San Diego State University acceptance rate and your odds of getting in
San Diego State University, a public university in California, reports a 36% acceptance rate and sits in the selective band. In practice that means it admits a minority of applicants, so a strong application is judged against an applicant pool that is already self-selected.
Use this page to see what San Diego State University weighs, where it ranks among California schools, and how a profile like yours is likely to land. Admitted students post a 75th-percentile SAT around 1340, a useful checkpoint for where your scores sit, though it is a reference range and not a cutoff.
What do students study at San Diego State University?
Bachelor's degrees awarded by field in 2023 (IPEDS completions). Each field has its own page with the school's numbers, the model's major adjustment, and peers offering it.
Will I get into San Diego State University?
Direct answers to what applicants ask about getting into San Diego State University, plus a free way to calculate your own odds.
What are my chances of getting into San Diego State University?
Your odds at San Diego State University are not the same as its 36% acceptance rate. Your real odds depend on how your GPA, course rigor, test scores, and activities compare to its admitted students. Run your profile through the free CollegeCalcAI calculator to get a personalized acceptance percentage for San Diego State University in about three minutes, with no account needed to start.
Is San Diego State University hard to get into?
San Diego State University is selective: it admits a minority of applicants, with about a 36% acceptance rate. A solid academic record puts you in good position, and the rest of your profile can tip the result either way.
What GPA do you need to get into San Diego State University?
There is no hard GPA cutoff at San Diego State University, but admitted students commonly present roughly a 3.5 to 3.9 GPA. San Diego State University reads your GPA alongside the rigor of your courses, so a challenging schedule matters as much as the number itself.
What SAT score do you need for San Diego State University?
San Diego State University does not publish a required score, but the admitted-student 75th-percentile SAT is around 1340. A score at or above that range strengthens your application, while a lower score puts more weight on your rigor, activities, and essays. CollegeCalcAI shows how your exact score shifts your odds at San Diego State University.
Your chances at San Diego State University by GPA and SAT
Estimated chance of admission at San Diego State University for plain profiles, from the same model as the calculator. Unweighted GPA, 3 AP courses, Regular Decision, no legacy, athletic or first-generation hook. The last column is test-optional (no score sent).
What are my chances at San Diego State University with a 3.5 GPA and a 1280 SAT?
About 49% (Likely), by CollegeCalcAI's deterministic model, for an applicant with a 3.5 unweighted GPA and a 1280 SAT, the middle of San Diego State University's admitted range, applying Regular Decision without a hook. A 3.8 GPA with a 1340 SAT comes out near 67%. Courses, activities, essays and the application round move the number; the free calculator includes them.
Estimates, not guarantees. Get yours with your real courses and activities. Assistants and developers can fetch this table from the free API: /api/v1/colleges/san-diego-state-university.
Early Decision, Early Action and the waitlist at San Diego State University
From San Diego State University's own 2025-26 Common Data Set (fall 2025 entering class): sections C1, C2, C21-C22 and D2.
Does San Diego State University have early decision?
No. San Diego State University reported no Early Decision plan in its 2025-26 Common Data Set.
How many students get off the waitlist at San Diego State University?
962 for fall 2025. San Diego State University offered 11,627 applicants a waitlist spot, 6,016 accepted one, and 962 were admitted from it: 16% of those who stayed on (San Diego State University's 2025-26 Common Data Set).
What is the transfer acceptance rate at San Diego State University?
54.9%: 9,093 of 16,556 transfer applicants were admitted for fall 2025 (San Diego State University's 2025-26 Common Data Set).
Source: San Diego State University Common Data Set 2025-26. Every figure appears verbatim in the document. See how early rounds compare across colleges in the Early Decision rankings.
How to get into San Diego State University
Built from San Diego State University's admitted class and what it reports weighing. The typical-admit GPA and SAT are CollegeCalcAI's modeled figures, not published cutoffs.
There is no formula that guarantees a spot at San Diego State University, but the applicants who get in tend to do the same four things. Here is what the numbers say each one looks like.
CollegeCalcAI's modeled typical admit at San Diego State University carries about a 3.60 core GPA and a 1290 SAT, in the most rigorous schedule available. Landing at or above it makes you competitive; the rest of the file decides.
San Diego State University rates rigor of secondary school record, academic GPA, and standardized test scores highest in its own Common Data Set. Put your depth there: and a transcript whose rigor rises through junior year.
Most public universities read early applicants first without a binding commitment. Apply by San Diego State University's early or priority deadline (confirm dates at www.sdsu.edu), and if you are out of state, know that residency changes both the bar and the price.
How many students apply to San Diego State University, and how many get in?
San Diego State University admitted 28,517 of the 82,800 students who applied for fall 2023, which works out to 34.4%. 6,162 enrolled. Only about 22% of admitted students enrolled, so the school admits several students for every seat it expects to fill, which is why its acceptance rate reads higher than its selectivity feels. San Diego State University enrolls about 35,377 undergraduates in total, 57% of them women, with a student-to-faculty ratio of 27 to 1.
