San Diego State University (SDSU, San Diego State) Admission Requirement

What are SDSU’s admission requirements? While there are a lot of pieces that go into a college application, you should focus on only a few critical things:

GPA requirements
Testing requirements, including SAT and ACT requirements
Application requirements

In this guide, we’ll cover what you need to get into SDSU and build a strong application.

School location: San Diego, CA

This school is also known as San Diego State University

Admissions Rate: 34%

If you want to get in, the first thing to look at is the acceptance rate. This tells you how competitive the school is and how serious its requirements are.

The acceptance rate at SDSU is 34%. For every 100 applicants, 34 are admitted.

This means the school is very selective. If you meet SDSU’s requirements for GPA, SAT/ACT scores, and other components of the application, you have a great shot at getting in. But if you fall short on GPA or your SAT/ACT scores, you’ll have a very low chance of being admitted, even if you meet the other admissions requirements.

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SDSU GPA Requirements

Many schools specify a minimum GPA requirement, but this is often just the bare minimum to submit an application without immediately getting rejected.

The GPA requirement that really matters is the GPA you need for a real chance of getting in. For this, we look at the school’s average GPA for its current students.

Average GPA: 3.77

The average GPA at SDSU is 3.77.

(Most schools use a weighted GPA out of 4.0, though some report an unweighted GPA.

With a GPA of 3.77, SDSU requires you to be above average in your high school class. You’ll need at least a mix of A’s and B’s, with more A’s than B’s. You can compensate for a lower GPA with harder classes, like AP or IB classes. This will show that you’re able to handle more difficult academics than the average high school student.

If you’re currently junior or senior, your GPA is hard to change in time for college applications. If your GPA is at or below the school average of 3.77, you’ll need a higher SAT or ACT score to compensate. This will help you compete effectively against other applicants who have higher GPAs than you.

SAT and ACT Requirements

Each school has different requirements for standardized testing. Most schools require the SAT or ACT, and many also require SAT subject tests.

You must take either the SAT or ACT to submit an application to SDSU. More importantly, you need to do well to have a strong application.

SDSU SAT Requirements

Many schools say they have no SAT score cutoff, but the truth is that there is a hidden SAT requirement. This is based on the school’s average score.

Average SAT: 1215

The average SAT score composite at SDSU is 1215 on the 1600 SAT scale.

This score makes SDSU Competitive for SAT test scores.

SDSU SAT Score Analysis (New 1600 SAT)

The 25th percentile New SAT score is 1120, and the 75th percentile New SAT score is 1310. In other words, an 1120 on the New SAT places you below average, while 1310 will move you up to above average.

Here’s the breakdown of new SAT scores by section:

Section	Average	25th Percentile	75th Percentile
Math	610	550	670
Reading + Writing	605	560	650
Composite	1215	1120	1310

SAT Score Choice Policy

The Score Choice policy at your school is an important part of your testing strategy.

SDSU has the Score Choice policy of “Highest Section.”

This is also known as “super scoring.” This means that you can choose which SAT tests you want to send to the school. Of all the scores they receive, your application readers will consider your highest section scores across all SAT test dates you submit.

Click below to learn more about how superscoring critically affects your test strategy.

For example, say you submit the following 3 test scores:

Section	R+W	Math	Composite
Test 1	700	300	1000
Test 2	300	700	1000
Test 3	300	300	600
Superscore	700	700	1400

Even though the highest total you scored on any one test date was 1000, SDSU will take your highest section score from all your test dates, then combine them to form your Superscore. You can raise your composite score from 1000 to 1400 in this example.

This is important for your testing strategy. Because you can choose which tests to send in, and SDSU forms your Superscore, you can take the SAT as many times as you want, then submit only the tests that give you the highest Superscore. Your application readers will only see that one score.

Therefore, if your SAT super score is currently below 1310, we strongly recommend that you consider prepping for the SAT and retaking it. You have a very good chance of raising your score, which will significantly boost your chances of getting in.

