Cal Poly Records Highest Number of Applicants

SAN LUIS OBISPO – Cal Poly this year received a record number of undergraduate applications for the 2010 fall quarter. The university received a total of 40,904 applications, up 12.1 percent from 36,489 in 2008.

Of the nearly 41,000 first-time freshmen who submitted applications, 4,744 were submitted as early decision applications, or applications for students who made Cal Poly their first choice. The early decision pool increased by over 32 percent from last year, a positive sign that more and more students are considering Cal Poly as their first choice.

"The number of applications we received this year is a testament to the hard work of our academic departments in helping my unit build relationships with our prospective students and parents long before the application process ever begins," said James Maraviglia, assistant vice president of Admissions, Recruitment and Financial Aid. “We are really pleased with the result, especially given the tough economy and state budget cuts to higher education.”

The university's recruitment process extensively integrates technology with stylized Web and e-mail content and furthers the relationship between prospective students and the campus. Using targeted e-mail campaigns and creating customized Web pages for prospective students, the technology allows recruiters to tailor content to match an individual student's interests.

Since the entire campus community is involved, both students and faculty take part in marketing campaigns through video feeds, Web pages with dynamic content and virtual campus tours.

At the forefront of the recruitment process are customizable Web pages for applicants, accessed through a VIP micro-site, and Cal Poly's online digital view book. Both are linked from the Cal Poly Admissions Web site. For more information, visit http://www.ess.calpoly.edu/_admiss.

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