San Diego State University
Public four-year university in San Diego, CA that costs an average of $13,243 a year after financial aid, admits 36% of applicants and graduates 78% of full-time students.
Net price / year
$13,243
Acceptance rate
36%
Graduation rate
78%
Earnings after 10 yrs
$73,494
PublicLarge city35,377 undergraduates
Cost of San Diego State University
| Total cost of attendance (per year) | $26,045 |
|---|---|
| Tuition and fees, in-state | $9,180 |
| Tuition and fees, out-of-state | $25,500 |
| Housing and food (on campus) | $23,736 |
| Books and supplies | $970 |
| Average net price after aid | $13,243 |
Net price by family income
| Family income | Average net price / year |
|---|---|
| $0–30,000 | $8,258 |
| $30,001–48,000 | $8,236 |
| $48,001–75,000 | $10,413 |
| $75,001–110,000 | $13,498 |
| $110,001+ | $22,130 |
Net price is what students actually pay after grants and scholarships (in-state students). Get your own estimate with San Diego State University's net price calculator ↗.
Admissions
| Acceptance rate | 36% |
|---|---|
| Test scores | Neither required nor recommended |
Graduation, earnings and debt
| Graduation rate | 78% |
|---|---|
| First-year retention | 91% |
| Median earnings 6 years after enrolling | $59,773 |
| Median earnings 10 years after enrolling | $73,494 |
| Rank in California (earnings) | 53rd of 129 similar colleges |
| Median debt of graduates | $14,500 |
| Typical monthly loan payment | $165 (10-year plan) |
| Students with Pell grants | 35% |
| Students with federal loans | 24% |
Majors and programs at San Diego State University
Earnings one year after graduation and median debt, by program. Click a program for details and comparisons.
Bachelor's degree programs (81)
Certificate programs (13)
| Program | Graduates (2 yrs) | Earnings after 1 yr | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|
| Area, Ethnic, Cultural, Gender, and Group Studies, Other | — | — | — |
| Arts, Entertainment, and Media Management | — | — | — |
| Criminal Justice and Corrections | — | — | — |
| Finance and Financial Management Services | — | — | — |
| Geography and Cartography | — | — | — |
| Linguistic, Comparative, and Related Language Studies and Services | — | — | — |
| Linguistics and Anthropology | — | — | — |
| Literature | — | — | — |
| Middle/Near Eastern and Semitic Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics | — | — | — |
| Public Policy Analysis | — | — | — |
| Publishing | — | — | — |
| Rhetoric and Composition/Writing Studies | — | — | — |
| Teaching English or French as a Second or Foreign Language | — | — | — |
Post-baccalaureate certificate programs (2)
| Program | Graduates (2 yrs) | Earnings after 1 yr | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mental and Social Health Services and Allied Professions | — | — | — |
| Teaching English or French as a Second or Foreign Language | — | — | — |
Master's degree programs (85)
| Program | Graduates (2 yrs) | Earnings after 1 yr | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|
| Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing | 48 | $122,274 | — |
| Mechanical Engineering | 38 | $109,013 | — |
| Clinical, Counseling and Applied Psychology | 48 | $86,530 | — |
| Bilingual, Multilingual, and Multicultural Education | — | $83,704 | $20,500 |
| Hospitality Administration/Management | 70 | $83,390 | $35,272 |
| Communication Disorders Sciences and Services | 80 | $82,273 | $41,000 |
| Business Administration, Management and Operations | 438 | $82,231 | $37,881 |
| Accounting and Related Services | 45 | $82,209 | $18,883 |
| Public Administration | 107 | $76,845 | $27,224 |
| Special Education and Teaching | — | $74,354 | — |
| Public Health | 239 | $72,635 | $38,106 |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods | 502 | $71,534 | $15,270 |
| Educational Administration and Supervision | 72 | $70,005 | $20,500 |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas | — | $69,728 | — |
| Communication and Media Studies | 68 | $68,720 | — |
| Social Work | 188 | $68,370 | $23,713 |
| City/Urban, Community, and Regional Planning | 33 | $68,176 | — |
| International Relations and National Security Studies | 78 | $65,588 | $29,028 |
| Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions | 48 | $64,531 | — |
| Student Counseling and Personnel Services | 117 | $62,016 | $23,329 |
| Rhetoric and Composition/Writing Studies | 60 | $48,289 | $35,265 |
| History | 26 | $43,296 | — |
