Cal Poly's academic calendar consists of four quarters – Summer, Fall, Winter, and Spring (for specific dates, see Academic Calendar).

Cal Poly's academic year consists of Fall, Winter and Spring quarters.

The university year includes, and begins with, Summer Quarter.

Each course offered by the University carries a value in quarter units, often referred to simply as units or credits.

To convert semester units to quarter units, multiply the number of semester units by 1.5. For example,
6 semester units X 1.5 = 9 quarter units.