|
Student Support and Scholarship Gifts
Cal Poly invites you to join us in enhancing the mission that is at the heart of our educational enterprise: supporting students.
To give our students the advantage of a unique education, the university's scholarship and internship program recognizes and encourages outstanding young scholars and supports students in financial need who are seeking a Cal Poly education. Read on to find out:
| Why is There A Need? |
 |
 |
Rated the top public, largely undergraduate university in the West by U.S. News & World Report for 14 consecutive years, Cal Poly is renowned for educating students in an innovative mentoring environment that expresses the University's learn-by-doing credo.
However, attracting and retaining top students is becoming more difficult.
During 2001-2002, 57 percent of Cal Poly students received $65 million in financial aid. Of this total, 59 percent was awarded as student loans, 30 percent as federal, state and CSU grants, and 1 percent as federal work study. Only 10 percent of financial aid is for scholarships and of this amount only 18 percent was privately funded.
Students who receive some form of financial aid graduate with an average loan debt of over $16,000. The debt accrued by parents can be much larger.
Student support enables Cal Poly to attract and retain the most promising students - some of whom may not otherwise be able to pursue a university degree. Unless we expand scholarship and internship opportunities recognizing meritorious academic achievement and excellence in leadership and service, we will continue to lose many of our most gifted applicants to other prestigious universities that offer four-year scholarships and related incentives.
Click here to learn what it costs to go to Cal Poly
| What Kinds of Support Are There? |
|
|
You can become a partner with the University in supporting students by funding a scholarship or internship.
Scholarships
If you wish to create a scholarship, Cal Poly holds your gift in trust and administers if according to your wishes in three main areas:
- Need-based scholarships
- Merit-based scholarships
Merit-based scholarships reward students with outstanding academic achievement and/or those who have made significant contributions to their schools and communities. The Cal Poly Scholars Program provides such awards to superior high school seniors, particularly National Merit Scholar Finalists. These awards strengthen Cal Poly's advantage in both recruiting and retaining exceptional students.
- Combination need- and merit-based scholarships
The majority of Cal Poly awards are of this type. These scholarships take into consideration a student's academic excellence in addition to his or her financial need in determining eligibility.
Internships
Cal Poly's internship programs allow a student to work directly with a faculty member on a special project, work for a local community organization or governmental agency, or gain direct industry experience in a career-related field. Student internships provide practical work experience that reinforces the academic curriculum. Because these awards truly embody Cal Poly's learn-by-doing philosophy, the University is enhancing its efforts to seek private support for internships.
One important note about eligibility factors: A scholarship/internship may be restricted in accordance with the donor's request -- however, race, religion, gender, ethnicity or age cannot be factors in selecting a recipient (refer to the University catalog section Policies on the Rights of Individuals for more information). Such eligibility factors as class level, residential origin, major field of study, graduate of a specific high school, financial need, academic excellence, or participation in extracurricular activities are examples of acceptable criteria in defining internships.
For more information: please contact us, or click here to download a pdf* file of the Scholarships Brochure currently distributed by Cal Poly's Financial Aid office. This brochure lists scholarships currently available to Cal Poly students.
(*You will need the Adobe Acrobat Reader to view and print both the Brochure. You can download a free copy of the Adobe Acrobat Reader here.)
Donor Profile
Michael Koehn Memorial Scholarships
From being a Resident Advisor to studying abroad with the London Study program, Michael Koehn was an active student on Cal Poly's campus. In his memory, his family and friends have established three memorial scholarships: the Michael Koehn Outstanding Resident Advisor Scholarship, the Michael Koehn London Study Scholarship, and the Michael Koehn Non-Traditional Business Scholarship.
| How Can I Participate? |
|
|
The type of support you choose can be designed to fit your intentions, financial resources and funding timetable.
Both Scholarships and internships can be established in the following ways:
- A named annual gift provides support to students for one academic year and enables a donor to make an immediate impact. It can be renewed from year to year. The minimum donation for an annual named gift is $300.
- A named endowment is established as a long-term investment held in perpetuity. The minimum donation for an endowment is $10,000.
Gifts to the Cal Poly General Scholarship fund of any amount are always appreciated. Checks can be made payable to the Cal Poly Scholarship Program and mailed to:
Cal Poly Scholarships
Special Gifts Office
San Luis Obispo, CA 93407
or DONATE ONLINE NOW!
| Scholarship News |
|
|
To learn more about recent events happening at Cal Poly, please visit the Cal Poly News Web Page
| Student Recipient Profiles |
|
|
Read profiles of students who have recently been awarded a Cal Poly scholarship or internship:
Corwin Graves | Rudy Angeles | Matthew Swaney | Laurel Koester
 Corwin Graves
Major: Environmental Horticulture Sciences
Year: Senior
Hometown: Sacramento, California
Scholarships & Awards:
Frank & Gertrude Raffel Memorial Quasi Endowment
"Funding provided through the internship program has allowed me to become an active participant in Cal Poly's Learn-by-Doing philosophy while extending me a certain degree of financial latitude in the process. Through my experience in the program I have been able to examine on a small scale how the horticulture industry operates. It has allowed me to experience the types of responsibilities I will have when I graduate."
 Rudy Angeles
Major: Statistics
Year: Freshman
Hometown: Guam
Scholarships & Awards:
Scholarships & Awards:
Cal Poly Scholar, National Merit Finalist
"The Cal Poly Scholars Program was the deciding factor in my attending Cal Poly. The program has allowed me to enjoy the interaction between students and professors both inside and outside the classroom.”
Rudy Angeles graduated from Southern High School in Guam in a class of 290 students. In high school, Rudy was a member of the Honor Society, the Debate Team, the Academic Team and the Spanish Club. He is majoring in statistics in Cal Poly’s College of Science and Mathematics, tutoring students in calculus, and serving as a grader for a statistics course. He would like to be an engineering consultant, focusing on biopharmaceutical research, or pursue a doctorate in statistics or mathematics.
 Matthew Swaney
Major: Physics BS, Math minor
Year: Senior
Hometown: Ventura, California
Scholarships & Awards:
Hanna Hermann Memorial Scholarship and J.W. Van Dyke Memorial Scholarship
"Throughout my college career Cal Poly scholarships have been incredibly valuable to my endeavors and aspirations. As a student athlete, the scholarships have allowed me to pursue my potential in both academics and athletics. In addition, I have been able to lead Bible studies and be involved in clubs - invaluable college experiences. The Hanna Hermann scholarship was literally a God-send for me. I am glad to have been fortunate enough to meet the Hermanns and share with them my appreciation."
 Laurel Koester
Major: Industrial Engineering, Statistics Minor
Year: Senior
Hometown: Concord, California
Scholarships & Awards:
John Wingate Jr. Scholarship (2002-2003)
"Being awarded the Wingate Scholarship has enabled me to continue to be extremely active on campus. I am able to continue to be involved in numerous clubs and activities that not only give me leadership experience, but also help me gain skills that will help me when I graduate. I can now put more time into my classes which allow me to still follow Cal Poly's motto of Learn-by-Doing. I greatly appreciate the opportunities that this scholarship has opened up for me."
| Contact Information |
|
|
To find out more about how you can make a tax-deductible gift to Cal Poly's scholarship and internship program, please contact:
Allie Jones
Scholarship Coordinator
Special Gifts Office
Cal Poly
San Luis Obispo, CA 93407
Phone: (805) 756-7466
E-mail: awjones@calpoly.edu
|