| English Language and Literature | 21 | $39,721 | — |
| Romance Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics | 23 | $39,525 | — |
| Aerospace, Aeronautical, and Astronautical/Space Engineering | 14 | — | — |
| Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions | 8 | — | — |
| Anthropology | 12 | — | — |
| Applied Mathematics | 14 | — | — |
| Area Studies | 4 | — | — |
| Astronomy and Astrophysics | 14 | — | — |
| Biochemistry, Biophysics and Molecular Biology | — | — | — |
| Biology | 37 | — | — |
| Biomathematics, Bioinformatics, and Computational Biology | 17 | — | — |
| Biomedical/Medical Engineering | 16 | — | — |
| Business, Management, Marketing, and Related Support Services, Other | 31 | — | — |
| Chemistry | 14 | — | — |
| Civil Engineering | 34 | — | — |
| Computational Science | 14 | — | — |
| Computer and Information Sciences | — | — | — |
| Computer Science | 124 | — | — |
| Computer/Information Technology Administration and Management | 11 | — | — |
| Criminal Justice and Corrections | — | — | — |
| Criminology | 27 | — | — |
| Dietetics and Clinical Nutrition Services | — | — | — |
| Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft | 27 | — | — |
| Ecology, Evolution, Systematics, and Population Biology | 5 | — | — |
| Economics | 19 | — | — |
| Education | 385 | — | — |
| Education, Other | — | — | — |
| Educational/Instructional Media Design | 28 | — | — |
| Electrical, Electronics, and Communications Engineering | 60 | — | — |
| Environmental/Environmental Health Engineering | — | — | — |
| Ethnic, Cultural Minority, Gender, and Group Studies | 12 | — | — |
| Film/Video and Photographic Arts | 15 | — | — |
| Finance and Financial Management Services | — | — | — |
| Fine and Studio Arts | 11 | — | — |
| Geography and Cartography | 19 | — | — |
| Geological and Earth Sciences/Geosciences | 10 | — | — |
| Gerontology | — | — | — |
| International Business | 11 | — | — |
| Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities | 21 | — | — |
| Linguistic, Comparative, and Related Language Studies and Services | 16 | — | — |
| Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods | 82 | — | — |
| Manufacturing Engineering | 4 | — | — |
| Marketing | — | — | — |
| Mathematics | 22 | — | — |
| Mathematics and Computer Science | — | — | — |
| Mental and Social Health Services and Allied Professions | 22 | — | — |
| Microbiological Sciences and Immunology | 3 | — | — |
| Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies, Other | — | — | — |
| Music | 22 | — | — |
| Nutrition Sciences | 25 | — | — |
| Philosophy | 12 | — | — |
| Physics | 15 | — | — |
| Physiology, Pathology and Related Sciences | 13 | — | — |
| Political Science and Government | 15 | — | — |
| Psychology | 49 | — | — |
| Public Administration and Social Service Professions, Other | 1 | — | — |
| Quality Control and Safety Technologies/Technicians | — | — | — |
| Radio, Television, and Digital Communication | — | — | — |
| Sociology | 18 | — | — |
| Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness | 14 | — | — |
| Statistics | 35 | — | — |
| Visual and Performing Arts | — | — | — |
| Zoology/Animal Biology | — | — | — |
Doctoral degree programs (20)
| Program | Graduates (2 yrs) | Earnings after 1 yr | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|
| Educational Administration and Supervision | 102 | $150,654 | $60,963 |
| Public Health | 22 | $131,791 | — |
| Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions | — | $83,888 | $88,390 |
| Biology | 7 | — | — |
| Biomedical/Medical Engineering | — | — | — |
| Chemistry | 11 | — | — |
| Civil Engineering | — | — | — |
| Clinical, Counseling and Applied Psychology | 21 | — | — |
| Communication Disorders Sciences and Services | 22 | — | — |
| Computational Science | 18 | — | — |
| Computer Engineering | 4 | — | — |
| Curriculum and Instruction | — | — | — |
| Ecology, Evolution, Systematics, and Population Biology | 10 | — | — |
| Education | 13 | — | — |
| Engineering, Other | 10 | — | — |
| Geography and Cartography | 9 | — | — |
| Geological and Earth Sciences/Geosciences | 3 | — | — |
| Mathematics and Computer Science | — | — | — |
| Social Sciences, Other | 7 | — | — |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas | 6 | — | — |
Professional degree programs (2)
| Program | Graduates (2 yrs) | Earnings after 1 yr | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|
| Communication Disorders Sciences and Services | — | — | — |
| Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions | 74 | — | — |
Graduate certificate programs (40)
| Program | Graduates (2 yrs) | Earnings after 1 yr | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|
| Accounting and Related Services | — | — | — |
| Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions | 1 | — | — |
| Area, Ethnic, Cultural, Gender, and Group Studies, Other | 1 | — | — |
| Arts, Entertainment, and Media Management | — | — | — |
| Bilingual, Multilingual, and Multicultural Education | 27 | — | — |
| Building/Construction Finishing, Management, and Inspection | — | — | — |
| Clinical, Counseling and Applied Psychology | — | — | — |
| Communication Disorders Sciences and Services | 20 | — | — |
| Computational Science | 1 | — | — |
| Computer Engineering | 4 | — | — |
| Computer Software and Media Applications | 29 | — | — |
| Criminal Justice and Corrections | — | — | — |
| Educational Administration and Supervision | — | — | — |
| Educational/Instructional Media Design | — | — | — |
| Ethnic, Cultural Minority, Gender, and Group Studies | 5 | — | — |
| Finance and Financial Management Services | — | — | — |
| Geography and Cartography | 1 | — | — |
| History | 5 | — | — |
| Housing and Human Environments | — | — | — |
| Human Development, Family Studies, and Related Services | — | — | — |
| Human Resources Management and Services | — | — | — |
| Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities | — | — | — |
| Linguistic, Comparative, and Related Language Studies and Services | 1 | — | — |
| Linguistics and Anthropology | — | — | — |
| Literature | 1 | — | — |
| Mental and Social Health Services and Allied Professions | 89 | — | $20,500 |
| Music | 1 | — | — |
| Natural Resources Conservation and Research | — | — | — |
| Pharmacy, Pharmaceutical Sciences, and Administration | 4 | — | — |
| Political Science and Government | 12 | — | — |
| Public Health | — | — | — |
| Public Policy Analysis | 3 | — | — |
| Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication | — | — | — |
| Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions | 22 | — | — |
| Rhetoric and Composition/Writing Studies | 2 | — | — |
| Security Science and Technology | 5 | — | — |
| Social Work | — | — | — |
| Special Education and Teaching | 4 | — | — |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods | 16 | — | — |
| Teaching English or French as a Second or Foreign Language | 5 | — | — |
Similar colleges in California
| College | City | Net price / yr | Acceptance | Earnings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| University of California-San Diego | La Jolla | $14,794 | 27% | $96,197 |
| California State University-Long Beach | Long Beach | $9,426 | 46% | $69,554 |
| University of California-Los Angeles | Los Angeles | $14,659 | 9.0% | $88,581 |
| University of California-Berkeley | Berkeley | $14,538 | 11% | $100,212 |
| California State University-Northridge | Northridge | $6,346 | 93% | $63,721 |
| California State University-Fullerton | Fullerton | $5,115 | 91% | $69,015 |
| University of California-Davis | Davis | $14,318 | 42% | $86,999 |
| University of California-Irvine | Irvine | $13,866 | 29% | $83,432 |
About San Diego State University
| Type | Public four-year university |
|---|---|
| Location | San Diego, CA |
| Setting | Large city |
| Undergraduates | 35,377 |
| Student-to-faculty ratio | 27 to 1 |
| Accreditor | Western Association of Schools and Colleges Senior Colleges and University Commission |
| Website | sdsu.edu ↗ |
Frequently asked questions
What is San Diego State University's acceptance rate?
San Diego State University admits 36% of applicants, making it selective.
How much does San Diego State University cost per year?
The full cost of attendance is $26,045 a year (tuition and fees: $9,180 in-state, $25,500 out-of-state). After grants and scholarships the average student pays $13,243 a year, and students from families earning under $30,000 pay about $8,258.
How much do San Diego State University graduates earn?
Former students earn a median of $73,494 a year, 10 years after first enrolling — 53rd of 129 similar colleges in California. The best-paid bachelor's program is registered nursing, nursing administration, nursing research and clinical nursing ($111,312 a year after graduation).
What is San Diego State University's graduation rate?
78% of full-time students graduate within six years, and 91% of first-year students return for a second year.