Source: U.S. Department of Education, IPEDS 2023 admissions and enrollment.
What SAT and ACT scores do you need for San Diego State University?
San Diego State University reports that it neither requires nor recommends test scores, so admission turns on your transcript, rigor, and the rest of the file.
Source: College Scorecard (U.S. Department of Education), release 2026-06-10.
What San Diego State University looks for
What San Diego State University weighs most heavily in its admissions review, informed by its reported Common Data Set.
The factors that carry the most weight at San Diego State University are rigor of secondary school record, academic GPA, and standardized test scores. Solid grades in a challenging schedule do most of the work here, with the rest of the application providing context. These ratings come from San Diego State University's reported Common Data Set, so the full chart below reflects what the school itself says it values, not a generic guess.
SAT score positioning at San Diego State University
How common SAT scores sit relative to the admitted middle. This is context, not a probability. Your full profile determines the real estimate.
How much does San Diego State University cost after financial aid?
The full sticker price at San Diego State University (tuition, fees, housing, food, books) is about $27,780 a year. Tuition and fees are $8,728 for CA residents and $21,328 for out-of-state students, a $12,600 gap that makes residency the single biggest lever on cost. What families actually pay is different: the average net price after grants and scholarships is $15,364 a year, and it ranges from $9,910 for families earning under $30,000 to $23,821 for families earning over $110,000. 32% of undergraduates receive a federal Pell Grant.
Source: College Scorecard (U.S. Department of Education), release 2026-06-10. Net price is what students receiving aid paid after grants, by family income.
What do San Diego State University graduates earn, and how many graduate?
Median earnings for San Diego State University students ten years after entry are $64,909 ($52,620 at the six-year mark). 76% of first-time, full-time students graduate within six years, and 91% return for a second year. Among graduates who borrowed, median federal debt at graduation is $15,000; 23% of undergraduates take federal loans.
Source: College Scorecard (U.S. Department of Education), release 2026-06-10. Earnings cover students who received federal aid.
How San Diego State University compares in California
San Diego State University ranks #13 most selective of 61 schools in California in our database.
Among the 61 California schools we track, San Diego State University ranks #13 most selective by acceptance rate. Schools like California Institute of Technology (3%) and Stanford University (4%) sit nearby, which makes California a useful frame for calibrating a balanced list. As a public university, residency matters: in-state applicants generally see meaningfully better odds than the headline rate suggests.
Similar to San Diego State University
Schools with a similar selectivity profile, worth comparing as you build a balanced list.
Applicants targeting San Diego State University often weigh Southern University, Dickinson State University, and William & Mary, which sit at a similar level. Running the same profile against each one in the free calculator is the fastest way to see where you are a reach, a match, or a likely.
Frequently asked questions
What is San Diego State University's acceptance rate?
San Diego State University admitted 28,517 of 82,800 applicants for the fall 2023 entering class, an acceptance rate of 34.4% (U.S. Department of Education, IPEDS). 22% of admitted students enrolled.
Is San Diego State University test-optional?
San Diego State University reports that it neither requires nor recommends test scores.
How much does San Diego State University cost after financial aid?
The average net price at San Diego State University, what students receiving aid paid after grants and scholarships, is $15,364 a year against a sticker price of about $27,780. Families earning under $30,000 paid about $9,910 on average.
What do San Diego State University graduates earn?
Median earnings ten years after entering San Diego State University are $64,909 a year among students who received federal aid, and 76% of students graduate within six years (College Scorecard).
What does San Diego State University value most in applicants?
Based on its admissions profile, San Diego State University weighs rigor of secondary school record, academic GPA, and standardized test scores most heavily. The full factor breakdown is on this page.
Does San Diego State University favor in-state applicants?
As a public university, San Diego State University generally admits in-state applicants at a higher rate than out-of-state applicants, so your home state affects your odds. CollegeCalcAI applies an in-state residency boost when you select your state.
How can I improve my chances at San Diego State University?
Focus on the highest-leverage parts of your application: course rigor and GPA trajectory first, then test scores, then a focused leadership or activity spike. CollegeCalcAI's Power-Ups quantify how much each change would move your odds at San Diego State University specifically.
Is San Diego State University a target or a reach for an average applicant?
For an applicant whose GPA and scores sit near San Diego State University's admitted range, it generally reads as a target rather than a reach. Run your exact profile through the free calculator to see your personal verdict.
Acceptance rate, application counts, admitted test ranges, cost, and outcomes reflect publicly reported federal data (U.S. Department of Education: IPEDS 2023 and the College Scorecard) and each school's Common Data Set; figures are rounded and lag the current cycle by one to two years, so confirm deadlines and policies on the school's own site. The typical-admit GPA and SAT are CollegeCalcAI's modeled estimates. Estimates from CollegeCalcAI are a planning tool computed by a fixed, transparent model, not a guarantee of any admission decision.