Contact: Cynthia Lambert

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Latest Cal Poly Career Services post-graduation report shares highlights from the 2021-22 graduating class

SAN LUIS OBISPO — Ninety-one percent of Cal Poly graduates are positively engaged, with the vast majority working or attending graduate schools in California, according to the university’s latest Career Services Graduate Status Report. Eight in 10 Cal Poly graduates accepted jobs in the Golden State, including 18% in San Luis Obispo County.

“Employers tell us time and again that they seek to hire Cal Poly graduates because our grads are Ready Day One,” Executive Director of Cal Poly Career Services Amie Hammond said.

Cal Poly’s Career Services annually surveys Cal Poly graduates to determine their post-commencement plans, top employers and locations, employment regions, and starting median salaries. This most recent survey includes information on 2,232 graduates in the nine months following graduation.

Of the graduates who are positively engaged, 71% are working full time, 4% are working part time and 14% are attending graduate schools. Another 9% were still seeking employment, and 2% were engaged in other pursuits, including travel, a planned gap year and personal commitments.

The starting median salary of Cal Poly graduates continues to climb, with 2021-22 graduates reporting higher earnings than past classes.

Overall, the median starting salary among 2021-22 graduates increased to $72,000 from $68,800 the prior year. The starting salary has increased 22% since the 2014-15 survey, when graduates’ starting median salary was $56,000. The median starting salary of graduates from the College of Engineering increased to $83,500 from $68,000 during that time — an 18% increase.

“The latest Graduate Status Report confirms that a Cal Poly degree continues to provide a strong return on investment,” Hammond said. “Thanks to their Learn by Doing education, Cal Poly graduates have been accepted to prestigious graduate programs or are pursuing fulfilling careers in a diverse range of industries.”

Money magazine’s 2023 Best Colleges rankings, which analyzed dozens of data points, including alumni salaries to find colleges that combine quality and affordability, placed Cal Poly among the 34 top public and private universities in the nation.

Highlights from the 2021-22 report include:

•     Graduates were admitted to law schools, veterinary and medical schools, and teaching credential programs, including University of Southern California, Stanford University, Cal Poly, University of Oregon, UC Berkeley, UC Davis, UC Irvine and UC San Diego.
•     Thirty-three percent of graduates from the Bailey College of Science and Mathematics are attending graduate school. They include grads pursuing teaching credentials, doctorate programs in physics and chemistry, and master’s degrees in mathematics and business analytics.
•     More than 90% of students in the colleges of Agriculture, Food and Environmental Sciences; Architecture and Environmental Design; Engineering; and Orfalea College of Business found jobs related to their major.
•     In the College of Engineering, 99% of graduates are positively engaged.
•     Cal Poly grads are working at top employers, including Abbot, Amazon, Applied Medical, Deloitte, Ernst & Young, LinkedIn, Northrop Gruman, PwC and SpaceX.

To view Cal Poly’s latest and past Graduate Status Reports, visit https://careerservices.calpoly.edu/gsr.