More selective than 81% of California colleges we cover.
College Scorecard, Fall 2024 entering class
Average after grants for all families receiving federal aid. Pick your income above.
Sticker price $27,780. College Scorecard.
Higher than 73% of California colleges we cover and 87% of colleges nationwide. U.S. median 54%.
Within 6 years · College Scorecard
Higher than 54% of California colleges we cover and 80% of colleges nationwide. U.S. median $53,263.
Median, 10 years after starting · College Scorecard
San Diego State University acceptance rate & admissions
Of 82,800 applicants, San Diego State University admitted 28,517 and 6,162 enrolled (IPEDS, Fall 2023 entering class).
IPEDS Admissions, Fall 2023 entering class
Test scores: College Scorecard, Fall 2024. Other figures: College Scorecard; IPEDS
San Diego State University tuition, cost & net price
What families actually pay per year, by income
Average net price after grants and scholarships for California residents who receive federal aid. Tap your income band.
College Scorecard, latest reported year (in-state, federal aid recipients)
Sticker price (before aid)
IPEDS 2023-24 cost items; total from College Scorecard
College Scorecard; Urban Institute Education Data Portal
State aid: California residents who meet income, asset and GPA standards may receive a Cal Grant (California Student Aid Commission); apply with the FAFSA or California Dream Act Application. At University of California and California State University campuses, the Middle Class Scholarship can also help families with income and assets up to $250,000 (2026-27, dependent students). Not included in the prices above. California Student Aid Commission
San Diego State University majors, earnings & careers
San Diego State University offers 79 bachelor's majors across 10 areas. Earnings below are for this school's graduates of each major, four years after finishing.
- Humanities & Languages · 18
- Social Sciences & Public Service · 12
- Science & Math · 11
- Business & Finance · 8
- Engineering · 8
- Health & Medicine · 8
- Arts & Design · 5
- Communications & Media · 4
- Technology & Computing · 3
- Education · 2
Highest-earning majors at San Diego State University
| Major | Earnings, 4 yrs | Median debt |
|---|---|---|
| Nursing | $120,799 | $18,875 |
| Computer Engineering | $116,842 | $16,248 |
| Electrical Engineering | $106,416 | $18,165 |
| Computer Science | $100,586 | $16,499 |
| Construction Engineering Technology / Technician | $100,564 | — |
| Aerospace, Aeronautical, and Astronautical / Space Engineering | $100,139 | $23,000 |
| Mechanical Engineering | $97,825 | $19,994 |
| Civil Engineering | $95,865 | $19,832 |
Quick list of all 79 majors
- Accounting$80,011
- Aerospace, Aeronautical, and Astronautical / Space Engineering$100,139
- Allied Health (Imaging / Therapy / Tech)$53,621
- Anthropology$53,991
- Applied Mathematics$69,606
- Area Studies—
- Astronomy and Astrophysics—
- Biology$68,861
- Biomedical Engineering—
- Broadcasting / Digital Media$43,485
- Business Administration$69,902
- Chemistry$74,676
- Civil Engineering$95,865
- Classics—
- Communications$61,389
- Computer and Information Sciences$86,613
- Computer Engineering$116,842
- Computer Science$100,586
- Construction Engineering Technology / Technician$100,564
- Criminal Justice$57,510
- Dance—
- Dietetics$66,649
- East Asian Languages (Chinese / Japanese / Korean)—
- Economics$74,123
- Education (Elementary / Secondary)$48,471
- Education (Subject Teaching)—
- Electrical Engineering$106,416
- English$49,406
- Environmental Engineering$88,417
- Environmental Science / Conservation$58,215
- Ethnic / Gender Studies$55,230
- Finance$88,136
- Geography$58,004
- Geology / Earth Science$73,647
- German—
- Gerontology—
- Graphic / Interior / Fashion Design$54,569
- Health Sciences$73,095
- History$57,861
- Hospitality Management$70,113
- Information Science / Studies—
- International / Global Studies—
- International Business$69,141
- International Relations$59,733
- Journalism$53,997
- Kinesiology / Exercise Science$59,914
- Liberal Arts / General Studies$58,419
- Linguistics$42,922
- Linguistics and Anthropology—
- Marketing$81,368
- Mathematics$57,999
- Mechanical Engineering$97,825
- Microbiological Sciences and Immunology$81,122
- Multi / Interdisciplinary Studies, Other$55,072
- Music$42,090
- Nursing$120,799
- Nutrition Science$55,115
- Parks, Recreation, and Leisure Studies$57,093
- Philosophy$53,390
- Physical Sciences—
- Physics—
- Political Science$64,824
- Psychology$51,021
- Public Administration$57,264
- Public Health$60,904
- Public Relations and Advertising$67,414
- Real Estate$50,662
- Religious Studies—
- Slavic, Baltic and Albanian Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics—
- Social Sciences$52,095
- Social Work$56,674
- Sociology$53,387
- Spanish / French / Romance Languages$49,167
- Speech-Language Pathology / Communication Disorders$61,510
- Statistics$83,076
- Studio Art$35,416
- Theatre$41,812
- Urban Studies / Affairs—
- Writing—
— means too few graduates to report earnings.
