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San Diego State University

7.7(10)
VerifiedPublicEstd. 1896
Founded
1896
Type
Public
University Guide

About San Diego State University

Explore overview, courses, fees, admissions, campus life, scholarships and student accommodation guidance in one premium Admistay guide.

San Diego State University is an R1 public research institute established in 1897. It ranks #52 in US News and #27 in Forbes among public universities. For its contribution to high quality research, San Diego State ranks #57 among public schools. San Diego State University offers more than 400 programs including more than 200 degrees through 8 colleges. More than 29,000 students are currently enrolled at the university. More than 3,000 students participate in study abroad programs across 60 countries every year.

For admissions to San Diego State, you need a 3.0 GPA (85%) for both bachelor's and master’s degree. Indian students are also encouraged to submit satisfactory test scores to make their application stand. A minimum GMAT score of 587 and GRE score of 300 is required for graduate admissions. The tuition fee ranges between $10,252 - $17,454 (₹8.8 lakhs - ₹15 lakhs) per year for master’s degrees.

Also Read: San Diego State University Student Reviews

Table of Contents
  1. San Diego State University Degrees and Courses
  2. San Diego State University Admissions

    2.1 San Diego State University Acceptance Rate

  3. San Diego State University Rankings
  4. San Diego State University: College Comparison
  5. FAQs

San Diego State University Degrees and Courses

San Diego State University offers undergraduate degrees in 97 fields, 110 master's degrees and 25 doctoral degrees. It also offers 75 certificate courses in civil engineering, construction, artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, human resources etc. Tabulated below are some popular courses of SDSU among Indian students:

Top Programs Total Annual Fees Total Annual Fees
Master of Science [M.S], Real Estate ₹ 5121002 USD 61,300
Bachelor of Business Administration [B.B.A], Business Economics ₹ 5469364 USD 65,470
Master of Science [M.S], Health Care Informatics ₹ 4585511 USD 54,890
Master of Laws [L.L.M], Business and Corporate Law ₹ 4714162 USD 56,430
Master of Business Administration [M.B.A] ₹ 4179506 USD 50,030
Bachelor of Arts [B.A], Architecture ₹ 5469364 USD 65,470
Bachelor of Arts [B.A], Behavioral Neuroscience ₹ 5469364 USD 65,470
Bachelor of Arts [B.A], Biophysics ₹ 5469364 USD 65,470
Bachelor of Arts [B.A], Psychology ₹ 5469364 USD 65,470
Master of Science [M.S], Marine Science ₹ 4714162 USD 56,430
Master of Science [M.S], Cyber Security Engineering ₹ 4714162 USD 56,430

San Diego State University Admissions

Indian students can apply for San Diego State University using the Cal State Application in Fall intake. Given below is the detail more SDSU admissions including requirements and deadlines:

Category Undergraduate Admission Graduate Admissions
Application Portal Cal State Apply Application
Application Fee $70 (₹5,750)
Academic Requirements High School with 3.0 (85%) Bachelor’s degree with 3.0 GPA or 80%
Standardized Test Scores SAT- 1120-1330 | ACT-22-29 GMAT- 587 or above | GRE- 300
English Language Requirements TOEFL-IBT- 80 | IELTS- 6.5
Documents Required
  • Transcripts
  • Letters of recommendation
  • Statement of Purpose
  • 3 letters of recommendation
  • Statement of Purpose
  • Resume or CV
  • Work experience
  • Interview
Application Deadline
  • Early Consideration: December 2, 2025
  • Regular Application: April 1, 2026
Varies

San Diego State University Acceptance Rate

San Diego State demonstrates highly competitive admissions with acceptance rate typically below 40% for both bachelor's and master’s degrees. The admissions to PhD program is relatively more competitive with a 15.10% acceptance rate.


San Diego State University Rankings

San Diego State University ranks #1001-1200 globally in 2025 according to QS and Times Higher Education. According to US News, the university ranks #52 among Public Schools and #109 among National Universities for 2025.

Also Check: San Diego State University Rankings 2025


San Diego State University: College Comparison

Given below is the details comparison of San Diego State University with other similarly ranked universities in California:

Category San Diego State University California State University - Long Beach University of San Diego University of San Francisco Chapman University
Location San Diego, California Long Beach, California San Diego, California San Francisco, California Orange, California
U.S. News National Rankings 2025 #109 #109 #109 #109 #121
U.S. News Best Global Universities Rankings #708 #1790 - - #1465
Acceptance Rate 35.78% 47% 52.37% 51% 56%
Average Tuition Fee $45,952 $18,294 $59,486 $60,492 $64,984
Annual Graduate Salary $83,000 $82,000 $88,000 $87,000 $78,000

San Diego State University is globally renowned for academic excellence and research. The cost of study is quite affordable at SDSU with tuition fee typically below $20,000 (₹17.11 lakhs) per year. There are no scholarships available at the university. Hence, Indian students are suggested to look for external funding options.

