Cal Poly vs. Mississippi State

California Polytechnic State University San Luis Obispo vs. Mississippi State University comparison

	California Polytechnic State University San Luis Obispo	Mississippi State University	College 3	College 4
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Overview	Cal Poly	Mississippi State
Location	San Luis Obispo, CA	Mississippi State, MS
Setting	Small Suburban	Rural Fringe
Enrollment	22,485	22,657
Type	Public 4 Year	Public 4 Year
National Ranking	#146	#452
Religious Affiliation	-	-	-	-
Status	Non-profit	Non-profit
Website	calpoly.edu	msstate.edu
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Comparable Facts

• Mississippi State University is larger than than Cal Poly based on total student enrollment (22,657 students vs. 22,485 students)

Cal Poly vs. Mississippi State Cost Comparison

Which college is more expensive, Cal Poly or Mississippi State?

• Mississippi State University is 68.3% more expensive to attend than Cal Poly for in-state tuition ($9,665.00 vs. $5,742.00)
• Out of state tuition is 50% higher at Mississippi State than California Polytechnic State University San Luis Obispo ($26,430.00 vs. $17,622.00)
• The typical actual cost that students pay to attend (average net price) is less at Mississippi State University than Cal Poly ($16,480 vs. $16,888)
• Living costs (room and board or off-campus housing budget) at Mississippi State University are 40.1% lower than costs at California Polytechnic State University San Luis Obispo ($12,293 vs. $17,220)
• More students receive financial grant aid at Mississippi State University than California Polytechnic State University San Luis Obispo (96% vs. 48%)
• The average total grant financial aid received by Mississippi State University students is 6.5% larger than aid received California Polytechnic State University San Luis Obispo ($13,532 vs. $12,707)

Cal Poly vs. Mississippi State Admissions Difficulty Comparison

Which college is harder to get into, Cal Poly or Mississippi State? Average SAT and ACT scores plus acceptance rates offer good insight into the difficulty of admission between Mississippi State or Cal Poly .

• The average SAT score at California Polytechnic State University San Luis Obispo (1259) is 119 points higher than at Mississippi State (1140)
• Incoming Cal Poly students have a 4 point higher average ACT score (29) than students at Mississippi State (25)
• Accepted freshman Cal Poly students have a 0.42 point higher average high school GPA (4.0) than students at Mississippi State (3.58)
• Mississippi State has a higher acceptance rate (76.3%) than Cal Poly (29.8%)

Cal Poly vs. Mississippi State Graduation Outcomes Comparison

Which is better, Cal Poly or Mississippi State? Graduation rate, salary and amount of student loan debt are indicators of a college which offers better outcomes for its graduates. Compare the following outcomes facts between Mississippi State and Cal Poly.

• The graduation rate at Cal Poly is higher than Mississippi State University (75% vs. 60%)
• Graduates from California Polytechnic State University San Luis Obispo earn on average $21,900 more per year than Mississippi State graduates after ten years. ($69,400 vs. $47,500)
• California Polytechnic State University San Luis Obispo students graduate with a $4,584 lower median federal student loan debt than Mississippi State graduates. ($18,666 vs. $23,250)
• Cal Poly graduates are paying $47 less per month on federal student loans than Mississippi State graduates. ($193 vs. $240)
• More Cal Poly graduates are actively paying back their federal student loan debt than former Mississippi State students, three years after graduation. (85% vs. 63%)

Sources: U.S. Department of Education https://nces.ed.gov IPEDS and College Scorecard https://collegescorecard.ed.gov/