Computer Requirements
All students entering the College of Agriculture, Food and Environmental Sciences – either as a first-time freshman or as a transfer student – are expected to have a laptop computer to ensure access to computing capability at all times and in all locations, helping to support student success. The specifications provided below are designed to support students’ computing needs through at least four years of Cal Poly instruction. For additional, department-level computer specifications, please click the link in each department name.
The Cal Poly bookstore offers educational discounts for computing hardware. Students who are experiencing financial hardship and who do not have resources available to purchase a computer before classes start can contact the Financial Aid Office to determine if any one-time funding may be available. You should email your request to financialaid@calpoly.edu with the subject line: "CAFES Computer Need." Cal Poly provides a host of IT support resources for students.
Department/MAJOR | OS | Size | Screen | Processor | RAM | Storage | Examples |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Agribusiness | Mac or PC | 13” or 15” | At least full HD screen (1920x1080) | Intel Core i5 or Apple M1 | 16 GB ram | 512 GB SSD | Dell XPS 15 ~ $1,200 MacBook Pro 13 ~$1,600 |
Agricultural Communication | Mac or PC | 13” or 15” | At least full HD screen (1920x1080) | Intel Core i7 or Apple M1 | 16 GB ram | 1 TB SSD | Dell XPS 15 ~ $1,700 MacBook Pro 16 ~$2,400 |
Agricultural Science | Mac or PC | 13” or 15” | At least full HD screen (1920x1080) | Intel Core i5 or Apple M1 | 16 GB ram | 512 GB SSD | Dell XPS 15 ~ $1,200 MacBook Pro 13 ~$1,600 |
Animal Science | Mac or PC | 13” or 15” | At least full HD screen (1920x1080) | Intel Core i5 or Apple M1 | 16 GB ram | 512 GB SSD | Dell XPS 15 ~ $1,200 MacBook Pro 13 ~$1,600 |
Dairy Science |
PC |
13” or 15” |
At least full HD screen (1920x1080) |
Intel Core i5 |
16 GB ram |
512 GB SSD |
Dell XPS 15 ~ $1,200 |
BioResource and Agricultural Engineering | PC | 15” | At least full HD screen (1920x1080) | Intel Core i7 | 16 GB ram | 1 TB SSD | Dell XPS 15 ~ $1,700 |
Experience Industry Management | Mac or PC | 13” or 15” | At least full HD screen (1920x1080) | Intel Core i5 or Apple M1 | 16 GB ram | 512 GB SSD | Dell XPS 15 ~ $1,200 MacBook Pro 13 ~$1,600 |
Food Science and Nutrition | Mac or PC | 13” or 15” | At least full HD screen (1920x1080) | Intel Core i5 or Apple M1 | 16 GB ram | 512 GB SSD | Dell XPS 15 ~ $1,200 MacBook Pro 13 ~$1,600 |
Horticulture and Crop Science | Mac or PC | 13” or 15” | At least full HD screen (1920x1080) | Intel Core i5 or Apple M1 | 16 GB ram | 512 GB SSD | Dell XPS 15 ~ $1,200 MacBook Pro 13 ~$1,600 |
Natural Resources Management and Environmental Sciences | PC | 15” | At least full HD screen (1920x1080) | Intel Core i7 | 16 GB ram | 1 TB SSD | Dell XPS 15 ~ $1,700 |
Wine and Viticulture | Mac or PC | 13” or 15” | At least full HD screen (1920x1080) | Intel Core i5 or Apple M1 | 16 GB ram | 512 GB SSD | Dell XPS 15 ~ $1,200 MacBook Pro 13 ~$1,600 |