San Diego State University (SDSU)

Cal State (CSU) guide · Updated September 29, 2026

San Diego State University (SDSU) admitted 37% of first-year applicants for Fall 2025, or 35,709 of 95,444, and about 31% of California applicants. Enrolled first-years averaged a 3.82 high school GPA. California residents pay $9,780 in tuition and campus fees for 2026-27, and the full on-campus cost is $36,432.

San Diego State is one of the most applied-to universities in the country, and one of the most misunderstood. People mix it up with UC San Diego, assume a Cal State campus is easy to get into, or look only at tuition when comparing costs. All three are mistakes with SDSU.

Here are the numbers that matter: who gets in, what it costs in 2026-27, how large the campus is and what you get for the price.

What Is the SDSU Acceptance Rate?

SDSU admitted 37% of first-year applicants for Fall 2025: 95,444 students applied, 35,709 were admitted and 6,911 enrolled, a record first-year class. The San Diego State University acceptance rate has stayed between 34% and 39% for the past decade, even as applications grew by more than 60%.

Why the San Diego State Acceptance Rate Is Lower for Californians

Here’s the part most guides miss: the overall rate hides a big gap by residency. According to SDSU’s Common Data Set for Fall 2025, San Diego State admitted about 31% of California applicants (26,565 of 84,805) but about 91% of out-of-state applicants (8,202 of 9,043). Almost 90% of applicants are Californians, so the in-state pool is where the competition is.

The out-of-state figure doesn’t mean nonresidents face lower standards. They apply in much smaller numbers, need a higher minimum GPA (3.0 versus 2.5) and pay nonresident tuition, which filters the pool before admission decisions are made.

How to Get Into SDSU: GPA, Impaction and Local Admission

SDSU is an impacted campus, meaning every major has more qualified applicants than spots. The CSU minimums are a 2.5 GPA for California residents and 3.0 for nonresidents, but enrolled first-year students averaged a 3.82 high school GPA, and 34% reported a 4.0. Meeting the minimum makes you eligible; it doesn’t make you competitive.

So what’s the practical takeaway? If you’re outside San Diego County, treat SDSU as a selective school, apply on time with your strongest possible A-G grades and have a backup major in mind. If you’re local, you get a real advantage, but a 3.82 average still means you need solid grades.

Transferring to SDSU

Transfer applicants follow CSU upper-division transfer rules: at least 60 transferable semester units, the “Golden Four” general education courses (oral communication, written communication, critical thinking and college-level math) and the preparation courses for your major. Because SDSU is impacted, each major sets its own competitive GPA, and meeting the CSU minimum of 2.0 is rarely enough. Community college students with an Associate Degree for Transfer in a matching major receive priority consideration across the CSU, so plan your courses from your first semester at schools like Pasadena City College. See our California community colleges guide for transfer paths.

How Much Does SDSU Cost?

SDSU tuition and campus fees for California residents are $9,780 for 2026-27, the starting point for any San Diego State University cost estimate, made up of $6,838 in CSU basic tuition and $2,942 in campus fees. The full cost of attendance for a resident living in university housing is $36,432. Nonresidents pay an extra $471 per unit ($14,130 for a full year), and their on-campus budget is $53,562.

Notice where the money goes. Tuition and fees are about a quarter of the on-campus budget; housing and food are about 60%. That’s why living in San Diego, not SDSU tuition, drives the bill.

“Families compare SDSU to other Cal States on tuition and conclude the price is the same everywhere. It isn’t. The tuition is nearly identical across the CSU, but a San Diego housing budget changes the total by thousands of dollars. If you’re from outside the local area, SDSU’s two-year on-campus housing rule locks in that cost, so budget for $36,432, not $9,780.”

CalChannel Editorial Team

Aid brings the number down for most students. SDSU’s average net price for first-time, full-time students receiving grant aid was $14,704 in 2023-24, according to College Navigator. Cal Grant, the Pell Grant and the CSU’s State University Grant can cover tuition for eligible Californians, which leaves housing as the main cost to plan for. For comparison, Cal State Long Beach and CSU Monterey Bay charge the same CSU basic tuition, and CSUMB’s on-campus budget is $31,673 for 2026-27. Compare every campus in our Cal State guide.

How Many Students Attend SDSU?

SDSU had 41,184 students in Fall 2025, counting SDSU and SDSU Imperial Valley together, including 36,196 undergraduates. That was the first time combined enrollment passed 40,000, and it makes SDSU one of the largest universities in California. A record 6,911 new first-year students enrolled that fall.

Size cuts both ways. You get more than 200 degree programs across eight colleges, a big-school social life and Division I sports. You also get large introductory classes, so students who want small seminars from day one should factor that in.

Is SDSU a Good School?

Yes. San Diego State is one of the strongest campuses in the CSU system by outcomes: 91% of first-year students return for a second year, and 78% of the 2019 entering class graduated within six years. It also holds R1 status, the highest research classification, which is rare for a Cal State campus.

In the U.S. News 2026 Best Colleges rankings, SDSU tied at No. 117 among national universities. For Californians, the ranking is only part of the picture: SDSU pairs R1 research and a 78% graduation rate with an average net price under $15,000 for aided students.

What Is SDSU, and Where Is It?

SDSU is San Diego State University, a public university in the California State University system. It was founded in 1897 as San Diego Normal School, a teacher-training college, and moved to its current 280-acre campus on Montezuma Mesa in 1931. It became a university in 1974.

SDSU is at 5500 Campanile Drive in the College Area of San Diego, east of downtown. It is a separate school from UC San Diego: UCSD is a University of California campus in La Jolla with its own application, admissions rules and higher tuition. SDSU also runs SDSU Imperial Valley, with locations in Calexico and Brawley, and the SDSU Mission Valley development around Snapdragon Stadium.

What Is SDSU Known For?

SDSU is known for its size, its research profile and its athletics. The Aztecs play NCAA Division I sports and officially joined the rebuilt Pac-12 Conference on July 1, 2026. Snapdragon Stadium, opened in 2022, hosts Aztecs football as well as San Diego FC and San Diego Wave FC.

Academically, SDSU offers more than 200 degree programs across eight colleges, and its graduate public health and speech-language programs ranked among the nation’s best in U.S. News’ 2026 graduate rankings. School colors are red and black.

Frequently Asked Questions

The Bottom Line on SDSU

San Diego State admitted about 37% of applicants overall for Fall 2025 and about 31% of Californians, and its enrolled first-years averaged a 3.82 GPA. It’s a selective, impacted campus, not a safety school, and the local admission area gives San Diego-area students an edge.

On cost, SDSU tuition is low at $9,780 for residents in 2026-27, but the full on-campus budget is $36,432 because San Diego housing is expensive. File the FAFSA or California Dream Act Application, check Cal Grant and State University Grant eligibility, and compare full budgets, not tuition, against your other Cal State and UC options.