San Diego State University College Portrait
San Diego State University5500 Campanile Drive San Diego, CA 92182
619-594-5200
San Diego State University
San Diego State University is an academically rich, urban university that provides endless possibilities for students. SDSU offers bachelor’s degrees in 84 areas, master’s degrees in 76, one educational specialist degree (Ed.S.), research doctorates (Ph.D./Ed.D.) in 16 areas, and one professional doctorate (Au.D.). SDSU is a place to challenge yourself…to take your education into your own hands and carve out your future. With more than 34,000 students, award-winning professors, top-notch research facilities, and a location that serves as the gateway to Latin America and the Pacific Rim, SDSU gives you the tools to expand your knowledge and your potential. This is your journey… discover how to make SDSU your own.
Living in the Community
SDSU is a community of people committed to student success. As the oldest and largest higher education institution in the San Diego region, SDSU has deep roots and connections. You’ll have access to valuable internships, volunteer opportunities, and practical wisdom from experts in your field of study to enhance your classroom instruction. SDSU enjoys a well-deserved reputation for an abundance of student activities outside the classroom. Whether you want to play a sport, join one of nearly 300 clubs and organizations or an honor society, lead a community service project, live on SDSU’s fraternity row, write for the student newspaper, or run for student office, you’ll find something to round out your college experience.
The Big Picture: How many students were on campus in Fall 2010?
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| Total Students | 29,187 | |
|---|---|---|
Undergraduate Snapshot
| Total Undergraduate Students | 23,960 | |
|---|---|---|
| Gender | ||
| Women | 13,568 | 57% |
| Men | 10,392 | 43% |
| Race/Ethnicity | ||
| American Indian / Alaskan Native | 105 | <1% |
| Asian | 3,546 | 15% |
| African American / Black | 1,019 | 4% |
| Hispanic | 6,064 | 25% |
| Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander | 164 | 1% |
| White | 9,699 | 40% |
| Two or More Races | 625 | 3% |
| International | 899 | 4% |
| Race/Ethnicity Not Reported | 1,839 | 8% |
| Where do SDSU undergraduates call home? | |
|---|---|
| California | 92% |
| Other US States & Territories | 5% |
| Other Countries | 3% |
| Residency Unknown | <1% |
| How old are SDSU undergraduates? | |
| Average Age | 22 |
| Percent of Undergraduates Age 25 or Older | 15% |
New Student Applications (Fall 2010)
New Freshmen High School Background and Test Scores
Test(s) Required for Admission: SAT or ACT recommended
| Test Scores of Enrolled New Freshmen | ACT | SAT |
|---|---|---|
| Composite | 21 - 26 | |
| Math | 22 - 27 | 500 - 610 |
| English | 20 - 26 | |
| Critical Reading | 480 - 580 |
50% of admitted students have test scores within the ranges listed, 25% have scores above, and 25% have scores below.
| High School Background of Enrolled New Freshmen | ||
|---|---|---|
| Percent in top of graduating class Data Not Available | ||
| Average High School GPA (4-point scale) | 3.62 | |
| Percent who submitted High School GPA | 100% | |
Sticker Price: How much does it cost on average?
Typical Undergraduate Costs for 2009-10 without Financial Aid (Full-Time, In-State Students)
Total Typical Cost of Attendance: $22,411
Out-of-State & Other Costs
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The cost to attend San Diego State University varies based on the individual circumstances of students and may be reduced through grants and scholarships.
How much would I pay?
Financial Aid: How much help is there to pay?
Scholarships & Grants
- 35% of 2009-10 full-time undergraduates received need-based grants or scholarships; the average award for the year was $8,846. Scholarships and grants are financial aid that does not need to be repaid and is sometimes referred to as gift aid.
Annual Need-Based Loans
- 28% of 2009-10 full-time undergraduates received need-based work-study and/or loans (not including parent loans); the average loan for the year was $4,203. Loans need to be repaid. Typically, repayment starts once you are no longer enrolled full-time. Please refer to page 12 of the Funding Education Beyond High School guide on the US Department of Education's Federal Student Aid website for more information about Financial Need.
Percent of 2009-2010 Full-time Beginning Students Receiving Each Type of Financial Aid
NOTE: Students may receive aid from more than one source.
SDSU Classes & Instructors
| Classroom Environment | |
|---|---|
| Students per Faculty | 25 to 1 |
| Undergraduate classes with fewer than 30 students | 45% |
| Undergraduate classes with fewer than 50 students | 76% |
| Total Full-Time Instructional Faculty | 793 |
| % of Full-Time Instructional Faculty Who Are Female | 44% |
| % of Full-Time Instructional Faculty Who Are Persons of Color | 25% |
| % of Full-Time Instructional Faculty Who Have the Highest Academic Degree Offered in Their Field of Study | 84% |
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Campus-based Housing
65% of new freshmen live in campus-based housing or residence halls.
13% of all undergraduates live on campus
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Campus Safety
The San Diego State University Police Department has a force of 34 sworn police officers and 67 support staff, with plans of increasing in size with 10 additional officers in the next year. Our police officers are graduates of the California Peace Officers Standards Training Academy and have peace officer powers throughout the State of California. Whether on foot, behind the wheel of a patrol car, or patrolling on bicycle, they are here to protect and serve the campus community and adjacent neighborhood 24 hours a day.
Campus Crime Statistics
Carnegie Classification of Institutional Characteristics
The Carnegie Classification's were created "to reference the great diversity of colleges and universities in the United States, and ... enable [people] to identify groups of roughly comparable institutions." For information on the Carnegie Classifications system, please visit their website: http://classifications.carnegiefoundation.org/
- Basic Type
- Research Universities (high research activity)
- Size and Setting
- Large four-year, primarily nonresidential
- Enrollment Profile
- High undergraduate
- Undergraduate Profile
- Full-time four-year, selective, higher transfer-in
- Undergraduate Instructional Program
- Balanced arts & sciences/professions, high graduate coexistence
- Graduate Instructional Program
- Doctoral, professional dominant
NOTE: Institutional classifications based on the Carnegie 2005 edition.
