Is Arizona State or Cal Poly generally more selective for undergraduate admission?

The biggest practical difference is that Cal Poly San Luis Obispo has a more capacity-constrained, major-driven admission process, while Arizona State admits a much broader undergraduate population across multiple campuses and programs. As a result, Cal Poly SLO is typically harder to enter overall, especially in high-demand fields such as engineering, computer science, architecture, and business. Arizona State is still a large public university with selective programs, but its university-wide admission profile is less restrictive.

Cal Poly SLO evaluates applicants in the context of their intended major, so the level of competition can vary sharply by program. Strong grades in college-preparatory coursework, a rigorous senior schedule, and preparation related to the chosen field matter substantially. Its limited enrollment and California applicant demand make admission competitive even for well-qualified students.

ASU has more enrollment capacity, a wider range of academic pathways, and published academic admission standards for many applicants. Certain ASU schools, honors opportunities, and specialized majors can be quite competitive, but applying to ASU as an undergraduate is not typically as selective as applying to Cal Poly SLO.

So, assuming “Cal Poly” means Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, Cal Poly is generally the more selective undergraduate admission option. Cal Poly Pomona and the newer Cal Poly Humboldt have different admission profiles, so the comparison would change somewhat for those campuses.