New Admits Continue to Raise Bar

Thousands of students from throughout California received notices of admission to San Diego State University this past week.

SDSU received nearly 60,000 undergraduate applications for approximately 6,174 undergraduate enrollment slots for fall 2011. Individual admission decisions are now available on SDSU’s online WebPortal and letters will be mailed to all applicants in the coming weeks.

The newly admitted incoming freshmen have an average high school GPA of 3.78 and an average SAT score of 1148, the same record-setting academic credentials as last year’s incoming freshman class. (SAT score based on the verbal and math portions of the exam.)

Despite new budget cuts, enrollment targets remain the same

These students will begin their college careers at a time when the California State University budget is set to be reduced by at least $500 million in state funding, assuming passage of a special ballot initiative in June.

“Despite significant budget cuts anticipated for next year, San Diego State has not reduced the number of new undergraduates in fall 2011 compared to fall 2010,” said SDSU President Stephen L. Weber.

“These highly qualified students will be a tremendous asset to the university and the future of California, as they are more likely to complete their university education and obtain their degrees.”

SDSU expects to enroll a total of 3,657 freshmen and 2,517 undergraduate transfer students in the fall. An estimated 44 percent of new resident (in-state) freshmen are expected to be from SDSU’s local admission area, which extends south from State Route 56 and includes Imperial County. Local transfer students will still constitute the majority of new fall 2011 transfer enrollees despite SDSU enrolling a record number of new local transfer students this spring.

SDSU enrolled approximately 4,000 new undergraduate students in spring 2011, made possible by federal stimulus funds and a prior restoration of the California State University budget by the state legislature last year. The total enrollment for fall 2011 is expected to remain at approximately 30,000 students.

Ethnic diversity high

The ethnic diversity of SDSU’s student body will also remain high. Ranked as one of the most diverse student bodies in the nation according to U.S. News & World Report’s “America’s Best Colleges 2011,” SDSU estimates 52 percent of the fall 2011 new resident freshmen will be from diverse ethnic and racial backgrounds.  

“Our diverse student body enriches the university experience for all SDSU students,” said Weber.  

Local students receive admission preference

Local CSU-eligible first-time freshman applicants receive an admission preference over non-local admission area applicants. Local applicants are ranked separately from non-local applicants and receive "preference" points added to their admission Eligibility Index to provide them preference over non-local applicants.

For fall 2011, the average number of preference points provided local applicants was 407 compared to 381 in fall 2010; the equivalent of adding 407 points to each local applicants' SAT score.

Several options for students who were not admitted

All CSU-eligible freshmen from the local admission area who were not admitted will have the option of placement on a waiting list.

Local CSU-eligible freshmen applicants who were not admitted also qualify for a “special transfer admission guarantee.” To guarantee admission to SDSU based on the requirements of the 2011 general catalog, these students must:

• Enroll in a local community college this fall
• Complete all of their required coursework within three years (or by fall 2014)
• Meet the current requirements of their desired major

This means that should requirements for entry into a certain major change during the next three years, these applicants only need to meet the requirements for the current year.

Admitted students are encouraged to attend the Explore SDSU Open House to learn more about what life is like as an SDSU student.