San Diego State University
San Diego, California · Public · 35,377 undergraduates · sdsu.edu
Test policy (fall 2027)
Test blind
Scores aren't considered
Admit rate
37%
of 95,444 applicants
Annual cost (2027-28)
$40,350Est.Estimate
$54,990 out of state
Your chances and merit aid at San Diego State University
See where you stand for admission, how much merit aid you could get, and what you'd pay after it.
We started you at a typical enrolled freshman here. Move the sliders to match you.
Your admission chances
37% of applicants admitted
Target
Your GPA is in the middle half of freshmen's here.
Estimated merit aid
a year
Your cost after merit aid
$54,990
a year in 2027-28, from a $54,990 sticker price (out of state)
What to do with your 1200
Scores aren't considered here
This college doesn't consider SAT or ACT scores, even if you send them.
Reach, target and likely are a rough guide from your test score and how selective the college is. Admissions also weigh your courses, grades, essays and activities. Merit aid figures are estimates, before any need-based aid.
Admissions
Test policy for fall 2027
Test blind
SAT and ACT scores aren't considered for admission, even if you send them.
Source: First-Year Students | SDSU · Checked October 16, 2026
Application deadlines
- Nov30Regular Decision · November 30, 2026The standard deadline.
Source: First-Year Students | SDSU
Who gets in
37%
of applicants were admitted: 35,709 of 95,444 for fall 2025.
Wait list
11,627 students were offered a spot; 962 were later admitted.
High school GPA of enrolled freshmen
Average GPA: 3.82
- 4.034%
- 3.75 to 3.9931%
- 3.50 to 3.7421%
- 3.25 to 3.4910%
- 3.00 to 3.243%
- 2.50 to 2.991%
- Below 2.500%
Cost and financial aid
The sticker price is what a year costs before any aid. Most students pay less after grants and scholarships.
Sticker price for 2027-28Estimate
$40,350
a year, in state
$54,990
a year, out of state (tuition $21,680)
- Tuition (in state)$7,040
- Fees$2,910
- Food and housing$25,470
- Books and supplies$1,040
- Transportation and other$3,890
San Diego State University published $39,207 in state for 2026-27. Its 2027-28 prices aren't out yet.
Source: Common Data Set 2025-2026
What families actually pay
What a year cost on average after grants and scholarships, for freshmen who got federal aid in 2023-24 (in-state students), by family income.
- $0 to $30,000$8,258
- $30,001 to $48,000$8,236
- $48,001 to $75,000$10,413
- $75,001 to $110,000$13,498
- Over $110,000$22,130
Financial aid
73%
of a student's financial need is covered, on average
$12,330
average need-based grant to freshmen, money you don't repay
6%
of freshmen got merit aid without financial need, $2,390 on average
- FAFSA
- Required for need-based aid. It's the free federal aid form.
- CSS Profile
- Not required. Only the FAFSA is needed.
- Aid priority date: 4/1
- Send your aid forms by this date to be first in line for the college's grant money.
- Aid deadline: 3/2
- The last day to send aid forms.
Source: Common Data Set 2025-2026
AP credit
AP exams that earn credit can replace college courses, so you pay for fewer of them and may graduate sooner.
