Scholar Agreements 2023-24
By fulfilling specific commitments and striving toward supplemental expectations, Scholars will maintain annual eligibility for financial and programmatic support. Scholar agreements are designed to assist Scholars in fostering an inclusive community of Scholars, building a personal support network for college success, and developing knowledge and skills for lifelong success.
*Scholar agreements are subject to change each academic year.
Housing
Year 1 Scholars
Required
- Reside in the designated Cal Poly Scholars residential learning community for Year 1 Scholars while enrolled during the academic year.
- Year 1 Scholars who are also part of the Educational Opportunity Program (EOP) or TRiO Achievers might only be able to select a room within those respective communities, but don't worry, residing in either of those communities fulfills your Cal Poly Scholars Year 1 housing requirement.
- Complete the housing application for continuing student housing during the specified timeframe (typically early winter quarter).
Encouraged
- Engage and participate in the residential learning community by attending events and meeting your Scholar neighbors
*Exceptions to residing in the Scholars residential learning community include:
-
Reasonable accommodations as determined by the Disability Resource Center
Additionally, limited exceptions will be granted for Scholars with extenuating life circumstances. To inquire about a possible exemption, please email housing@calpoly.edu.
Year 2 Scholars
Required
- Reside in on campus in continuing student housing (typically PCV and Cerro Vista), though preferably within the designated Year 2+ Scholars residential learning community, while enrolled during the academic year
- Engage and participate in the residential learning community by attending events and meeting your Scholar neighbors
*Exceptions to residing in a continuing student residential learning community include:
-
Reasonable accommodations as determined by the Disability Resource Center
-
Employment as a Resident Advisor/Multicultural Advisor in University Housing
-
Successful exemption request and approval through University Housing's exemption request process (via the Housing portal).
Year 3 Scholars
Encouraged
- Reside in an environment conducive to success on- or off-campus. Year 3 Scholars are welcome to continue residing on campus in the Year 2+ Cal Poly Scholars' residential learning community (as space allows).
Year 4+ Scholars
Encouraged
- Reside in an environment conducive to success on- or off-campus. Year 4+ Scholars are welcome to continue residing on campus in the Year 2+ Cal Poly Scholars' residential learning community (as space allows).
New Transfer Scholars
Encouraged
- Reside in an environment conducive to success on- or off-campus. New Transfer Scholars are welcome to reside on campus in the Transfer and Graduate Residential Learning Community, as space allows, (though not required).
Continuing Transfer Scholars
Encouraged
- Reside in an environment conducive to success on- or off-campus. Returning Transfer Scholars are welcome to reside on campus in the Year 2+ Cal Poly Scholars residential learning community, as space allows, (though not required).
Program Participation
Year 1 Scholars
Required
- Choose one of the following two options to fulfill this requirement:
- Join and participate in the Scholar Mentorship Program and engage in a minimum of one (1) individual or group events with your Scholar Mentor per quarter, for a total of three (3) interactions. (Details regarding sign-ups will be shared this summer).
- Engage in a minimum of three (3) events/workshops hosted by the Cal Poly Scholars program.
- Approved event, workshops, and other engagement opportunities are indicated accordingly via our Cal Poly Now page.
Encouraged
- Participate in university, department, academic college, and club events and workshops that support your personal and professional interests and goals
*Note: Approved events, workshops, and other engagement opportunities are indicated accordingly via our Cal Poly Now page.
Year 2 Scholars
Required
- Engage in a minimum of three (3) workshops/events hosted by the Cal Poly Scholars program*
- Approved workshops, events, and other engagement opportunities are indicated accordingly via our Cal Poly Now page.
- Year 2 Scholars are encouraged to participate in workshops focused on career readiness and planning, though attending any of the Cal Poly Scholars events and workshops will fulfill the participation requirement. Some career readiness workshops in the past included:
-
Internship Panel
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Navigating Your Internship Search for Your Major
-
Resume Makeover
-
Wokeshop: Cultural Capital to Fuel Your Purpose
-
- Participate in university, department, academic college, and club events and workshops that support your personal and professional interests and goals
*Note: Approved events, workshops, and other engagement opportunities are indicated accordingly via our Cal Poly Now page.
Year 3 Scholars
Required
- Engage in a minimum of three (3) workshops/ events hosted by the Cal Poly Scholars program*
- Approved workshops, events, and other engagement opportunities are indicated accordingly via our Cal Poly Now page.
