San Diego State University (SDSU) vs Grand Valley State

San Diego State University (SDSU) and Grand Valley State University (GVSU) stand out as two distinct institutions of higher learning, each offering unique opportunities and experiences to their students. SDSU, located in the vibrant city of San Diego, California, boasts a diverse student body and a wide range of academic programs, while GVSU, situated in the charming city of Allendale, Michigan, prides itself on its strong sense of community and commitment to undergraduate education. With varying acceptance rates, popular majors, student demographics, and graduation outcomes, these universities cater to different student preferences and aspirations. Explore the comprehensive comparison table below to delve into the specific details and discover which university aligns best with your academic goals and personal preferences.

	Grand Valley State University	San Diego State University
Overview
Location	Allendale, Michigan	San Diego, California
Campus setting	Suburb: 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	83.0%	90.0%
Common app member	Yes	No
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	91.7%	37.9%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $30 Graduate: $30	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	17,163	67,660
Total number of admissions given out	15,730	25,646
Admitted students who chose to enroll	3,807	5,269
Yield rate	24.2%	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)	Required	Not required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	In state: $23,604 Out of state: $29,340	In state: $28,256 Out of state: $40,136
Average net price	$16,947	$6,867
Tuition	In state: $13,560 Out of state: $19,296	In state: $5,742 Out of state: $17,622
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $6,380 Meal plan: $3,500	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)	80.0% Average amount $8,376	47.0% Average amount $9,026
Students receiving federal student loan	50.0% Average amount $5,161	18.0% Average amount $5,015
Students taking out private loans	6.0% Average amount $13,024	2.0% Average amount $21,638

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	19,379 Men 38.9% Women 61.1%	31,321 Men 43.1% Women 56.9%
Graduate students	3,027 Men 28.0% Women 72.0%	5,163 Men 35.9% Women 64.1%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Very Low	Moderate
Out-of-state students	10.6%	24.2%
International students	1.8%	5.5%
Campus local/setting	Suburb: Large	City: Large
Dormitory capacity	6,012	6,514
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	Michigan Illinois Indiana Ohio Texas	California Washington Colorado Texas New Jersey

Academics
Popular study areas	Health Professions Education Business Public Administration and Social Service Kinesiology & Leisure Studies	Health Professions Engineering Education Kinesiology & Leisure Studies Business
Students to faculty ratio	15:1	26:1
Institutional accreditation	Higher Learning Commission	Western Association of Schools and Colleges Senior Colleges and University Commission

Outcome
Graduation rate	67.1%	76.2%
Dropout rate	15.6%	20.5%
Transferred out	15.4%	1.4%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $103,525 Year 2: $105,839 Year 3: $111,967 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $91,846 Year 2: $96,539 Year 3: $93,695 Business/Commerce, General (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $79,623 Year 2: $71,015 Year 3: $83,454 Biomathematics, Bioinformatics, and Computational Biology (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $68,965 Year 2: $68,666 Year 3: $73,434 Accounting and Related Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $59,881 Year 2: $62,691 Year 3: $72,792 Computer and Information Sciences, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $62,211 Year 2: $65,969 Year 3: $72,474 Mechanical Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $70,095 Year 2: $69,338 Year 3: $71,736 Quality Control and Safety Technologies/Technicians (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $57,039 Year 2: $58,479 Year 3: $69,240 Information Science/Studies (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $58,382 Year 2: $59,124 Year 3: $68,410 Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $69,161 Year 2: $67,939 Year 3: $68,289	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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San Diego State University (SDSU) vs Grand Valley State

Grand Valley State University

San Diego State University

Overview

Admission

Tuition and Fees

Financial Aid

Students and Campus

Academics

Outcome

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