How hard is it to get into SDSU, what does it cost, and how does it compare with UCSD and USD?
SDSU admitted 37.4% of 95,444 first-year applicants for fall 2025, but only 31% of Californians. Tuition and fees are about $9,700 for residents. UCSD admitted about 28%; USD about 38%.
- SDSU admit rate
- 37.4%
- SDSU, Californians
- 31.3%
- UCSD
- ~28%
- SDSU address
- 5500 Campanile Dr.
Fall 2025
26,565 of 84,805
Fall 2025
San Diego 92182
The short version
- SDSU fall 2025: 95,444 first-year applicants, 35,709 admitted, a 37.4% rate (Common Data Set).
- California residents were admitted at 31.3%; out-of-state applicants at 90.7%.
- SDSU resident tuition and fees run about $9,700 a year; out-of-state about $23,000–$24,000.
- UC San Diego admitted roughly 28% of about 137,000 first-year applicants for fall 2025.
- The private University of San Diego reported a 38% rate on 22,600 applications for fall 2026.
San Diego has three big universities with very different price tags: San Diego State (part of the Cal State system), UC San Diego in La Jolla, and the private Catholic University of San Diego in Linda Vista. Numbers below come from each school's Common Data Set or admissions pages where available.
San Diego's three main universities
| SDSU | UC San Diego | Univ. of San Diego | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Type | Public, Cal State | Public, University of California | Private, Catholic |
| First-year admit rate | 37.4% (fall 2025) | ~28% (fall 2025) | 38% (fall 2026) |
| Applicants | 95,444 | ~137,000 | 22,600 |
| Resident tuition & fees | ~$9,700 | ~$16,800 | ~$58,000+ (same for all) |
| Test scores | Not used | Not used | Not considered |
SDSU
- Type
- Public, Cal State
- First-year admit rate
- 37.4% (fall 2025)
- Applicants
- 95,444
- Resident tuition & fees
- ~$9,700
- Test scores
- Not used
UC San Diego
- Type
- Public, University of California
- First-year admit rate
- ~28% (fall 2025)
- Applicants
- ~137,000
- Resident tuition & fees
- ~$16,800
- Test scores
- Not used
Univ. of San Diego
- Type
- Private, Catholic
- First-year admit rate
- 38% (fall 2026)
- Applicants
- 22,600
- Resident tuition & fees
- ~$58,000+ (same for all)
- Test scores
- Not considered
SDSU fall 2025 admissions by residency
SDSU Common Data Set 2025–26, via Dewey Smart and OnePrep analyses.
SDSU basics
- Address: 5500 Campanile Drive, San Diego, CA 92182, in the College Area. The trolley's Green Line stops underground at the SDSU station.
- Applying: through Cal State Apply, Oct. 1 to Nov. 30 for the following fall; the application fee was $70 for 2026–27.
- Cost of attendance: about $29,300 a year for a resident living on campus, by one 2026–27 estimate, including housing and food.
- Admitted GPA: SDSU reports about a 3.9 average for admitted first-years; it's an average, not a cutoff.
Moving here for school? See where to stay by area and the trolley to Snapdragon Stadium for Aztecs games.
Campus
Getting there
OpenStreetMap; trolley pin shared with our Snapdragon tip.
Is this still right?
We last checked this tip against its sources on November 8, 2026, and we re-research every tip on a schedule. Things in San Diego change, sometimes overnight.
Prices, fees, hours and rules change, often at the start of a year or season. Confirm with the official source linked below before you rely on a number.
This is general information, not legal, financial, tax, medical or safety advice.
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SOURCES
Everything above traces back to one of these. Follow them — if one has changed and we haven't, that's our mistake, not yours.
OnePrep (SDSU Common Data Set 2025–26) · Oct. 2026
95,444 applicants, 35,709 admitted, 37.4%; 3.9 average GPA; all majors competitive
Dewey Smart (SDSU Common Data Set) · Oct. 2026
31.32% residents, 90.70% out-of-state
Esslo (SDSU Common Data Set)
Tuition and fees $9,662 in-state, $23,792 out-of-state
- BackgroundSan Diego State University: Admissions
AcceptanceRate.com
2026–27 cost of attendance ~$29,300; $70 application fee
- BackgroundUC San Diego acceptance rates
Collegewise
28.4% of 136,740 for fall 2025
- PrimaryAdmissions stats (Fall 2026)
University of San Diego
22,600 applications, 38% acceptance rate
Data USA
2024 tuition $58,420