San Diego State University (SDSU) vs California State University-Northridge (CSUN)

San Diego State University (SDSU) and California State University-Northridge (CSUN) are two esteemed public universities in California, each offering a unique educational experience. SDSU, located in the vibrant city of San Diego, boasts a higher acceptance rate (48%) compared to CSUN's 38%, making it a more accessible option for prospective students. Both universities offer a diverse range of undergraduate and graduate programs, with SDSU excelling in fields like business, engineering, and health sciences, while CSUN shines in areas such as arts, education, and social sciences. Explore the detailed comparison table below to delve into further distinctions between these two institutions, including student body demographics, graduation rates, and additional factors that may influence your decision in choosing the best fit for your academic and personal aspirations.

	California State University-Northridge	San Diego State University
Overview
Location	Northridge, California	San Diego, California
Campus setting	City: 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	82.0%	90.0%
Common app member	No	No
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	88.1%	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	23,656	67,660
Total number of admissions given out	20,842	25,646
Admitted students who chose to enroll	4,716	5,269
Yield rate	22.6%	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: $31,857 Out of state: $43,737	In state: $28,256 Out of state: $40,136
Average net price	$8,708	$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: $7,316 Meal plan: $4,506	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)	82.0% Average amount $10,882	47.0% Average amount $9,026
Students receiving federal student loan	14.0% Average amount $4,779	18.0% Average amount $5,015
Students taking out private loans	1.0% Average amount $12,360	2.0% Average amount $21,638

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	34,496 Men 45.0% Women 55.0%	31,321 Men 43.1% Women 56.9%
Graduate students	5,612 Men 33.0% Women 67.0%	5,163 Men 35.9% Women 64.1%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Moderate	Moderate
Out-of-state students	1.7%	24.2%
International students	6.0%	5.5%
Campus local/setting	City: Large	City: Large
Dormitory capacity	4,029	6,514
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	California Washington Hawaii Nevada Texas	California Washington Colorado Texas New Jersey

Academics
Popular study areas	Health Professions Engineering Kinesiology & Leisure Studies Public Administration and Social Service Computer and Information Science	Health Professions Engineering Education Kinesiology & Leisure Studies Business
Students to faculty ratio	26:1	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	54.2%	76.2%
Dropout rate	33.7%	20.5%
Transferred out	5.6%	1.4%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering (Master's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $95,739 Year 3: $108,158 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $89,831 Year 2: $92,124 Year 3: $98,535 Taxation (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $72,745 Year 2: $86,867 Year 3: $97,852 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $83,455 Year 2: $88,907 Year 3: $96,626 Construction Engineering Technologies (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $79,863 Year 2: $75,204 Year 3: $92,559 Engineering-Related Fields (Master's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $80,493 Year 3: $92,252 Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $83,281 Year 2: $83,669 Year 3: $89,964 Computer Science (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $64,782 Year 2: $75,047 Year 3: $84,221 Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $68,859 Year 2: $73,070 Year 3: $82,977 Educational Administration and Supervision (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $78,180 Year 2: $76,863 Year 3: $82,194	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

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