- Year 3 Scholars are encouraged to participate in workshops focused on financial literacy, though attending any of the Cal Poly Scholars events and workshops will fulfill the participation requirement. Some financial literacy workshops in the past included:
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Budgeting for Living Off-Campus
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Financial Conversations with Supporters
-
On-Campus Resources to Save Money
-
Beginners Guide to Investing
-
Money Moves
-
Scholarship Opportunities
-
- Participate in university, department, academic college, and club events and workshops that support your personal and professional interests and goals
*Note: Approved events, workshops, and other engagement opportunities are indicated accordingly via our Cal Poly Now page.
Year 4+ Scholars
Required
- Engage in a minimum of three (3) workshops/events hosted by the Cal Poly Scholars program*
- Approved workshops, events, and other engagement opportunities are indicated accordingly via our Cal Poly Now page.
- Year 4+ Scholars are encouraged to participate in workshops focused on transitioning to the future, though attending any of the Cal Poly Scholars events and workshops will fulfill the participation requirement. Some transitioning workshops in the past included:
-
Beginners Guide to Investing
-
Grad School Panel
-
Wokeshop: Decolonizing Your Leadership
-
Budgeting for Living Off-Campus
-
Wokeshop: Decolonizing Your Leadership
-
- Participate in university, department, academic college, and club events and workshops that support your personal and professional interests and goals
*Note: Approved events, workshops, and other engagement opportunities are indicated accordingly via our Cal Poly Now page.
New Transfer Scholars
Required
- Choose one of the following two options to fulfill this requirement:
- Engage in a minimum of three (3) workshops/events hosted by the Cal Poly Scholars program.
- Approved events, workshops, and other engagement opportunities are indicated accordingly via our Cal Poly Now page.
- Join and participate in Transfer Scholar Academic Coaching and engage in a minimum of one (1) individual or group event with your Transfer Scholar Academic Coach per quarter, for a total of three (3) interactions.
- Engage in a minimum of three (3) workshops/events hosted by the Cal Poly Scholars program.
- Participate in university, department, academic college, and club events and workshops that support your personal and professional interests and goals
*Note: Approved events, workshops, and other engagement opportunities are indicated accordingly via our Cal Poly Now page.
Continuing Transfer Scholars
Required
- Engage in a minimum of three (3) workshops/events hosted by the Cal Poly Scholars program*
- Approved workshops, events, and other engagement opportunities are indicated accordingly via our Cal Poly Now page.
- Continuing Transfer Scholars are encouraged to participate in workshops focused on transitioning to the future, though attending any of the Cal Poly Scholars events and workshops will fulfill the participation requirement. Some transitioning workshops in the past included:
-
Beginners Guide to Investing
-
Grad School Panel
-
Wokeshop: Decolonizing Your Leadership
-
Money Moves
-
Scholarship Opportunities
-
Wokeshop: Cultural Capital to Fuel Your Purpose
-
- Participate in university, department, academic college, and club events and workshops that support your personal and professional interests and goals
*Note: Approved events, workshops, and other engagement opportunities are indicated accordingly via our Cal Poly Now page.
Advising & Academic Achievement
Year 1 Scholars
Required
- Engage in one (min.) 1:1 academic advising interaction with assigned Mustang Success Center advisor
- You are highly encouraged to meet with your academic advisor during Fall quarter
- Scholars may be referred to college academic advisors as appropriate
- Participate in SLO Days during one of the session dates listed for Cal Poly Scholars, and attend the ‘Academic Toolkit’ session with the Mustang Success Center
- Maintain a 2.0 minimum cumulative GPA
- Scholars with a cumulative GPA of ≤ 2.5 and/or on Academic Probation (AP) or Disqualified (DQ) will have additional advising and/or participation requirements from Cal Poly Scholars, University, and/or academic colleges
-
Note: Being on AP (Academic Probation) does not impact your eligibility to be a Cal Poly Scholar, though depending on your Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP), it may impact the Scholar’s scholarship and other financial aid (see the Academic Achievement section for more details regarding SAP)
-
- Determine and strive for a personal CPSLO cumulative GPA goal (we recommend at least 2.75)
- Reach out to advisors for academic resources and support
Year 2 Scholars
Required
-
- A general definition of SAP is to maintain a 2.0 minimum cumulative GPA and successfully complete at least 67% of attempted units for financial aid eligibility.
