Recent CSU data shows how Cal Poly’s high fees compare to other universities.
Cal Poly has the highest campus-based mandatory fees of all universities in the California State University system.
Cal Poly’s total campus-based mandatory fee was just over $6,000 per student in the 2024-2025 school year.
Felipe Lopez, a student at Cal Poly, says he is working and paying out of pocket for his education.
“When I accepted to come to Cal Poly I did not expect to pay this much,” Lopez said.
This is an over $100 increase from the previous school year per student.
CSU found that out of all 23 CSU universities, the average campus-based mandatory fee per student was $1,981 this year while the lowest at just over $1,000 at Channel Islands.
Cal Poly is almost $4,000 more.
“It does make me wonder if we already are paying so much, what is that extra $4,000 doing for us,” Jasper Kemp said.
These fees usually support programs, facilities, and services beyond tuition or state funding.
For example, Cal Poly's college-based fees were just over $31 million last school year (2023-2024); 42% of the $31 million goes towards academic salaries, 25% to benefits, and 22% to financial aid.
Cal Poly spokesperson Matt Lazier says their fees are so high because Cal Poly is a Polytechnic University.
According to Lazier, this means the school requires labs, land, livestock, equipment, and other materials that make it more expensive for students.
Lazier says the states don't provide enough funding for them.
The university has three main sources of money according to Cal Poly; state support, tuition, and fees and donations. But state support has dropped 10% each decade since 1990.
Cal Poly added two fees in the last decade for low and middle-income students and first-generation students to receive more financial aid.
In 2018, Cal Poly raised fees for out-of-state students to allow the university to provide more financial aid to lower and middle-income students.
In 2022, Cal Poly incorporated the Learn By Doing Plan which brings in more money to help the university provide more financial aid for lower and middle-income students and first-generation students.
Lazier, says Cal Poly is serving more than 2,000 more PELL students today than four years ago before the college-based fees.
Despite the high fees, Lopez’s dream to be an architect is reason enough for him to stay at Cal Poly.
“Even though it is a lot of money... I feel like in the end it will be worth it,” Lopez said.