FAQs

Ques. Is San Diego State University worth it?

Ans. San Diego State University is worth going for, due to the following reasons:

  • One of top 50 public universities in USA
  • R1 research institute
  • Affordable tuition fee
  • Part-time jobs available
  • Variety of internship and job opportunities for students

Ques. What are the Prod and Cons of studying at San Diego State University?

Ans. The Pros and Cons of studying at San Diego State are as follows:

Pros

  • Flexible master's degree schedule which can be completed in 2 or 3 years.
  • Internship and job opportunities though a strong alumni and industry network
  • Lots of on campus opportunities for student
  • On campus part-time jobs available
  • Experiences faculties
  • Extensive research opportunities

Cons

  • The campus is located on a hill area, making it difficult to drive.
  • Monthly pass required for on campus parking.
  • Expensive on campus food
  • Limited or no scholarship opportunities
  • No independent PhD program
Courses & Fees

Compare courses in a cleaner, easier way

Explore tuition, duration, language, eligibility, and exam requirements without the clutter.

Courses

133

Fee from

₹10,48,468.74

Exams

TOEFL · IELTS

Showing 5 of 70 bachelors

Overview
Degree TypeBachelor
Duration4 years
Study ModeFull Time
LanguageEnglish
Fees
Tuition FeeINR 12.5 L/Yr
Native FeeUSD 13,320 /Yr
Estimated Total₹2788582
Fee trendTuition progression
Official Program Page
Admission Guide

Admission Process

San Diego State University admissions are offered to international students for Fall intake. You can either apply for UG admissions through Early Consideration Deadline by December 2, 2025, or Regular Admission by April 1, 2026. The application deadlines for graduate programs vary by course. Applications for San Diego State University admissions in both UG and PG are accepted through Cal State Apply Portal.

To be eligible for admissions in SDSU, you need 3.0 GPA (85%) in previous qualification for both UG and PG programs. Additionally, you must also submit relevant test scores such GMAT/GRE for PG and SAT/ACT for UG. The average GMAT score for recent admits is 587.

Explore: San Diego State University Courses


San Diego State University Acceptance Rate

San Diego State University acceptance rate is 35.78% for bachelor’s degree and 36.70% for master's degree according to Fall 2024 admissions. This indicates highly competitive admissions at both undergraduate and graduate level study.

  • The university receives 7.93% more applications for undergraduate admissions in 2024 compared to the pool of 82,691 in 2023.
  • On the other hand, the total applications for masters have dropped by 8.24% from 7,898 applications in 2023 to 7,247 applications in 2024.
Particulars Bachelor’s Admissions Master’s Admissions Doctoral Admissions
Total Applications 90,112 7,247 1,788
Applications Accepted 32,249 2,660 270
Acceptance Rate 35.78% 36.70% 15.1%
Applicant Enrolled 6,538 1,673 218
Enrollment Rate 20.27% 62.89% 80.74%

San Diego State University Graduate Admission

San Diego State University offers 110+ master's degrees, 25 doctoral degrees and more than 75 certificate courses. The requirements and application process for graduate admissions is given below:

Admission Requirements:

  • Bachelor’s with 3.0 GPA (75%)
  • English language proficiency scores:
  • Test Scores:

Documents Required:

Given below are the popular graduate programs with specific admission requirements:

Programs Admission Requirements
M.S Computer Science 3.0 GPA (85%)
M.S Big Data Analytics 3.2 GPA or above (87%)
M.S Cybersecurity Management 3.7 GPA (88%)
Master of Information Systems 3.57 GPA (90%)
Master of Bioengineering 3.0 GPA (85%)
Master of Electrical Engineering 3.0 GPA (85%)

San Diego State University MBA Admission

San Diego State University offers a flexible MBA abd Sports MBA program through Fowler College of Business. The requirements for San Diego State University MBA are as follows:

Admission Requirements:

  • Bachelor’s degree with 3.0 GPA (75%)
  • English language proficiency scores:
    • TOEFL-IBT- 80
    • IELTS - 6.5
    • PTE - 58
  • GMAT score of 587 (average)

Documents Required


San Diego State University Undergraduate Admission

San Diego State offers bachelor’s degree in 97 disciplines through 8 colleges of arts, education, engineering, health & human sciences, fine arts and more. The minimum requirements for undergraduate programs are as follows:

Admission Requirements:

  • Official High School transcripts 3.0 (85%)
  • English language proficiency scores:
  • Test Scores:
    • SAT- 1120-1330
    • ACT-22-29

Documents Required:

  • Transcripts
  • Letters of recommendation
  • Statement of Purpose

San Diego State University Admission Deadlines

International students must apply for admissions to San Diego State by the deadlines mentioned below:

