Program Overview

Cal Poly Open University Program

The Cal Poly Open University program provides an opportunity for people who are not enrolled Cal Poly students to enroll in most courses offered by Cal Poly. Enrollment is on a "space available" basis, subject to the approval of the instructor and the Department Chair.

Program Details

• An admitted student must enroll as a regularly matriculated student in their first term.
• A maximum of 36 Open University units may be applied toward a Cal Poly undergraduate degree.
• If approved by the Graduate Coordinator, graduate students may apply a maximum of 12 non-matriculated units toward the completion of their Cal Poly Master's degree.
• Students may not be enrolled in regular Cal Poly courses and courses through Open University during the same term.
• Courses will be counted as residential credit.
• Enrollment in Open University counts towards continuous enrollment at Cal Poly.
• Academic credit toward the student's matriculated program will be granted automatically.
• Open University courses will be automatically processed as repeats associated with other Cal Poly courses.

Registration and Fees

Registration is handled through the Cal Poly Extended Education Office, with the appropriate fee payment.

Office of the Registrar

The Office of the Registrar provides various services, including:

Plan Your Degree

• Tools and Resources
  • Upcoming Training Opportunities
  • Degree Flowcharts and Curriculum Sheets
  • Degree Planner
  • Degree Progress Report
  • Minors
  • Change your major
  • First Year at Cal Poly
  • Returning Former Students
  • Double Major
  • College Advising Centers
  • Courses-Term Typically Offered
• Academic Requirements
  • Catalog
  • Course Descriptions
  • GE 2026 Guide
  • US Cultural Pluralism (USCP)
  • Graduation Writing Requirement
  • The American Experience (D1)
  • Minimum GPA
  • Academic Residence
• Other Types of Credit
  • AP/IB Credit
  • Transfer Credit
  • Study Abroad
  • Military Credit (DD214)
  • CLEP Credit
  • Credit By Examination
• Graduation
  • Graduation
  • Commencement
  • Diplomas

Register For Classes

• Registration Information
  • Enrollment Appointments
  • Newly Admitted First-Year Students
  • Newly Admitted Transfer Students
  • Academic Progress Gauge
  • Tuition and Fees
  • Graduate Students
  • Leave of Absence
  • Withdrawal
  • Degree Planner
• How to Register
  • Registration Overview
  • How to Register with Schedule Builder
  • Student Center
  • Class Search
  • Degree Progress Report (DPR)
• Resources and Tools
  • AP/IB Credit
  • Grades
  • Credit / No Credit Grading Information (CR/NC)
  • Transfer Credits
  • Repeating a Course
  • Selected Topic Courses
  • Summer at Cal Poly
  • College Advising Centers

Student Records

• Student Records Overview
  • Transcripts
  • Grades
  • Transfer Credits
  • Dean's List and Honors
  • Diplomas
• Enrollment
  • Enrollment Verification
  • Returning Students
  • Leave of Absence
  • Withdrawal
  • Academic Probation and Disqualification
• Records Resources
  • Student Privacy (FERPA)
  • Cheating and Plagiarism
• Veterans
  • Veteran Services

Forms

• Student Forms
• Faculty Forms

Calendars

• Current Academic Year
• All Calendars
• Academic Year
  • Summer through Spring
  • Summer through Spring
  • Summer through Summer
  • Calendar Guidelines
• Important Schedules
  • Enrollment Schedules
  • Planning Calendars
  • Final Exam Schedules

Faculty and Staff

• Curriculum
  • Courses-Term Typically Offered
  • Courses Approved for Online Delivery
  • Special Topic Courses
  • Curriculum Handbook
  • Updates to the Current Catalog
  • Articulation
• Academic Scheduling
  • CourseLeaf CLSS FAQ
  • Virtual Instruction
  • Academic Scheduling Overview
  • Approved Scheduling Time Patterns
  • Final Exam Schedule
  • University Lecture Rooms
  • Resources for Department Schedulers
• Event Scheduling
  • University Events: Master Calendar
  • Facilities and Event Request Form
• Resources
  • Upcoming Training Opportunities
  • Enrollment Monitoring
  • Summits and Open Forums
  • Training Guides
  • Academic Forms
  • FERPA
  • Academic Policies
  • Using Adobe Sign
  • Student Communications Calendar
  • Faculty and Staff Communications Calendar