California Polytechnic State University

California Polytechnic State University, known as Cal Poly, is a public university in San Luis Obispo on California’s Central Coast, founded in 1901 around the Learn by Doing philosophy that educates both the head and the hand. Its programmes connect design, architecture, engineering, agriculture and business to professional practice from the first year, with students working on real briefs alongside faculty mentors.

The university is regularly ranked among the top public universities in the United States and as the West’s most innovative, with a 33-year run as the region’s best public master’s-level institution; TIME placed it among the top ten public universities nationwide in 2026. Halfway between Los Angeles and San Francisco, it draws on the state’s industries, from food and wine to space, climate, the built environment and technology, for studio projects, sponsored research and recruitment.