Application Type Application Deadline
Early Consideration December 2, 2025
Regular Application April 1, 2026

San Diego State University Application Deadlines

Program Application Deadline
M.S Bioengineering Application Deadline[1 Feb, 2024]
M.S Accountancy Application Deadline[1 Apr, 2024]
M.B.A Business Administration and Latin American Studies MA Application Deadline[1 Apr, 2024]
M.S Applied Mathematics Application Deadline[1 Feb, 2024]
M.A Chemistry Application Deadline[1 Feb, 2024]
M.S Computer Science Application Deadline For Fall Intake[1 Feb, 2024]
Final Application Deadline For Fall Intake[1 Mar, 2024]
B.S Accountancy Application Deadline[1 Apr, 2024]
B.S Business Administration Application Deadline[1 Apr, 2024]
B.S Civil Engineering Application Deadline[1 Apr, 2024]
B.S Electrical Engineering Application Deadline[1 Apr, 2024]


San Diego State University Application Process

All undergraduate and graduate applicants may apply for San Diego State University admissions using the below-mentioned steps:

  • Apply using the Cal State Apply Application
  • Pay the $70 (₹6,003) application fee
  • A confirmation email will be sent with credential for SDSU account
  • Create my.SDSU account
  • Submit transcripts
  • Upload English language scores
  • Upload course specific documents
  • Wait for decision arrival

San Diego State University Admission Decisions

The decisions for Fall applicants are typically made in early springs intake if applied trough Early Consideration Deadline. Decisions for Regular Admission are released on a rolling basis with specific deadlines.

Studying at San Diego State University is one of the best options. Before taking admission at the university the student should make sure to apply at least 6-8 weeks prior. Make sure you have all the required documents ready. Thoroughly research your choices before applying for a course, as it can’t be changed once you have applied for it.

FAQs

Ques. Is getting admitted to San Diego State University difficult?

Ans. Getting admission to SDSU are highly competitive, with an acceptance rate of 35.78% for undergraduate admissions and 36.70% for graduate admissions. The accepted students to undergraduate programs generally have a GPA of 3.9 or 98% while the graduate students have a GPA of 3.4 or 88%.

Ques. How early should the applicants apply for admission in San Diego State University to be on the safe side?

Ans. International students are recommended to apply 6-8 weeks before the final deadline to have enough time for visa approval and prepare other documents such as letter of recommendation, statement of purpose and receive test results of exams like GMAT/GRE test.

Placements & Recruiters

San Diego State University Placement Details

San Diego State University in San Diego, California, United States placement details include salary insights, top recruiters, and hiring trends to help students understand career outcomes and campus opportunities.

Students usually compare highest package, average package, and recruiter profile before applying. This section gives a compact overview of career outcomes and placement visibility in San Diego, California, United States.

Recruiters
N/A
Salary Metrics
0/2
Placement Metric

Highest Package

N/A

Represents the top salary package reported in the available placement information.

Placement Metric

Average Package

N/A

Shows the typical package range students may expect based on the available average salary data.

Placement information is currently limited.

More salary or recruiter data may be updated later for this college.

Rankings over the years

Year-wise highlights from global and country rankings available for this university.

2022

Highlights
2022
  • Best overall country rank: #44
  • Public Policy: #25 in country
  • Top source: ARWU
  • 34 ranked streams
  • Focus areas: Overall, Statistics
  • 5 ranking records in 2022

2023

Highlights
2023
  • Best overall country rank: #61
  • Education: #32 in country
  • Top source: US News
  • 37 ranked streams
  • Focus areas: Overall, Medicine
  • 3 ranking records in 2023

2024

Highlights
2024
  • Best overall country rank: #39
  • Education: #19 in country
  • Top source: US News
  • 14 ranked streams
  • Focus areas: Overall, Engineering
  • 3 ranking records in 2024

2025

Highlights
2025
  • Best overall country rank: #58
  • Psychology: #4 in country
  • Top source: US News
  • 15 ranked streams
  • Focus areas: Overall, Business
  • 4 ranking records in 2025

2026

Highlights
2026
  • Best overall country rank: #60
  • Overall: #60 in country
  • Top source: THE
  • 6 ranked streams
  • Focus areas: Overall, Engineering
  • 3 ranking records in 2026

Contact Information

500 Campanile Dr, San Diego, CA 92182, United States

Student Reviews & Ratings

Overall sentiment and category-wise rating summary

Overall score

7.7/10
Top Rated

Based on 10 ratings

Rating Breakdown

Visual summary of rating distribution and categories

Live Summary
Academic
8.0/10
Faculty
8.4/10
Infrastructure
9.0/10
Accommodation
7.9/10
Placement
6.8/10
Extracurricular
9.0/10