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Student Activities and Involvement at SDSU
Students who are actively involved in their own learning and development are more likely to be successful in college. Colleges and universities offer students a wide variety of opportunities both inside and outside the classroom to become engaged with new ideas, people, and experiences. Institutions measure the effectiveness of these opportunities in a variety of ways to better understand what types of activities and programs students find the most helpful.
Institutions participating in the VSA program measure student involvement on campus using one of four national surveys. Results from the one survey are reported for a common set of questions selected as part of VSA. Following are the selected results from the National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE). The questions have been grouped together in categories that are known to contribute to student learning and development. The results reported below are based on the responses of seniors who participated in the survey.
Group Learning Experiences
- 92% percent of seniors worked with classmates on assignments outside of class.
- 52% of seniors tutored or taught other students
- 20% of seniors spent at least 6 hours per week participating in co-curricular activities such as student organizations and intramural sports
Active Learning Experiences
- 83% of seniors spent at least 6 hours per week preparing for class
- 14% of seniors worked on a research project with a faculty member
- 41% of seniors participated in an internship, practicum, or field experience
- 51% of seniors participated in community service or volunteer work
- 13% of seniors participated in study abroad
- 91% of seniors made at least one class presentation last year
Institutional Commitment to Student Learning and Success
- 92% of seniors believe this institution provides support for student success
- 68% of seniors rated the quality of academic advising at this institution as good or excellent
- 58% of seniors reported that this institution provided help in coping with work, family and other non-academic responsibilities
- 94% of seniors reported working harder than they thought they could to meet an instructor's standards or expectations
Student Interaction with Campus Faculty and Staff
- 51% of seniors believed that the campus staff were helpful, considerate, or flexible
- 74% of seniors believed that faculty are available, helpful, or sympathetic
- 94% of seniors reported that faculty members provided prompt feedback on their academic performance
- 66% of seniors discussed readings or ideas with faculty members outside of class
Experiences with Diverse Groups of People and Ideas
- 69% of seniors reported that they often tried to understand someone else's point of view
- 90% of seniors reported their experience at this institution contributed to their understanding people of other racial and ethnic backgrounds
- 63% of seniors often had serious conversations with students of a different race or ethnicity
Student Satisfaction
- 83% of seniors would attend this institution if they started over again
- 86% of seniors rated their entire educational experience as good or excellent
- 77% of seniors reported that other students were friendly or supportive
Evaluation of Experiences
Survey Administration Process
Survey Information
Majors and Degrees
| Degrees awarded at San Diego State University in 2009-10 | |
|---|---|
| Bachelor's | 7,191 |
| Master's | 1,879 |
| Doctoral | 75 |
| Total | 9,145 |
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| Areas of Study with the largest number of bachelor's degrees awarded in 2009-10 | |
|---|---|
| BUSINESS, MANAGEMENT, MARKETING, AND RELATED SUPPORT SERVICES | 18% |
| Psychology, General | 9% |
| Health and Physical Education/Fitness | 5% |
| Rhetoric and Composition/Writing Studies | 5% |
| Criminal Justice and Corrections | 5% |
| Links to degree programs at San Diego State University |
|---|
Bachelor'sMaster'sDoctoral |
Student Success & Progress Rate
A 92% four-year success and progress rate means that 92% of students starting in Fall 2004 either graduated or are still enrolled at a higher education institution four years later.
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Counts for the Fall 2004 entering class shown in the graph above.
- 4,140 First-Time, Full-Time Students
- 3,406 Full-Time Transfer Students
Success & Progress Rate Table
Retention of Freshman Class
First-time students in Fall 2009 that returned for their second year: 86%
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Student Learning at San Diego State University
All colleges and universities use multiple approaches to measure student learning. Many of these are specific to particular disciplines, many are coordinated with accrediting agencies, and many are based on outcomes after students have graduated.
The mission of the Student Learning Outcomes Committee (SLO) is to facilitate the assessment of student learning outcomes on campus. The purpose of assessing student outcomes is to improve teaching, learning, and academic advising at the individual, course, program, and institutional level. Student learning includes cognitive development, skills development, and personal development.
http://dus.sdsu.edu/assessment/
Learning Assessment Examples
Pilot Project to Measure Core Learning Outcomes
Colleges and universities participating in the College Portrait measure the typical improvement in students' abilities to think, reason, and write using one of three tests. This is part of a pilot project to better understand and compare what students learn between their freshman and senior years at different colleges and universities.
2009-09 Results from the Collegiate Learning Assessment
The Collegiate Learning Assessment (CLA) measures critical thinking, analytic reasoning, problem solving, and written communication using a performance task and an analytic writing task. The scores from the tasks are reported separately below.
Test Administration Process
Test Information
Performance Task Results for First-time, Full-time Students
The increase in learning on the performance task is at or near what would be expected at an institution testing students of similar academic abilities.
Freshman Score: 1090
Senior Score: 1224
CLA score range: 400 to no maximum score.
Average EEA scores for tested students
Freshman Score: 1062
Senior Score: 1112
Analytic Writing Task Results for First-time, Full-time Students
The increase in learning on the analytic writing task is at or near what would be expected at an institution testing students of similar academic abilities.
Freshman Score: 1112
Senior Score: 1300
CLA score range: 400 to no maximum score.
Average EEA scores for tested students
Freshman Score: 1024
Senior Score: 1118