San Diego State University (SDSU) vs Cal Poly Humboldt

San Diego State University (SDSU) and California State Polytechnic University-Humboldt (Cal Poly Humboldt) are two distinct universities in California with unique offerings. SDSU, located in the vibrant city of San Diego, boasts a diverse student body and a wide range of academic programs, while Cal Poly Humboldt, nestled in the scenic redwood forests of Arcata, emphasizes hands-on learning and environmental stewardship. With different acceptance rates, popular majors, student demographics, and graduation rates, these universities cater to different student preferences and aspirations. Explore our comprehensive comparison table to discover which institution aligns best with your academic goals and personal preferences.

	California State Polytechnic University-Humboldt	San Diego State University
Overview
Location	Arcata, California	San Diego, California
Campus setting	Town: Remote	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	74.0%	90.0%
Common app member	No	No
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	91.5%	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	7,013	67,660
Total number of admissions given out	6,414	25,646
Admitted students who chose to enroll	629	5,269
Yield rate	9.8%	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: $25,668 Out of state: $37,548	In state: $28,256 Out of state: $40,136
Average net price	$13,904	$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: $6,638 Meal plan: $5,600	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)	75.0% Average amount $9,716	47.0% Average amount $9,026
Students receiving federal student loan	36.0% Average amount $4,831	18.0% Average amount $5,015
Students taking out private loans	1.0% Average amount $12,255	2.0% Average amount $21,638

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	5,354 Men 41.6% Women 58.4%	31,321 Men 43.1% Women 56.9%
Graduate students	554 Men 30.0% Women 70.0%	5,163 Men 35.9% Women 64.1%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Moderate	Moderate
Out-of-state students	7.0%	24.2%
International students	1.3%	5.5%
Campus local/setting	Town: Remote	City: Large
Dormitory capacity	2,069	6,514
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	California Oregon Washington Colorado Hawaii	California Washington Colorado Texas New Jersey

Academics
Popular study areas	Natural Resources and Conservation Psychology Kinesiology & Leisure Studies Liberal Arts Social Sciences	Health Professions Engineering Education Kinesiology & Leisure Studies Business
Students to faculty ratio	16:1	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	47.5%	76.2%
Dropout rate	42.0%	20.5%
Transferred out	7.8%	1.4%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Computer Science (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $40,497 Year 2: $53,775 Year 3: $69,150 Environmental/Environmental Health Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $51,856 Year 2: $48,265 Year 3: $60,145 Psychology, General (Master's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $52,941 Year 3: $58,243 Social Work (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $52,405 Year 2: $53,045 Year 3: $57,583 Forestry (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $40,805 Year 2: $38,289 Year 3: $46,240 Natural Resources Conservation and Research (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $49,362 Year 2: $41,565 Year 3: $45,717 Social Work (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $26,892 Year 2: $28,236 Year 3: $42,797 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $32,215 Year 2: $36,294 Year 3: $41,528 History (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $20,882 Year 2: $25,967 Year 3: $39,496 Sociology (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $22,867 Year 2: $25,194 Year 3: $37,639	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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