AP exams that earn credit
41 of 41
Earn credit with a score of 3
41 exams
A 3-credit course is worth
about $700Est.Estimate
at 2027-28 tuition for in-state students
Credit for each AP exam
| Exam | Score needed | Credits | Counts as |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2-D Art and Design | 3 | 3 | ART 101 |
| 3-D Art and Design | 3 | 3 | ART 103 |
| African American Studies | 3 | 3 | AFRAS 170A |
| Art History | 3 | 6 | ART 258 and ART 259 |
| Biology | 3 | 6 | BIOL 100, BIOL 100L, and 2 units of BIOL 299 |
| Calculus AB | 3 | 6 | MATH 120 and MATH 141 |
| Calculus AB | 4 | 4 | MATH 150 |
| Calculus BC | 3 | 7 | MATH 141 and MATH 150 |
| Calculus BC | 4 | 8 | MATH 150 and MATH 151 |
| Calculus BC: AB Subscore | 3 | 6 | MATH 120 and MATH 141 |
| Calculus BC: AB Subscore | 4 | 4 | MATH 150 |
| Chemistry | 3 | 6 | CHEM 200 and CHEM 201 |
| Chinese Language and Culture | 3 | 6 | CHIN 202 and 1 unit of CHIN 296 |
| Comparative Government and Politics | 3 | 3 | POL S 299 |
| Comparative Government and Politics | 4 | 3 | POL S 103 |
| Computer Science A | 3 | 3 | CS 299 |
| Computer Science A | 4 | 4 | CS 150 and CS 150L |
| Computer Science Principles | 3 | 6 | CS 100 and 3 units of CS 299 |
| Drawing | 3 | 3 | ART 100 |
| English Language and Composition | 3 | 6 | RWS 100 and 3 units of RWS 299 |
| English Language and Composition | 5 | 6 | RWS 100 and RWS 200 |
| English Literature and Composition | 3 | 6 | 3 units of ECL 299 and RWS 100 |
| Environmental Science | 3 | 4 | ENV S 100 and 1 unit of ENV S 299 |
| European History | 3 | 6 | HIST 106 and 3 units of HIST 299 |
| French Language and Culture | 3 | 6 | FRENC 201 and FRENC 210 |
| French Language and Culture | 4 | 6 | FRENC 221 |
| German Language and Culture | 3 | 6 | GERMN 202 |
| German Language and Culture | 4 | 8 | GERMN 205A and GERMN 205B |
| Human Geography | 3 | 3 | GEOG 102 |
| Italian Language and Culture | 3 | 6 | ITAL 201 |
| Italian Language and Culture | 4 | 6 | ITAL 201 and ITAL 211 |
| Italian Language and Culture | 5 | 6 | ITAL 211 and ITAL 212 |
| Japanese Language and Culture | 3 | 6 | JAPAN 111 and JAPAN 112 |
| Japanese Language and Culture | 4 | 6 | JAPAN 111, JAPAN 112, and JAPAN 211 |
| Japanese Language and Culture | 5 | 6 | JAPAN 111, JAPAN 112, JAPAN 211, and JAPAN 212 |
| Latin | 3 | 6 | CLASS 202L |
| Latin | 5 | 6 | CLASS 202L and CLASS 303L |
| Macroeconomics | 3 | 3 | ECON 101 |
| Microeconomics | 3 | 3 | ECON 102 |
| Music Theory | 3 | 6 | MUSIC 105 and 3 units of MUSIC 299 |
| Music Theory | 4 | 6 | MUSIC 105 and MUSIC 205A |
| Physics 1 | 3 | 4 | PHYS 180A and PHYS 182A |
| Physics 2 | 3 | 4 | PHYS 180B and PHYS 182B |
| Physics C: Electricity and Magnetism | 3 | 4 | PHYS 196 and PHYS 196L |
| Physics C: Mechanics | 3 | 4 | PHYS 195 and PHYS 195L |
| Pre-Calculus | 3 | 4 | MATH 141 |
| Psychology | 3 | 3 | PSY 101 |
| Research | 3 | 3 | GEN S 299 |
| Seminar | 3 | 3 | GEN S 299 |
| Spanish Language and Culture | 3 | 4 | SPAN 201 |
| Spanish Language and Culture | 4 | 7 | SPAN 201 and SPAN 211 |
| Spanish Language and Culture | 5 | 11 | SPAN 201, SPAN 202, and SPAN 211 |
| Spanish Literature and Culture | 3 | 3 | SPAN 299 |
| Spanish Literature and Culture | 4 | 3 | SPAN 299 |
| Spanish Literature and Culture | 5 | 6 | SPAN 299 and SPAN 499 |
| Statistics | 3 | 3 | STAT 250 |
| United States Government and Politics | 3 | 3 | POL S 299 |
| United States Government and Politics | 4 | 3 | POL S 102 |
| United States History | 3 | 6 | HIST 109 and HIST 110 |
| World History: Modern | 3 | 3 | HIST 101 |
Source: AP credit policy
After college
Graduate within 6 years
78%
Come back for a second year
91%
Typical earnings
$73,494
a year, 10 years after starting here
- San Diego State University$53,325
- All colleges$54,104
Median yearly earnings of graduates five years after finishing a bachelor's in this major. 57 majors here have earnings data.
Keep exploring
Figures marked Estimate are our estimates, not numbers the college published. Check each college's own site before you apply. SAT is a trademark of College Board, and ACT is a trademark of ACT, Inc. Sharp is not affiliated with either, or with San Diego State University. The San Diego State University logo is a trademark of the college.