New student FAQs
Frequently Asked Questions
Welcome to Cal Poly Computer Engineering! Your first quarter can be an overwhelming time with all the adjustments you make as a freshmen or transfer student. The answers below are specifically for students new to campus, but if you can’t find the information you need below, please feel free to contact the CPE Office at (805) 756-1229 or cpe@calpoly.edu.
You do not need to know a programming language prior to coming to Cal Poly. However, having a familiarity with them is certainly beneficial. For incoming freshman, learning about Python and Java would be helpful since CPE 101 uses Python and CPE 102/103 uses Java.
You can check on your AP and/or IB scores via your My Cal Poly Portal.
There’s no real right answer to this question. Students who have eligible credits can certainly apply them. However, each person should be honest with themselves about how well they actually know the material. Will you be prepared to take the courses that follow the classes you’ve received AP credit? Or will you be doing yourself a disservice because you won’t be fully prepared? It’s a personal choice for each student.
You can start by looking up courses at assist.org, but it’s a good idea to also speak with someone in the Engineering Advising Center to verify that the course will matriculate properly.