Cal Poly SLO Animal Science (Bachelor's): Tuition, Graduate Salary, and Debt
- Bachelor's in Animal Sciences
- Public university
- San Luis Obispo, CA
- About 159 graduates a year
College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025
The short answer
Cal Poly SLO animal science graduates earn about what animal science graduates earn nationally, $33,879 in their first year. The typical graduate leaves with $20,500 in federal loans, close to the national median of $21,843. Two other California programs report higher pay.
How it compares
Each figure is the median for graduates of the program. The California and national columns are the medians across all animal science bachelor's programs that report the figure.
Five years out, Cal Poly SLO graduates earn more than the national figure and about $5,433 more than the California median.
Debt and first-year pay at every California animal science program
Programs in the upper left give graduates higher pay for less debt. Dashed lines mark the California medians.
Hover over or tap a dot to see the school. Only programs that report both earnings and debt are shown.
What graduates earn over time
Pay rises about 83% between the first and fifth year.
Year 1 and year 5 figures come from different graduating classes, so the growth rate is an estimate.
Does family income change the outcome?
Graduates who received Pell Grants, which go to students from lower-income families, earned $3,330 less in their first year than other graduates. They also borrowed more. Students who expect to rely on grants should weigh this gap.
Paying back the loans
On a standard 10-year plan, the median debt means a payment of about $217 a month, or 7.7% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.
The government publishes these as ranges to protect privacy. They were measured in 2018 to 2020, partly during the pandemic pause on federal loan payments, so the forbearance share may be higher than usual. Separately, 82 parents took out Parent PLUS loans for these students, with a median of $36,997.
Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth
84% of graduates (84 of 100) were working in California one year after graduating. Prices in the San Luis Obispo area are about 9% above the national average, so a $33,879 salary here buys what about $31,197 buys in a typical US city.
Careers this field leads to
These are the jobs that the federal crosswalk from fields of study to occupations links to animal science, largest first. Pay is the median across all experience levels.
First-Line Supervisors of Farming, Fishing, and Forestry Workers
$56,280Median pay in California. 10,450 people work in this job in California. Nationally, jobs are projected to grow 4% from 2025 to 2035, with about 7,200 openings a year. Typical education to start: high school diploma or equivalent, plus less than 5 years of related work experience.
Agricultural Technicians
$60,320Median pay in California. 2,420 people work in this job in California. Nationally, jobs are projected to grow 5% from 2025 to 2035, with about 2,800 openings a year. Typical education to start: associate's degree.
Farm and Home Management Educators
$98,770Median pay in California. 40 people work in this job in California. Nationally, jobs are projected to shrink 3% from 2025 to 2035, with about 800 openings a year. Typical education to start: master's degree.
Farmers, Ranchers, and Other Agricultural Managers
$109,140Median pay in California. 1,650 people work in this job in California. Nationally, jobs are projected to shrink 3% from 2025 to 2035, with about 70,800 openings a year. Typical education to start: high school diploma or equivalent, plus 5 years or more of related work experience.
About Cal Poly SLO
Animal Science ranks 42nd of 50 bachelor's programs at Cal Poly SLO by first-year earnings. The top three are Computer Engineering ($111,560), Computer Science ($111,141), and Construction Management ($92,785).
Common questions
The median graduate earns $33,879 one year after graduating and $62,117 five years after. The median across animal science bachelor's programs in California is $33,879.
The median federal loan balance is $20,500, which ranks 5th lowest of 5 animal science bachelor's programs in California. That works out to about $217 a month over 10 years.
On the numbers, yes for most students. Debt equals 61% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 65%, and the share of borrowers in default two years into repayment is 10% or less.
Most do. 84% (84 of 100) were working in California one year after graduating.
About this data
- Earnings and debt only include students who received federal financial aid (grants or loans).
- Earnings only count graduates who were working and not enrolled in more school. Graduates who went straight to further study are not included.
- Debt only includes federal loans. Private loans and credit cards are not counted.
- Some schools with several campuses report one combined figure for all of them. We count each of those schools once, and leave them out of California comparisons when their main campus is in another state.
- Scorecard figures describe graduating classes from several years ago. BLS wages are from May 2025.
- School-level numbers like tuition, admission rate, and graduation rate are for the whole school, not the animal science program.
Sources
- U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard, field of study and institution files, June 2026 release
- Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025
- Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections 2025 to 2035
- Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities, 2024
- NCES, CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 crosswalk, and IPEDS institution directory, 2024