Conference for football in 1996, Youngstown State joined in 1997 and was followed by Western Kentucky University in 2001. Southwest Missouri State changed its name to Missouri State in 2005. Western Kentucky moved to

2408-464: The presence of three affiliates helped create a six-team league. Softball previously had four members, with Nebraska-Omaha replacing South Dakota for the 2012 season, but North Dakota and Nebraska-Omaha departed at the conclusion of that campaign. This leaves just Houston Baptist and Utah Valley, with no future alignment announced as of August 2012. California Polytechnic State University California Polytechnic State University ( Cal Poly )

2464-776: The program's awareness section won the National Orientation Directors Association (NODAC) Media & Publications Showcase Award for Emerging Technologies, developed entirely by student volunteers. Started in 1956, WOW is now the largest volunteer orientation program in the nation. The Cal Poly Recreation Center is the on-campus student recreation center. Cal Poly hosts over 150 recognized clubs and independent student organizations, including cultural clubs, mathematics and science clubs, improv and sketch comedy clubs, religious and atheistic groups, service organizations, engineering research and development clubs, professional development organizations,

2520-573: The program's top-seeded women knocked off regular season runners-up Utah Valley 69–56 to claim their maiden league title. The Great West Conference never had an automatic bid to the NCAA Men or Women's College Tournament, but the men's champions did receive automatic selection to the CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament , while their female counterparts headed to the Women's Basketball Invitational . The Great West Conference sponsored its inaugural baseball championship tournament in 2010, and held

2576-657: The school was renamed California State Polytechnic College to better reflect its expanding higher education offerings. A Master of Arts degree in education was added in 1949. In 1938, Charles and Jerry Voorhis donated a farm and school to the Cal Poly. In 1949, the W.K. Kellogg Foundation gifted an 812-acre horse ranch in Pomona, California . Originally a satellite campus for Cal Poly, the Pomona campus became an independent university, Cal Poly Pomona , in 1966. In 1960, control of Cal Poly in San Luis Obispo and other state colleges

2632-479: The sport six months before the league started play. In 2005, Cal Poly became the first GWFC team ever selected to participate in the NCAA Division I-AA (now FCS) playoffs. Northern Colorado departed the Great West for the Big Sky Conference in every sport as of the 2006 football season and 2006–07 academic year. On March 7, 2007, North Dakota State and South Dakota State announced that they would leave

2688-589: The total student population. In 1924, Cal Poly came under the control of the California State Board of Education . During the Great Depression , financial constraints led to discussions about converting Cal Poly into a state prison. In 1933, the institution transitioned to a two-year technological and vocational school. By 1940, it began offering Bachelor of Arts degrees, with the first baccalaureate ceremony held in 1942. In 1947,

2744-458: The two remaining I-AA members from the MVC (Illinois State and Southern Illinois) joined Eastern Illinois, Northern Iowa, Southwest Missouri State, and Western Illinois from the AMCU and together became a football conference under the Gateway's auspices. Indiana State, which had left MVC football after the 1981 season to become a Division I-AA independent while remaining a full MVC member, would join

2800-631: The university and its alumni, and supporting the university's mission. The association includes 15 regional and special interest chapters. List of notable alumni of Cal Poly in San Luis Obispo Cal Poly has more than 150,000 alumni, with the majority located in San Luis Obispo, Santa Clara and Los Angeles counties. 35°18′15″N 120°39′46″W  /  35.30417°N 120.66278°W  / 35.30417; -120.66278 Missouri Valley Football Conference The Missouri Valley Football Conference ( MVFC ), formerly

2856-764: The university's athletic teams participate in the Big West Conference . Cal Poly was founded in 1901 as the California Polytechnic School, following the signing of the California Polytechnic School Bill by Governor Henry Gage . The school began classes on October 1, 1903, with 20 students enrolled, offering three-year secondary-level courses. Originally coeducational , the school enrolled 16 male and 4 female students. In 1929, California Governor C.C. Young prohibited women from attending. Women were readmitted in 1956. By Fall 2023, female students constituted 50.1% of

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2912-474: The women's bracket, outlasting third seeds North Dakota by a score of 74–66. In 2012, the Great West tournaments shifted to the Emil and Patricia Jones Convocation Center at Chicago State University . North Dakota became the league's first back-to-back champs, as the second seeds enjoyed a 75–60 victory over fourth-seeded NJIT in the men's final. The weekend would end with a clean sweep for North Dakota , as

2968-507: Was 1329 and average ACT score was 29. Women constituted 50.5% of the incoming freshmen class, and men 49.5%. Cal Poly requires students to declare a major upon applying, then admits the most competitive applicants for each major. Each major has a change of major plan, requiring certain classes and GPA (usually between 2.5 and 2.75). In some cases, students wishing to change majors transfer to other universities. For Fall 2019 Cal Poly accepted 1,622 of 11,109 applicants as transfer students,

3024-429: Was considering the Big Sky as well, thus canceling the Summit League commitment, before the MVFC offered football-only membership. With these moves, all football programs would soon leave the Great West, and the league stopped sponsoring the sport following the 2011 season. South Dakota stepped down to football-only status during the 2011–12 academic year, allowing the league to retain five teams in its final season on

3080-522: Was launched as a senior project. In 1971, the California State Legislature officially renamed the institution California Polytechnic State University . Since the 1970s, the university has seen steady enrollment growth and significant campus expansion. On May 3, 2017, Cal Poly received a $ 110 million gift from alumni William L. and Linda Frost, one of the largest donations ever made to public education in California. In 2024,

3136-508: Was transferred to the newly formed CSU system. That same year, a plane crash killed 22 of the 48 people on board, including 16 Cal Poly football players. Authorized to offer Master of Science degrees in 1967, Cal Poly reorganized its curriculum from 1967 to 1970 into specialized schools: the School of Science and Math, the School of Agriculture and Natural Resources, and the School of Architecture. In 1968, Cal Poly's FM radio station, KCPR ,

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