Social Sciences at California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo

These numbers suggest Cal Poly SLO's social sciences program may not be delivering the return you'd expect from a selective polytechnic. With first-year earnings of just $28,931, graduates land in the bottom 10th percentile among California social sciences programs—trailing the state median by nearly $14,000 and falling far behind comparable UC campuses like Davis ($45,178) and Riverside ($39,934).

The debt load of $17,000 is manageable compared to national averages, but that's small consolation when earnings are this low. Strong growth to $41,749 by year four helps narrow the gap, yet even after four years these graduates still earn less than the state median for year-one outcomes. For a school with a 30% admission rate competing with UC campuses, this represents a significant earnings disadvantage in a state where social sciences graduates typically command higher salaries.

The critical caveat: this data comes from fewer than 30 graduates, so it may not reflect typical outcomes. If your student is drawn to Cal Poly's hands-on learning approach, these numbers warrant a serious conversation about career goals and whether this particular major aligns with the school's technical strengths. The engineering and agriculture programs that made Cal Poly's reputation may simply cast a longer shadow than its social sciences offerings can match.