San Diego State University

San Diego, CA sdsu.edu 33,654 students

San Diego State University's campus provides a mix of urban and natural settings in sunny San Diego. The university's Spanish Colonial Revival architecture creates a distinctive aesthetic. Students benefit from a strong sense of community and pride, particularly surrounding Aztec athletics. As a designated Hispanic-Serving Institution, SDSU cultivates a diverse and inclusive environment.

Programs

Analyzed in dataset

Earnings

$41,383

Average graduate, 1 yr after

Outlook

52/100

Avg DegreeOutlook Score

Tuition

$8,290

In-state sticker price

Out-of-state: $20,170/yr

Financial Aid

The sticker price is rarely what families actually pay. San Diego State's grant and scholarship aid lowers the net price for most income brackets. 31% of students receive Pell Grants; 23% take federal loans.

Net Price by Family Income

Academic Year 2025

Income Bracket	Avg Net Price	4-Year Net Cost
$0 – $30K	$9,655	$38,620
$30K – $48K	$10,241	$40,964
$48K – $75K	$14,205	$56,820
$75K – $110K	$18,176	$72,704
$110K+	$24,913	$99,652
Sticker price (no aid)	$8,290	$33,160

Net price = tuition + fees + room & board minus grants and scholarships, by reported family-income bracket. Source: IPEDS Student Financial Aid survey via College Scorecard.

Programs at San Diego State

58 degree programs ranked by DegreeOutlook Score. Click any program for AI scenario analysis and 10-year earnings projections.

Degree Program	DW Score	1-yr Earnings	AI Risk	ROI
Nursing Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing Compare across schools →	91	$100,221/yr	High	32.1x
Computer Science Compare across schools →	88	$74,523/yr	Very High	33.5x
Accounting Accounting and Related Services Compare across schools →	84	$57,157/yr	Very High	28.2x
Information Sciences Computer and Information Sciences, General Compare across schools →	82	$54,244/yr	Very High	25.3x
Finance Finance and Financial Management Services Compare across schools →	79	$53,373/yr	Very High	20.2x
Civil Engineering Compare across schools →	76	$73,584/yr	High	28.0x
Electrical Engineering Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering Compare across schools →	75	$75,061/yr	Very High	29.2x
Aerospace Engineering Aerospace, Aeronautical and Astronautical Engineering Compare across schools →	75	$74,375/yr	High	27.2x
Mechanical Engineering Compare across schools →	75	$69,754/yr	Very High	28.9x
Business Administration Business Administration, Management and Operations Compare across schools →	75	$46,275/yr	High	21.4x
Computer Engineering Compare across schools →	72	$76,812/yr	Very High	22.2x
Economics Compare across schools →	72	$44,125/yr	Very High	22.4x
Marketing Compare across schools →	71	$48,229/yr	Very High	23.0x
Public Relations & Advertising Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication Compare across schools →	66	$44,197/yr	High	19.8x
Chemistry Compare across schools →	65	$43,603/yr	High	19.2x
International Business Compare across schools →	63	$38,138/yr	Very High	18.0x
Public Policy Public Administration Compare across schools →	61	$41,020/yr	High	14.3x
Hospitality Management Hospitality Administration/Management Compare across schools →	61	$40,009/yr	High	16.7x
Political Science Political Science and Government Compare across schools →	61	$38,060/yr	Very High	20.4x
Construction Engineering Technologies Compare across schools →	60	$81,608/yr	Very High	23.6x
Environmental Engineering Environmental/Environmental Health Engineering Compare across schools →	58	$66,482/yr	Very High	19.0x
Criminal Justice Criminal Justice and Corrections Compare across schools →	58	$33,261/yr	Moderate	15.8x
Statistics Compare across schools →	56	$57,734/yr	Very High	16.4x
Microbiology & Immunology Microbiological Sciences and Immunology Compare across schools →	54	$45,360/yr	High	12.7x
International Relations International Relations and National Security Studies Compare across schools →	53	$35,361/yr	High	19.2x
Biology Biology, General Compare across schools →	52	$33,597/yr	High	20.2x
Public Health Compare across schools →	51	$41,092/yr	High	11.4x
Communication and Media Studies Compare across schools →	51	$37,773/yr	High	17.0x
Applied Mathematics Compare across schools →	49	$42,856/yr	Very High	11.9x
History Compare across schools →	49	$38,203/yr	High	12.8x
Social Work Compare across schools →	49	$36,916/yr	Moderate	15.2x
Health & Physical Education Health and Physical Education/Fitness Compare across schools →	48	$26,327/yr	Moderate	18.5x
Sociology Compare across schools →	46	$35,136/yr	High	14.2x
Geography and Cartography Compare across schools →	45	$38,648/yr	High	10.7x
Health Sciences Health Services/Allied Health/Health Sciences, General Compare across schools →	45	$35,624/yr	High	17.8x
Natural Resources & Conservation Research Natural Resources Conservation and Research Compare across schools →	44	$34,090/yr	High	16.6x
Teacher Education Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods Compare across schools →	44	$28,793/yr	High	12.8x
Parks & Recreation Parks, Recreation and Leisure Studies Compare across schools →	43	$33,692/yr	Very High	17.9x
Design Design and Applied Arts Compare across schools →	43	$31,459/yr	High	16.2x
Communication Disorders Communication Disorders Sciences and Services Compare across schools →	42	$22,378/yr	High	21.7x
Geosciences Geological and Earth Sciences/Geosciences Compare across schools →	41	$41,351/yr	High	11.5x
Radio, Television, and Digital Communication Compare across schools →	41	$22,487/yr	High	15.0x
Psychology Psychology, General Compare across schools →	38	$29,346/yr	High	12.9x
Nutrition Sciences Compare across schools →	35	$34,878/yr	High	9.5x
Romance Languages Romance Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics Compare across schools →	33	$28,182/yr	Very High	12.2x
English English Language and Literature, General Compare across schools →	33	$24,157/yr	Very High	14.2x
Social Sciences Social Sciences, General Compare across schools →	33	$23,704/yr	High	8.6x
Liberal Arts & Humanities Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities Compare across schools →	33	$23,190/yr	Low	16.6x
Anthropology Compare across schools →	31	$25,553/yr	High	6.7x
Allied Health Professions Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions Compare across schools →	31	$25,361/yr	Moderate	6.6x
Fine Arts Fine and Studio Arts Compare across schools →	31	$23,186/yr	Moderate	11.3x
Ethnic & Cultural Studies Ethnic, Cultural Minority, Gender, and Group Studies Compare across schools →	29	$29,267/yr	Very High	12.4x
Journalism Compare across schools →	28	$30,269/yr	Very High	8.1x
Philosophy Compare across schools →	26	$29,712/yr	Very High	8.0x
Music Compare across schools →	26	$20,440/yr	High	9.3x
Linguistics Linguistic, Comparative, and Related Language Studies and Services Compare across schools →	25	$22,001/yr	Very High	5.6x
East Asian Languages East Asian Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics Compare across schools →	22	$17,464/yr	Very High	4.3x
Theater & Drama Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft Compare across schools →	21	$20,538/yr	Moderate	7.6x