San Diego State University (SDSU) vs University of Nevada-Reno (UNR)

San Diego State University (SDSU) and University of Nevada-Reno (UNR) are two distinct universities with unique offerings. SDSU, located in the vibrant city of San Diego, California, boasts a diverse student body and a wide range of academic programs. UNR, situated in the scenic Reno-Tahoe region of Nevada, is known for its strong engineering and science programs. While both universities share similarities, there are key differences in acceptance rates, popular majors, student demographics, and graduation rates. Explore our comprehensive comparison table to discover which university aligns best with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.

	San Diego State University	University of Nevada-Reno
Overview
Location	San Diego, California	Reno, Nevada
Campus setting	City: 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	90.0%	78.0%
Common app member	No	Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	37.9%	88.2%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $70 Graduate: $70	Undergraduate: $60 Graduate: $60
SAT range	N/A	1060 - 1270
ACT range	N/A	20 - 26
Students submitting SAT score		12.0%
Students submitting ACT score		60.0%
Total number of applicants	67,660	9,421
Total number of admissions given out	25,646	8,306
Admitted students who chose to enroll	5,269	3,412
Yield rate	20.5%	41.1%
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	Required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	In state: $28,256 Out of state: $40,136	In state: $26,796 Out of state: $42,888
Average net price	$6,867	$16,398
Tuition	In state: $5,742 Out of state: $17,622	In state: $7,470 Out of state: $23,562
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $12,824 Meal plan: $6,344	Room/dormitory: $5,850 Meal plan: $5,792
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	47.0% Average amount $9,026	86.0% Average amount $7,232
Students receiving federal student loan	18.0% Average amount $5,015	29.0% Average amount $5,001
Students taking out private loans	2.0% Average amount $21,638	4.0% Average amount $12,013

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	31,321 Men 43.1% Women 56.9%	17,025 Men 47.1% Women 52.9%
Graduate students	5,163 Men 35.9% Women 64.1%	4,009 Men 39.3% Women 60.7%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Moderate	Moderate
Out-of-state students	24.2%	26.1%
International students	5.5%	2.8%
Campus local/setting	City: Large	City: Large
Dormitory capacity	6,514	3,524
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	California Washington Colorado Texas New Jersey	Nevada California Hawaii Oregon Washington

Academics
Popular study areas	Health Professions Engineering Education Kinesiology & Leisure Studies Business	Health Professions Engineering Biological and Biomedical Sciences Public Administration and Social Service Social Sciences
Students to faculty ratio	26:1	17:1
Institutional accreditation	Western Association of Schools and Colleges Senior Colleges and University Commission	Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities

Outcome
Graduation rate	76.2%	62.7%
Dropout rate	20.5%	34.1%
Transferred out	1.4%	N/A
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	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	Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $101,016 Year 2: $104,192 Year 3: $106,685 Computer and Information Sciences, General (Master's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $79,284 Year 3: $89,037 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $79,780 Year 2: $82,440 Year 3: $86,482 Mining and Mineral Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $69,338 Year 3: $82,783 Computer Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $63,402 Year 2: $67,473 Year 3: $78,990 Civil Engineering (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $60,203 Year 2: $66,169 Year 3: $77,729 Psychology, General (Master's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $57,770 Year 3: $75,701 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $69,757 Year 2: $69,161 Year 3: $74,927 Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $61,629 Year 2: $67,324 Year 3: $73,298 Medicine (First Professional Degrees) Year 1: $56,591 Year 2: $57,995 Year 3: $71,617

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San Diego State University (SDSU) vs University of Nevada-Reno (UNR)

San Diego State University

University of Nevada-Reno

Overview

Admission

Tuition and Fees

Financial Aid

Students and Campus

Academics

Outcome

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