San Diego State University (SDSU) vs Cal State Fullerton

San Diego State University (SDSU) and California State University-Fullerton (CSUF) are two of the most sought-after public universities in California, offering a wide range of academic programs and vibrant campus life. While both universities share similarities in terms of academic excellence and affordability, they also have distinct characteristics that set them apart. SDSU boasts a slightly higher acceptance rate and a larger student body, while CSUF offers a more diverse range of undergraduate programs and a higher graduation rate. Explore our comprehensive comparison table to delve into the specifics of each university, including acceptance rates, popular majors, student demographics, and graduation outcomes, to help you make an informed decision about your higher education journey.

	California State University-Fullerton	San Diego State University
Overview
Location	Fullerton, California	San Diego, California
Campus setting	Suburb: Large	City: Large
College type	4 year	4 year
Control/business model	Public	Public
Calendar system	Semester	Semester
Degrees offered	Undergraduate and Graduate	Undergraduate and Graduate
Students retention rate	87.0%	90.0%
Common app member	No	No
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	59.4%	37.9%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $70 Graduate: $70	Undergraduate: $70 Graduate: $70
SAT range	N/A	N/A
ACT range	N/A	N/A
Students submitting SAT score
Students submitting ACT score
Total number of applicants	45,140	67,660
Total number of admissions given out	26,827	25,646
Admitted students who chose to enroll	4,219	5,269
Yield rate	15.7%	20.5%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	Required	Required
Recommendation letters	Not required	Not required
High school transcript	Not required	Not required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL)	Not required	Not required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	In state: $30,282 Out of state: $42,162	In state: $28,256 Out of state: $40,136
Average net price	$4,939	$6,867
Tuition	In state: $5,742 Out of state: $17,622	In state: $5,742 Out of state: $17,622
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $12,918 Meal plan: $4,374	Room/dormitory: $12,824 Meal plan: $6,344
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	74.0% Average amount $9,215	47.0% Average amount $9,026
Students receiving federal student loan	17.0% Average amount $4,700	18.0% Average amount $5,015
Students taking out private loans	1.0% Average amount $11,380	2.0% Average amount $21,638

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	35,600 Men 41.2% Women 58.8%	31,321 Men 43.1% Women 56.9%
Graduate students	5,138 Men 36.8% Women 63.2%	5,163 Men 35.9% Women 64.1%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Moderate	Moderate
Out-of-state students	0.9%	24.2%
International students	4.9%	5.5%
Campus local/setting	Suburb: Large	City: Large
Dormitory capacity	2,045	6,514
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	California Texas Hawaii Illinois Arizona	California Washington Colorado Texas New Jersey

Academics
Popular study areas	Health Professions Kinesiology & Leisure Studies Education Engineering Business	Health Professions Engineering Education Kinesiology & Leisure Studies Business
Students to faculty ratio	25:1	26:1
Institutional accreditation	Western Association of Schools and Colleges Senior Colleges and University Commission	Western Association of Schools and Colleges Senior Colleges and University Commission

Outcome
Graduation rate	71.5%	76.2%
Dropout rate	21.3%	20.5%
Transferred out	1.8%	1.4%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $145,938 Year 2: $157,680 Year 3: $165,916 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $138,162 Year 2: $114,595 Year 3: $130,592 Educational Administration and Supervision (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $113,642 Year 2: $110,241 Year 3: $114,173 Computer Engineering (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $88,293 Year 2: $94,408 Year 3: $97,266 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $86,611 Year 2: $86,042 Year 3: $94,651 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $78,934 Year 2: $80,779 Year 3: $90,936 Computer Science (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $80,382 Year 2: $78,971 Year 3: $89,837 Taxation (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $75,840 Year 2: $71,015 Year 3: $81,048 Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $71,980 Year 2: $76,325 Year 3: $79,512 Computer Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $65,145 Year 2: N/A Year 3: $78,803	Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $84,200 Year 2: $68,499 Year 3: $87,104 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $89,225 Year 2: $87,377 Year 3: $85,451 Aerospace, Aeronautical and Astronautical Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $61,870 Year 2: $63,005 Year 3: $80,004 Mechanical Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $65,965 Year 2: $65,089 Year 3: $79,350 Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $72,385 Year 2: $69,757 Year 3: $78,880 Computer Science (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $62,997 Year 2: $66,318 Year 3: $76,755 Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $74,008 Year 2: $71,575 Year 3: $75,680 Communication Disorders Sciences and Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $71,000 Year 2: $70,456 Year 3: $75,014 Civil Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $63,495 Year 2: $62,317 Year 3: $73,021 Educational Administration and Supervision (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $52,099 Year 2: $67,995 Year 3: $72,884

Compare Similar Colleges

The list of suggested college comparisons provided below is generated automatically by our system, utilizing statistics gathered from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) and various online sources. If you don't find the colleges you wish to compare, please visit our comparison page. There, you can search for the specific colleges and initiate your comparison.