- For more details, please talk with your financial aid counselor and review SAP guidelines on the Office of Financial Aid website
- All Scholars on Academic Probation (AP) are required to participate in one or more AP interventions to ensure you have support and guidance to reach your academic goals. The options for satisfying this requirement vary by college. You'll be notified after grades post each term about how to meet the conditions of your college and the Cal Poly Scholars program.
-
Note: Being on AP (Academic Probation) does not impact your eligibility to be a Cal Poly Scholar, though depending on your Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP), it may impact your scholarship and other financial aid.
-
- Determine and strive for a personal CPSLO cumulative GPA goal (we recommend at least 2.75)
- Scholars are highly encouraged to meet with an academic advisor or retention specialist from your college at least once per year. Key reasons to meet with these members of your support network include:
- Planning for future quarters to meet your desired graduation term
- Exploring academic support and planning resources including tutoring, study tips, etc.
- Discussing impacts of withdrawals, Leaves of Absence, CR/NC, etc.
- Checking academic requirements for graduation
- Interpreting academic policies and procedures
- Reach out to advisors in college advising centers for resources, academic support and to schedule any required appointments.
Year 3 Scholars
Required
- Maintain Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) for financial aid eligibility
- A general definition of SAP is to maintain a 2.0 minimum cumulative GPA and successfully complete at least 67% of attempted units for financial aid eligibility.
- For more details, please talk with your financial aid counselor and review SAP guidelines on the Office of Financial Aid website
- All Scholars on Academic Probation (AP) are required to participate in one or more AP interventions to ensure you have support and guidance to reach your academic goals. The options for satisfying this requirement vary by college. You'll be notified after grades post each term about how to meet the conditions of your college and the Cal Poly Scholars program.
-
Note: Being on AP (Academic Probation) does not impact your eligibility to be a Cal Poly Scholar, though depending on your Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP), it may impact your scholarship and other financial aid.
-
- Determine and strive for a personal CPSLO cumulative GPA goal (we recommend at least 2.75)
- Scholars are highly encouraged to meet with an academic advisor or retention specialist from your college at least once per year. Key reasons to meet with these members of your support network include:
- Planning for future quarters to meet your desired graduation term
- Exploring academic support and planning resources including tutoring, study tips, etc.
- Discussing impacts of withdrawals, Leaves of Absence, CR/NC, etc.
- Checking academic requirements for graduation
- Interpreting academic policies and procedures
- Reach out to academic advisors in college advising centers for resources, academic support, and to schedule any required appointments
Year 4+ Scholars
Required
- Maintain Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) for financial aid eligibility
- A general definition of SAP is to maintain a 2.0 minimum cumulative GPA and successfully complete at least 67% of attempted units for financial aid eligibility.
- For more details, please talk with your financial aid counselor and review SAP guidelines on the Office of Financial Aid website
- All Scholars on Academic Probation (AP) are required to participate in one or more AP interventions to ensure you have support and guidance to reach your academic goals. The options for satisfying this requirement vary by college. You'll be notified after grades post each term about how to meet the conditions of your college and the Cal Poly Scholars program.
-
Note: Being on AP (Academic Probation) does not impact your eligibility to be a Cal Poly Scholar, though depending on your Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP), it may impact your scholarship and other financial aid.
-
- Determine and strive for a personal CPSLO cumulative GPA goal (we recommend at least 2.75)
- Scholars are highly encouraged to meet with an academic advisor or retention specialist from your college at least once per year. Key reasons to meet with these members of your support network include:
- Planning for future quarters to meet your desired graduation term
- Exploring academic support and planning resources including tutoring, study tips, etc.
- Discussing impacts of withdrawals, Leaves of Absence, CR/NC, etc.
- Checking academic requirements for graduation
- Interpreting academic policies and procedures
- Reach out to advisors for resources, academic support, and to schedule any required appointments
New Transfer Scholars
Required
-
- A general definition of SAP is to maintain a 2.0 minimum cumulative GPA and successfully complete at least 67% of attempted units for financial aid eligibility.
- For more details, please talk with your financial aid counselor and review SAP guidelines on the Office of Financial Aid website
- All Scholars on Academic Probation (AP) are required to participate in one or more AP interventions to ensure you have support and guidance to reach your academic goals. The options for satisfying this requirement vary by college. You'll be notified after grades post each term about how to meet the conditions of your college and the Cal Poly Scholars program.
-
Note: Being on AP (Academic Probation) does not impact your eligibility to be a Cal Poly Scholar, though depending on your Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP), it may impact your scholarship and other financial aid.