Even better, because of the Superscore, you can focus all your energy on a single section at a time. If your Reading score is lower than your other sections, prep only for the Reading section, then take the SAT. Then focus on Math for the next test, and so on. This will give you the highest Superscore possible.

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SDSU ACT Requirements

Just like for the SAT, SDSU likely doesn’t have a hard ACT cutoff, but if you score too low, your application will get tossed in the trash.

Average ACT: 26

The average ACT score at SDSU is 26. This score makes SDSU Moderately Competitive for ACT scores.

The 25th percentile ACT score is 22, and the 75th percentile ACT score is 29.

Even though SDSU likely says they have no minimum ACT requirement, if you apply with a 22 or below, you’ll have a very hard time getting in, unless you have something else very impressive in your application. There are so many applicants scoring 26 and above that a 22 will look academically weak.

ACT Score Sending Policy

If you’re taking the ACT as opposed to the SAT, you have a huge advantage in how you send scores, and this dramatically affects your testing strategy.

Here it is: when you send ACT scores to colleges, you have absolute control over which tests you send. You could take 10 tests, and only send your highest one. This is unlike the SAT, where many schools require you to send all your tests ever taken.

This means that you have more chances than you think to improve your ACT score. To try to aim for the school’s ACT requirement of 29 and above, you should try to take the ACT as many times as you can. When you have the final score that you’re happy with, you can then send only that score to all your schools.

ACT Superscore Policy

By and large, most colleges do not super score the ACT. (Superscore means that the school takes your best section scores from all the test dates you submit, and then combines them into the best possible composite score). Thus, most schools will just take your highest ACT score from a single sitting.

We weren’t able to find the school’s exact ACT policy, which most likely means that it does not Superscore. Regardless, you can choose your single best ACT score to send in to SDSU, so you should prep until you reach our recommended target ACT score of 29.

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SAT/ACT Writing Section Requirements

Both the SAT and ACT have an optional essay section.

SDSU considers the SAT Essay/ACT Writing section optional and may not include it as part of their admissions consideration. You don’t need to worry too much about Writing for this school, but other schools you’re applying to may require it.

SAT Subject Test Requirements

Schools vary in their SAT subject test requirements. Typically, selective schools tend to require them, while most schools in the country do not.

We did not find information that SDSU requires SAT subject tests, and so most likely it does not. At least 6 months before applying, you should still doublecheck just to make sure, so you have enough time to take the test.

Final Admissions Verdict

Because this school is very selective, strong academic scores are critical to improving your chances of admission. If you’re able to score a 1310 SAT or a 29 ACT or above, you’ll have a very strong chance at getting in.

For a school as selective as SDSU, rounding out the rest of your application will also help. We’ll cover those details next.

But if you apply with a score below a 1310 SAT or a 29 ACT, you, unfortunately, have a low chance of getting in. There are just too many other applicants with high SAT/ACT scores and strong applications, and you need to compete against them.

Want to build the best possible college application?

We know what kinds of students colleges want to admit. We want to get you admitted to your dream schools.

Admissions Calculator

What are your chances of admission at San Diego State University?

Chances of admission with this scores:33.57 %

Here’s our custom admissions calculator. Plug in your numbers to see what your chances of getting in are.

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Note: Your admission decision relies not only on your GPA and SAT/ACT scores, but also on your coursework difficulty, extracurriculars, letters of recommendation, and personal statements. This tool provides only a simplistic estimate of your chances of admission. Instead of treating this tool as a crystal ball, we recommend you consider the big picture of what your chance means:

80-100%: Safety school: Strong chance of getting in

50-80%: More likely than not getting in

20-50%: Lower but still good chance of getting in

5-20%: Reach school: Unlikely to get in, but still have a shot

0-5%: Hard reach school: Very difficult to get in

We recommend you apply to schools across a range of chances. Applying to some safety schools will guarantee you have a college to go to, while applying to some reach schools will give you a shot at getting into the school at the top of your range.