Cal Poly aerospace engineering is a large department with a strong reputation (due in part to Bert Rutan). It’s one of the most popular engineering majors on campus. According to College Navigator, Cal Poly issued 81 BS degrees in this field in 2015-16, which is more than Davis (42) or Colorado (69). My understanding is that CP is attractive to corporate recruiters, because of the large number of graduates and CP’s emphasis on practical skills.
Cuesta College is located outside San Luis Obispo, a few miles from Cal Poly. SLO is a relatively small town and there is some degree of social integration; many private apartment complexes house both CP and Cuesta students. Cuesta is the single largest “feeder” to Cal Poly; several hundred students transfer from Cuesta to CP every year.
The second largest feeder to CP is Allan Hancock College, which is located in Santa Maria, about 30 miles south of SLO. Santa Maria is not nearly as fun or attractive as SLO, but has lower rents and fewer distractions. In terms of transfer acceptance rates at Cal Poly, Hancock has outperformed Cuesta (and all other CCs) for the past 16 years. This year, Hancock students had a 64% acceptance rate at CP, while the Cuesta rate was 46%.
http://lompocrecord.com/news/local/hancock-celebrates-highest-student-transfer-rate-to-cal-poly/article_d0384715-46c4-561e-b6d3-6cc7e4e8fb5b.html