College Scorecard field of study, latest release
All majors by area with earnings 1 and 4 years out, and debt →Criminal Justice → Police officer
Median annual wage for all workers in this job, not only new graduates. U.S. jobs projected to grow 3.5% from 2025 to 2035.
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025; Employment Projections 2025-35
Business Administration → Management analyst
Median annual wage for all workers in this job, not only new graduates. U.S. jobs projected to grow 10.1% from 2025 to 2035.
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025; Employment Projections 2025-35
Living in San Diego
Overall prices in the San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA area.
BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024
2 bedrooms $2,823. Housing costs 79% above the U.S. average.
HUD Fair Market Rent, FY2027
January and July average highs. 13 inches of rain a year, almost no snow.
NOAA Climate Normals 1991-2020
Highest: wildfire (very high); river flooding (very high); heat wave (relatively high).
FEMA National Risk Index, San Diego County
Campus & students
IPEDS fall enrollment; Carnegie Classification; EADA via Urban Institute
San Diego County at a glance
U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year 2024
Compare San Diego State University with similar schools
Similar public colleges in California by selectivity, graduation rate and size. Tap “Why?” to see where the price difference comes from.
| School | Acceptance | You'd pay | Graduation | Earnings, 10 yrs | Price gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| San Diego State University | 36% | $15,364 | 76% | $64,909 | This school |
| University of California-Davis | 42% | $14,741 | 86% | $80,838 | |
| California State University-Long Beach | 46% | $10,440 | 69% | $64,403 | |
| University of California-San Diego | 27% | $12,470 | 86% | $84,943 | |
| University of California-Santa Barbara | 33% | $16,109 | 83% | $74,915 |
College Scorecard, latest reported year. “You'd pay” follows your residency and income choices above.
Why the price is different
San Diego State University would cost you $623 more per year than University of California-Davis, on average.
- Lower sticker price at San Diego State University, mostly from lower tuition & fees (−$8,046).
- University of California-Davis gives aided families $14,081 more in grants, on average.
| Per year, California resident | San Diego State University | University of California-Davis | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tuition & fees | $8,728 | $16,774 | −$8,046 |
| Books & supplies | $908 | $1,381 | −$473 |
| Housing & meals | $21,630 | $19,068 | +$2,562 |
| Personal & travel | $3,244 | $5,359 | −$2,115 |
| Living-at-home adjustment | −$6,730 | −$1,344 | −$5,386 |
| Sticker price | $27,780 | $41,238 | −$13,458 |
| Average grants | −$12,416 | −$26,497 | +$14,081 |
| You pay | $15,364 | $14,741 | +$623 |
“+” means San Diego State University costs more; “−” means it costs less. Grants are the sticker price minus the net price. Cost items: IPEDS, on-campus budget. Sticker and net price: College Scorecard, latest reported year; the adjustment reconciles the two. Net price is an average for first-time, full-time students receiving federal aid, not a quote.
Common questions about San Diego State University
What is the San Diego State University acceptance rate?
San Diego State University accepts 36% of applicants (College Scorecard). In the latest IPEDS admissions year, 28,517 of 82,800 applicants were admitted.
How much does San Diego State University cost per year?
The sticker price (cost of attendance) is $27,780 a year for in-state students. After grants and scholarships, students receiving federal aid pay $15,364 a year on average; families earning $0–30k pay $9,910 and families earning $110k+ pay $23,821.
How much do San Diego State University graduates earn?
Former San Diego State University students earn a median $64,909 ten years after starting college, compared with a U.S. median of $53,263 across the colleges we cover.
What is the San Diego State University graduation rate?
76% of first-time, full-time students graduate within six years, and 91% return for their second year.
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Sources on this page: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard and IPEDS; U.S. Census Bureau (ACS); Bureau of Labor Statistics (OEWS, Employment Projections); Bureau of Economic Analysis; HUD; NOAA; FEMA; Urban Institute Education Data Portal (ODC-By); Wikidata. “Colleges we cover” means colleges awarding bachelor's degrees to at least 100 undergraduates. Averages are not quotes; confirm costs with the school. How we score
Data: download this school's data (JSON) · Markdown · all datasets
Cite this: “San Diego State University: cost, admissions and outcomes,” EducationGuide.com, https://educationguide.com/colleges/san-diego-state-university (College Scorecard and IPEDS data).