University at Buffalo (UB) vs San Diego State University (SDSU)

Nestled in the vibrant city of Buffalo, New York, and the sun-kissed shores of San Diego, California, University at Buffalo (UB) and San Diego State University (SDSU) stand as two distinct beacons of higher education. While both institutions share a commitment to academic excellence and student success, they offer unique experiences shaped by their diverse locations, student demographics, and academic strengths. UB boasts a higher acceptance rate, welcoming a broader range of students, while SDSU's acceptance rate is more selective. In terms of popular majors, UB excels in engineering, health professions, and social sciences, while SDSU shines in business, communication, and education. Explore the detailed comparison table below to delve into further distinctions, including student body demographics, graduation rates, and additional factors that may influence your choice between these two esteemed universities.
San Diego State University logo

San Diego State University

University at Buffalo logo

University at Buffalo

Overview

Location San Diego, California Buffalo, New York
Campus setting City: Large Suburb: 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% 83.0%
Common app member No Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission

Acceptance rate 37.9% 70.1%
Application fees
Undergraduate: $70

Graduate: $70
Undergraduate: $50

Graduate: $75
SAT range N/A 1180 - 1360
ACT range N/A 25 - 31
Students submitting SAT score 29.0%
Students submitting ACT score 5.0%
Total number of applicants 67,660 30,750
Total number of admissions given out 25,646 21,552
Admitted students who chose to enroll 5,269 4,309
Yield rate 20.5% 20.0%
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: $30,240

Out of state: $48,160
Average net price $6,867 $17,954
Tuition
In state: $5,742

Out of state: $17,622
In state: $7,070

Out of state: $24,990
Room & board
Room/dormitory: $12,824

Meal plan: $6,344
Room/dormitory: $8,952

Meal plan: $6,500
Available payment plans
  • Tuition payment plan
  • Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid

Students receiving financial aid

(Grants & scholarships)

47.0%
Average amount $9,026
71.0%
Average amount $8,810
Students receiving federal student loan 18.0%
Average amount $5,015
45.0%
Average amount $5,071
Students taking out private loans 2.0%
Average amount $21,638
8.0%
Average amount $13,892

Students and Campus

Undergraduate students 31,321
Men 43.1% Women 56.9%
21,467
Men 54.3% Women 45.7%
Graduate students 5,163
Men 35.9% Women 64.1%
10,865
Men 47.5% Women 52.5%
Racial/ethnic diversity
Moderate
Moderate
Out-of-state students 24.2% 3.2%
International students 5.5% 18.3%
Campus local/setting City: Large Suburb: Large
Dormitory capacity 6,514 7,711
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 New York New Jersey Pennsylvania Connecticut Florida

Academics

Popular study areas
  • Health Professions
  • Engineering
  • Education
  • Kinesiology & Leisure Studies
  • Business
  • Health Professions
  • Engineering
  • Computer and Information Science
  • Education
  • Social Sciences
Students to faculty ratio 26:1 13:1
Institutional accreditation Western Association of Schools and Colleges Senior Colleges and University Commission Middle States Commission on Higher Education

Outcome

Graduation rate 76.2% 73.8%
Dropout rate 20.5% 8.7%
Transferred out 1.4% 16.4%
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 (Doctoral Degrees)
  • Year 1: $140,469
  • Year 2: $159,761
  • Year 3: $146,042
Dentistry (First Professional Degrees)
  • Year 1: $70,533
  • Year 2: $67,772
  • Year 3: $132,503
Pharmacy, Pharmaceutical Sciences, and Administration (First Professional Degrees)
  • Year 1: $95,335
  • Year 2: $104,510
  • Year 3: $123,979
Computer Science (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $60,109
  • Year 2: $61,020
  • Year 3: $82,514
Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $70,415
  • Year 2: $68,499
  • Year 3: $78,884
Computer Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $61,859
  • Year 2: $67,101
  • Year 3: $76,613
Accounting and Related Services (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $54,249
  • Year 2: $61,078
  • Year 3: $75,877
Civil Engineering (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $63,773
  • Year 2: $66,653
  • Year 3: $75,097
Industrial Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $61,581
  • Year 2: $59,350
  • Year 3: $74,704
Aerospace, Aeronautical and Astronautical Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $59,797
  • Year 2: $59,485
  • Year 3: $72,822

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