-
- Determine and strive for a personal CPSLO cumulative GPA goal (we recommend at least 2.75)
- Scholars are highly encouraged to meet with an academic advisor or retention specialist from you college at least once per year. Key reasons to meet with academic advisors include:
- Planning for future quarters to meet your desired graduation term
- Exploring academic support and planning resources including tutoring, study tips, etc.
- Discussing impacts of withdrawals, Leave of Absences, CR/NC, etc.
- Checking academic requirements for graduation
- Interpreting academic policies and procedures
- Reach out to advisors for resources, academic support, and to schedule any required appointments
Continuing Transfer Scholars
Required
- Maintain Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) for financial aid eligibility
- A general definition of SAP is to maintain a 2.0 minimum cumulative GPA and successfully complete at least 67% of attempted units for financial aid eligibility.
- For more details, please talk with your financial aid counselor and review SAP guidelines on the Office of Financial Aid website
- All Scholars on Academic Probation (AP) are required to participate in one or more AP interventions to ensure you have support and guidance to reach your academic goals. The options for satisfying this requirement vary by college. You'll be notified after grades post each term about how to meet the conditions of your college and the Cal Poly Scholars program.
-
Note: Being on AP (Academic Probation) does not impact your eligibility to be a Cal Poly Scholar, though depending on your Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP), it may impact your scholarship and other financial aid.
-
- Determine and strive for a personal CPSLO cumulative GPA goal (we recommend at least 2.75)
- Scholars are highly encouraged to meet with an academic advisor or retention specialist from your college at least once per year. Key reasons to meet with these members of your support network include:
- Planning for future quarters to meet your desired graduation term
- Exploring academic support and planning resources including tutoring, study tips, etc.
- Discussing impacts of withdrawals, Leaves of Absence, CR/NC, etc.
- Checking academic requirements for graduation
- Interpreting academic policies and procedures
- Reach out to advisors for resources, academic support, and to schedule any required appointments
FAFSA/CA Dream Act
All Scholars
- Complete the FAFSA or CA Dream Act Application annually by the specified date as set by the Office of Financial Aid (typically around March 1)
- NOTE: This year the deadline has been extended to May 2, 2024
- Reach out to the Office of Financial Aid with questions regarding FAFSA or the CA Dream Act Application prior to the deadline for completion
Personal Responsibility and Conduct
All Scholars
- Abide by all University Policies and expectations, and demonstrate personal responsibility and conduct consistent with the ideals of a Scholar; including, but not limited to:
- University Housing resident Handbook and Community Standards Guidelines
- Office of Financial Aid policies and eligibility requirements regarding Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP)
- Additional policies and procedures as outlined by the respective academic colleges
- Demonstrate personal responsibility and conduct consistent with the ideals of a Scholar, including, but not limited to:
- Cal Poly’s Diversity and Inclusion Action Initiatives
- Cal Poly’s Commitment to Community
- The tenants and expectations of Mustang Way
Scholar Agreements 2023-24
Detailed information on Scholar Agreements specific to your cohort can now be found in our Canvas page, Cal Poly Scholars 2023-2024. If you have question about the agreements or would like to speak with a staff member please visit our office in Building 52, Room E-25 or send us an email at cpscholars@calpoly.edu. We are also available by phone at 805-756-5103.
| Scholar Definitions | |
|---|---|
| Year 1 Scholars | New Cal Poly Scholars who are enrolled in their first academic year at Cal Poly as non-transfer students |
| Year 2 Scholars | Returning Cal Poly Scholars who are enrolled in their second academic year at Cal Poly as non-transfer students |
| Year 3 Scholars | Returning Cal Poly Scholars who are enrolled in their third academic year at Cal Poly as non-transfer students |
| Year 4+ Scholars | Returning Cal Poly Scholars who are enrolled in their fourth, fifth, or sixth academic year at Cal Poly as non-transfer students |
| New Transfer Scholars | New Cal Poly Scholars who are enrolled in their first academic year at Cal Poly as transfer students |
| Continuing Transfer Scholars | Returning Cal Poly Scholars who have completed at least one academic year at Cal Poly as a transfer student |
| Cohort or Scholar Cohort | A group of Cal Poly Scholars who enrolled, for the first time, at Cal Poly in the same academic year as either Year 1 Scholars or New Transfer Scholars (e.g. Scholars who entered during the 2017-18 academic year are in the 2017 Cohort) |
