SDSU Transfer Acceptance Rate and Requirements — 2024

Now accepting just 30%-40% of freshman applicants, San Diego State University is one of the more selective schools in the California State University (CSU) system. Unless your high school GPA is 3.75 or better, gaining admission to SDSU is going to be an uphill battle. Yet, the first-year application cycle is not your only pathway toward being able to call yourself an Aztec. That is because the university admits a whopping 8,000 transfers each year. This blog will share the SDSU transfer acceptance rate as well as other essential pieces of information like the San Diego State transfer deadline, application requirements, transfer decision date, and much more.

SDSU Transfer Acceptance Rate

Below we present the most current available SDSU transfer acceptance rate as well as historical data.

In the fall of 2022, the San Diego State University transfer acceptance rate was 36.5%. That year, SDSU received 23,034 transfer applications and accepted 8,420 individuals.

When trying to get the complete picture of how difficult it is to transfer into a given school, it is important to look at historical data. Many schools have wild fluctuations in transfer acceptance rates from year to year. As you can see, the transfer rate has been on the rise over the most recent five-year period. This is obviously great news and a legitimate reason for prospective transfers to feel optimistic.

Historical transfer rates are as follows:

SDSU Transfer Deadline

The priority SDSU transfer deadline is November 30. The application window opens on October 1, so you can begin completing all materials at that time. Technically, the window does not close until December 15, but you should try to meet the priority deadline whenever possible.

SDSU Transfer Requirements

All students must complete the following SDSU transfer requirements:

• A Cal State Application
• Unofficial college transcripts
• Unofficial high school transcripts
• Special materials if applying to certain programs. For example, dance and music students must complete an audition.

SDSU Transfer Acceptance Rate (Continued)

In addition to meeting the transfer requirements, you’ll need to have achieved/earned the following:

• Completed the “Golden Four.” This includes coursework in Oral Communication, Written Communication, Critical Thinking, and Mathematics.
• Finished 30 units of Gen Ed Requirements.
• Completed major preparation requirements. Since all majors are impacted, exceeding the minimum requirements for your major will put you in the best position. Additionally, majors with special instructions include Dance, International Business, Music, Nursing, Television, Film and New Media: Production, and Theatre Arts: Performance.
• Minimum 60 UC-transferable semester credits (90 UC-transferable quarter units). To clarify, this institution only accepts upper-division transfer students, meaning that you will be starting at San Diego State at the beginning of your junior year.
• Apply under an Associate Degree for Transfer (ADT) or Transfer Admission Guarantee (TAG) pathway.

We recommend thoroughly reviewing the San Diego State University Transfer Admission Planner.

San Diego State University Minimum GPA by Major

Here are some of the minimum required GPAs for some of the most popular majors at San Diego State University:

SDSU Transfer Decision Date

The SDSU transfer decision date occurs in the spring, typically in March.

Final Thoughts – San Diego State Transfer Acceptance Rate

Although the San Diego State University transfer acceptance rate is typically lower than the first-year figure, the volume of admitted applicants should inspire all applicants with the prerequisite coursework and strong grades.

Finally, no longer than two weeks after submitting your CSU app, you’ll receive an SDSUid via email. This will allow you to access the official admissions portal. The following majors will receive an email after submitting their application outlining future audition or portfolio requirements: Dance; Music; Television, Film, and New Media: Production; and Theatre Arts.

If you are looking for information on how to apply to San Diego State University as a first-year student, you may find the following blog to be of interest:

• How to Get Into San Diego State University

Those searching for application info on other institutions may wish to visit our Dataverse pages/blogs:

• Transfer Admissions Deadlines
• Transfer Acceptance Rates
• How to Complete the Transfer Common App