Cal Poly SLO Orfalea College of Business or UC Irvine Paul Merage School of Business?

Hello everyone,

I’m a Business Administration transfer student and I’ve started receiving my decisions. My first choice is Haas at UCB followed by USC Marshall and finally I have Cal Poly SLO OCOB and UCI Paul Merage tied for my third choice. I recently got accepted into both Cal Poly OCOB and UCI Paul Merage. Which one do I pick b/w Cal Poly and UCI should I get rejected by my first 2 choices? Money is not an issue. I know there are many factors to consider here but where would you go and why?

@briank82 I remember that you were going to attend Cal Poly SLO had you been rejected by Haas. Can you tell me why?

I’m in the same boat as you. Transfer student waiting to hear back from Marshall (its my first choice) and if it I don’t get in I’m gonna be stuck between UCI, CPSLO, or UCR. I have pros and cons for each. I think it’s important to make a list of pros and cons on top of visiting the campuses. Considering you’re stuck between UCI and CP, think about the acceptance rates, the competitive edge, the surrounding areas, and recruitment.

When I visited CPSLOs campus, I fell in love. It’s so beautiful. BUT there’s little to no diversity. Irvine on the other hand is also really nice, tons of diversity, but their acceptance rates are higher (meaning its not as competitive), and its more expensive. Those are my pros/cons. Still torn; I just hope I get into Marshall.

Yes for transfers, acceptance rates are much higher at UCI. For new freshman though, CPSLO Business has an acceptance rate of about 40% vs. 22% for UCI business (based on 2017 profile). Both schools have great programs.