Life on Campus
Living on campus gives you a greater connection to the campus community as well as easier access to academic and health resources, recreational activities, dining, student clubs and organizations, friends, and entertainment. Because this all leads to your greater success, Cal Poly requires all first-year students to live on campus and encourages continuing students to do so as well.
On-Campus Housing
We offer many types of housing, including residence halls and apartments in various residential Learning Communities across campus. When our students apply for housing, they indicate their top Learning Community preferences, and the majority are placed in their first preference.
First-Year Student Housing
First-year students live in residence halls near the core of campus:
Continuing Student Housing
Continuing students can choose from three different Cal Poly apartment communities.
Transfer and Graduate Housing
Transfer and Graduate students can choose from two different on-campus communities.
Living Near Campus
Although we encourage students to live on campus as long as possible, many students choose to live off campus after the first or second year. Living off campus can present a new set of challenges for students and we have some resources that can help.
Eating on Campus
There are a wide variety of restaurants, food trucks and markets on campus. All first-year students living on campus are required to purchase a meal plan and continuing students have an option to purchase a plan regardless of whether they live on or off campus.
Food Resources
The Basic Needs Initiative assists students with accessing sufficient and nutritious food through various programs and resources including our Food Pantry, CalFresh programs, Grocery Distributions and Meal Vouchers.
